Glen D. Vander Kolk, 72
Glen F. Vander Kolk age 72 of Waverly, IA, died Wednesday, November 21, 2018, at Mercy Medical Center in Mason City.
Funeral services will be held 2:00 p.m. Sunday, December 2, 2018, at the Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home in New Hampton. Interment with military honors will follow at the New Hampton City Cemetery.
Visitation will be at Hugeback Johnson Funeral Home in New Hampton, Iowa from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 2, 2018. The service will directly follow. Online condolences for Glen's family may be left at hugebackfuneralhome.com 641-394-4334
Glen Fred Vander Kolk was born November 17th, 1946 in Charles City, Iowa to Laura (nee Schmidt) and Fred Vander Kolk. Glen passed November 21, 2018, in Mason City, Iowa.
He graduated from Waterloo East High in 1965 before joining the Army. He stayed stateside during the Vietnam conflict era as a special communications expert. He was honorably discharged in 1971.
Glen worked for Iowa Public Service for 19 years, until 1984, when he moved to Virginia Beach. For a short time, he was employed by Dominion Light and Power before returning to Iowa. Working 3 jobs, Glen put himself through college at Wartburg and graduated with a double major in Business Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1993. During that time, and after, for 24 years, Glen was employed part-time by the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Glen's last place of employment was as the Lab Director for the City of Waverly, where he worked for 20 years before retiring on December 2, 2017, at the age of 71.
Glen married Sharon (Munson-Kraft) on July 24, 1988, and they blended their families with six children. He enjoyed hunting, mostly big-game; eagle watching; camping in his second home on wheels; gardening and landscaping; cooking; and waxing everything from his wife's car to his John Deere lawnmower. The thing he enjoyed most of all was spending time with his family and especially his grandchildren.
Glen was diagnosed in October with stage IV lung cancer. He made a valiant effort despite the prognosis. He made sure his wife and children would be left with no question of his profound love for each of them.
Glen is survived by his wife, Sharon; five sons, Matthew (Lisa Evans) Vander Kolk of Charles City; John Kraft of Nashua; Mark (Lisa) Vander Kolk of Waterville; Mason (Joy) Vander Kolk of Reinbeck; and Shawn (Stephanie Speltz) Kraft of Ionia; one daughter, Dawn (James) Chavis of Nashua; his mother-in-law, Betty Munson of New Hampton; one sister, Janice McCulley of Evansdale; two sisters-in-law, Diane Stolfus (John Hueber) of Lawler; Carol (Irvin) Reese of Charles City; three brothers-in-law, Arthur Munson of Charles City; Lonnie Munson (Marilyn Stewart) of Yukon, OK; Beryl "Buzz" Blake of Waterloo; six granddaughters, five grandsons, one great-granddaughter and another on the way. Many nieces, nephews, and friends.
Glen is preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Eileen Blake; an infant daughter, Melissa Vander Kolk; and one grandson, Chayton Anderson; his father-in-law, Arthur Munson Sr.; one sister-in-law, Beverly Munson; two brothers-in-law, Alan Munson, and Richard Stolfus Sr.