Dennis Ray DeJong

April 18, 1954 - November 30, 2017

Dennis Ray DeJong, 63, of Oskaloosa, died Thursday, November 30, 2017, at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He was born April 18, 1954, in Oskaloosa, Iowa, the son of Raymond and Margaret Petersma DeJong. He graduated from Oskaloosa High School with the class of 1972. On June 2, 1978, he was united in marriage to Linda Akin at the Nazarene Church in Oskaloosa. To this union two children were born, Michael and Michelle. Denny and Linda later divorced. Following graduation, he continued to work at Bill and Ray’s Truck Repair with his dad and brothers. Denny spent his life being extremely dedicated to the family business. He was a talented mechanic that looked forward to the challenges that came with each job. On December 31, 2014, he was united in marriage to Kathryn Rankin. His passion was rooted in helping people. He was a great conversationalist and looked forward to visiting with customers, friends, and strangers alike. He was always eager to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those around him. As a Christian, he had a servant heart. This was displayed daily by the way he treated his family, friends, employees, and customers. He enjoyed fishing trips to Canada, hunting, riding his bicycle, singing, and shopping. He looked forward to going on wrecker calls with the guys. Denny delighted in being with his family, he truly enjoyed being a grandpa. His family includes his wife Kathryn DeJong of Oskaloosa; two children and their spouses, Michael and Adrianna DeJong of Edgar, Wisconsin, and Michelle and Chad Holland of Olathe, Kansas; six grandchildren, Hailey Holland, Tyler Holland, Miley Holland, Ellia DeJong, Ava DeJong, and Camden DeJong; five step children, Krista (Kadin) White of Ankeny, Rachel (Emmanuel) Muthomi of Greensville, North Carolina, Jonathan (Shelly) Rankin of Reasnor, Sarah (Will) Folkerts of Chariton, and Jenny (Joe) Morrett of Pella; eight step grandchildren, Trinity Muthomi, Christian Muthomi, Sacred Muthomi, Reese White, Zoe White, Charlotte Rankin, Harvey Rankin, and Eleanor Folkerts; two brothers, David (Deborah) DeJong and Doug (Kris) DeJong all of Oskaloosa; two sisters, Denise (Shawn) Pagano of Charlotte, North Carolina and Diane (Terry) Schneider of California; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Funeral services will be held Friday, December 8, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. in the Gateway Church of the Nazarene in Oskaloosa with Reverend David Brown officiating. Burial will be in the University Park Cemetery in University Park. The Bates Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. Visitation will begin Thursday morning after 11 a.m. in the Bates Funeral Chapel and the family will be at the funeral chapel from 4-8 Thursday evening to greet friends and relatives. Memorials may be made to Tow Trucks for Tots.