Marsha Kay Veldhuizen

April 19, 1941 - June 11, 2018

Marsha Kay Veldhuizen, 77, of Oskaloosa, died June 11, 2018, at Oskaloosa Care Center. Marsha was born April 19, 1941, at Mercy Hospital in Oskaloosa, the daughter of William Edward and Wilma Neels Veldhuizen. She grew up on the family farm south of Delta and was a proud alumna of both the South Honey Grove one-room schoolhouse and the Delta High School Class of 1959, where she was a cheerleader and played basketball and saxophone. Marsha was a lifelong member of Central Reformed Church in Oskaloosa. On May 28, 1961, Don Veldhuizen rolled up on the southeast corner of the church and offered to drive her home — not realizing she was staying in Delta that night, not Oskaloosa. She wasn’t keen on dating someone with the same last name, but she went anyway. Don and Marsha were married on April 19, 1962; that drive to Delta was the first of countless road trips they would take together over the next 50+ years. After high school, Marsha moved to Oskaloosa to work at the Big Smith Overall Factory. In 1961, she began working at Mahaska State Bank. She took time off from 1967 to 1981 to raise her family before returning to the bank and working there until her retirement in 2003. She loved serving her customers and being part of the Mahaska State Bank family. Marsha lived life and loved her family and friends. She laughed often, cared for others, and was always up for an adventure. Her travels took her from Alaska to Zambia and many places in between, often camping along the way. The family camped at the Iowa State Fair every year beginning in 1973, and she and Don served many years as State Fair information volunteers. She enjoyed playing cards and dominos and attending gospel concerts with Don and their friends. She was an avid cyclist, completing RAGBRAI three times (in addition to riding segments in many other years) and biking across the Netherlands three times with the Northwestern College of Iowa bike tours. She is survived by her husband of 56 years, Donald, of Oskaloosa; three children: Dale Veldhuizen, of Des Moines, Eric Veldhuizen, of Moulton, and Sara (David) Veldhuizen Stealy, of Accra, Ghana; a granddaughter, Alexis (Jacob) Bell, of Oskaloosa; two grandsons, Dakota and Dawson Veldhuizen, of Moulton; one great-granddaughter, Aubree Bell, of Oskaloosa; her brother Keith (Vicki Collins) Veldhuizen, of Barronett, Wisconsin; sister-in-law Linda Veldhuizen, of Memphis, Tennessee; nieces Stacy (Ben) Mickey of Mesa, Arizona, and Renee (Aron) Hook of Golden, Colorado, and close friend Sandy Veldhuizen. Also surviving are many cousins, aunts, uncles and extended family and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and by her mother- and father-in-law, Jay and Nellie Veldhuizen. Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 16, 2018, at 10:30 am at Central Reformed Church, with Reverends Dwayne Poe and Mike Sereg officiating. Burial will be at Forest Cemetery in Oskaloosa. Open visitation will begin at Bates Funeral Chapel on Friday, after 10:00 am. The family will be at the funeral chapel on Friday evening from 5:00 to 7:00. Memorials may be directed to the Alzheimer’s Association.