Sioux Falls, SD – LeMar Doyle Bonnema Van Heuveln, 75, passed away Friday, September 27, 2019.
A celebration of life will be held 1:00pm-4:00pm Sunday, October 6, 2019 at Prairie View Event Hall, 27091 Kerslake Place, Tea, SD. A short service will be held at 2:00pm.
LeMar Doyle Bonnema Van Heuveln
Born November 5, 1943 to Bertis and Willemina (Bonnema) Van Heuveln
on a farm near Raymond, MN. At around age five moved to Prinsburg, MN. He Attended/graduated from Central Minnesota Christian School, Prinsburg, MN. During high school he did a correspondence course in electronics from DeVry Institute,
At age 16, he got his pilot’s license. He also bought his first house (with polka dots).
Worked with his dad, his father & uncle’s Prinsburg Seeding and Sodding Company.
Also worked for DH Blattner & Sons Road Construction building I-35W
Married Norma Zylstra in 1961
Four children; Dawn (Russ), Brett (Terri), Chris (Darcy), Bart(Jessica), and grandchildren: Aaron, Chaz, Tara, Drew, Heath, Avery, Chloe, Amanda (Collin), Marisa, Heather, Harley.
1962 Brown Institute, Minneapolis, MN – Electronics/Communications
1965 Mitchell, SD – electronics technician for KORN television
1966 Rapid City – building new KBHE Public Television station
1968 Salem – new KORN(later KDLT) TV station transmitter supervisor
1970 Springfield – Electronics Instructor for USD Springfield
1972 Graduated USD Springfield – B.S. in Education (Magna Cum Laude)
1976 Started part time two-way radio business installing EMS systems in hospitals
1978 Harrisburg – started full time business Vantek Communications Inc – Two-way radio, paging, communications systems, sales & service - first working out of our house and later in Sioux Falls
1998 Moved to Larchwood, built new home on the airport
2006 Purchased a second/vacation home at Valley Airport, Cotter, AR.
2007 Began land development in Sioux Falls (Timber Oaks)
Retired from Vantek 2010
Moved to new home in Sioux Falls 2016
HOBBIES:
FLYING: First flying was as a teenager, first owned airplane was an Aeronca Champ, had several Champs, a Bellanca, a Stinson, and in partnership a Mooney, an RV-8; and homebuilts: CA-65, RV-7, Pegazair.
ELECTRONICS: Lots of projects: building circuits, etc.; Ham Radio (Extra Class license W0VH)
READING: Read a lot, downloading books from the library; History, WWII, Flying, and QST magazine
LEARNING: Always wanted to know how things work, what he didn’t know he strived at great lengths to understand. He didn’t mind fixing ‘most’ things.
OTHER FAVORITES: The “Monday page” (beer with Bryan)
Getting together with SAG friends (playing cards, trips, etc.)
Annual Motorcycle trips with the boys, Darcy and Collin
Traveling: Germany twice, Costa Rica twice, an Alaska cruise, Haiti (mission trip), Canada, most all the US states, and the Rhine and Mosel River Cruise (last September)
He was a good person, caring, smart, witty, determined, sometimes opinionated, hard working, driven….. always active, became more health conscious the last several years with diet and exercise, a young 75-year old.
“it’s hard to put into words what he’s done with mom for so long, and for us all “ - Bart
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