Dennis J "Denny" VanDenBerg

1944 - 2023

Dennis (Denny) J. VanDenBerg, 79, of Springfield, Missouri passed away at his home on May 18, 2023, following a battle with esophageal cancer and complications from chemotherapy and radiation. The family is grateful for the care Denny received from Integrity Home Care and Hospice. Their care and compassion during his illness was amazing and brought great comfort to Denny and his family.
A celebration of life will be held on June 24, 2023, at 2 p.m. in Milford, Iowa at the Nature Trails Clubhouse. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorials be given to Integrity Home Care and Hospice in Springfield, Mo.
Denny was born on March 22, 1944, on the family farm near Sanborn, Iowa to Sam and Josie (Elgersma) VanDenBerg. Denny, or Butch, as his family lovingly called him was the fourth of six children. On October 28, 1972, he married Cindy L. Coulander at the First Reformed Church in Ireton, Iowa. Together they had two children, Jamey and Kara. They made their home in Oyens, Iowa and then LeMars, Iowa. In 1979 they moved to Independence, Iowa where they lived until 2001. They moved to Okoboji where they lived for a year before moving to Missouri in 2002.
Denny always had a passion for hard work. At the age of 12 he started delivering milk for the local creamery before school. As he got older, he worked at night setting pins at the local bowling alley. This drive continued into adulthood and led to many different types of jobs and eventually building his own businesses. He never expected to walk into a job and start at the top. He believed in hard work and was willing to start at the bottom and work his way up, and that is exactly what he did.
Early in his career, Denny worked for Pews in Le Mars selling boats. This started his love for boating and being at Lake Okoboji as much as possible. In 1979 Denny and his brother, Harold, partnered to buy a car dealership in Independence. VanDenBerg Chevrolet-Buick was a very successful and well-known car dealership in Eastern Iowa. He was well known for his TV commercials promoting his business and his signature line "call me on the duck phone." Denny eventually took over the dealership as the sole owner. In 1989 Denny sold the car dealership and moved on to a new business adventure. He partnered with his friend Dick Backes and built three hotels over the course of five years. During this time Denny worked closely with his wife, Cindy, who managed the hotels. Eventually it was again time to move on and Denny sold the hotels to move on to something new. While selling his hotel properties in Iowa he connected with Southeast International Hotel Brokers in Springfield, Mo. Years later he got his real estate license and began working for this company in 2003. He continued working for Southeast up until his death. Denny's strong work ethic led to a very successful career. He prided himself in being able to provide for his family to ensure they were always well taken care of.
Denny was outgoing and could make a friend anywhere he went. He could easily talk to people and was often the life of the party. He loved a good happy hour and loved to entertain. Denny always went out of his way to make people feel welcome when they were visiting. He made many wonderful connections through the businesses he owned during his life and was always appreciative to have great employees who then became lifelong friends. Denny was also a member of The Grand Lodge of Missouri Shrine and loved getting together with the friends he made through this organization. Denny enjoyed watching NASCAR and attended many races over the years. For many years he enjoyed going to the Daytona 500 every February. While in the car business he also sponsored a local race team and spent many nights and weekends at the dirt tracks in Eastern Iowa watching his team bring home the checkered flag. Denny enjoyed playing cards with friends and family, playing golf, and watching football while cheering on his favorite team the Kansas City Chiefs. At the end of a long day, Denny and Cindy would often sit together and enjoy a cocktail and talk about their day. This was always a time where they could connect and spend quality time together. Denny's pride and joy were his three grandchildren, Kylie, Jace, and Jaren. He loved any opportunity to spoil his grandchildren and enjoyed spending time with them playing pool and checkers.
Denny is survived by his loving wife, Cindy of 50 years; two children: James, Springfield, Mo., and Kara (Joe) Ozbun of Adel, Iowa; and three grandchildren: Kylie, Jace, and Jaren; two sisters: Joy (Lee) Van Tol, Sanborn, Iowa and Deanna (Gene) Wietzema, Sibley, Iowa; and two brothers: Franklin (Jessie) VanDenBerg, Overland Park, Kansas and Steve (Helen) VanDenBerg, Sheldon, Iowa; sister-in-law Brenda Coulander, Rock Valley, Iowa; two brothers-in-law Todd (Gayle) Coulander, LeMars, Iowa and Cory (Susan) Coulander, Spencer, Iowa; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Sam and Josie VanDenBerg; brother Harold VanDenBerg; and father-in-law and mother-in-law Cornie and Jeneva Coulander.