Henry "Hein" De Boer

Henry (Hein) De Boer was born September 21, 1934, in South Holland, Illinois, to Peter and Gertrude (Vermeer) De Boer, and he was baptized there. Because his father was a minister, first in the Protestant Reformed Church and then later the Christian Reformed Church in North America, the family moved to Holland, Michigan, and Redlands, California, before settling in Edgerton, Minnesota, in 1948. As a child in Holland, he remembered seeing large piles of metal collected as part of World War II salvage drives. In Redlands, he used to walk a block to milk the family's cow. The California parsonage was so small that he and his brother Pier slept in the loft of the single-car garage. The family drove to Michigan to visit relatives every summer, and in those frugal days before mandatory seat belts, Hein and his siblings would sit on the floorboards or curl up in the back window.

After attending Southwest Christian High School for a few years, Hein began working full time, and by 1957 he was employed by Vander Stoep's Hardware. He became a partner in what is now M&H Hardware in 1968; he retired in 2004. Throughout his life he was always interested in learning about the latest and greatest in appliances, and he developed strong opinions about the way to load a dishwasher - something he did until just a few months before his death.

He married Iva Joyce Huisken on August 20, 1954, at the Protestant Reformed Church in Edgerton, officiated by his father. They went on to have six children. As grandchildren arrived, Christmases in the living room got crowded, and by the time those grandchildren had their own children, Hein presided over a boisterous bunch that filled the cafeteria and spilled out into the gym at Southwest Christian.

A long-time member of First Christian Reformed Church in Edgerton, Hein's faith was evident in the many ways he served his church and neighbors. Over the years he volunteered as an elder, deacon, Sunday School and catechism teacher, and young people's service project leader. Growing up, his children appreciated living just a few doors down from First CRC because it meant they could go home instead of waiting for Hein to finish chatting after church. Iva's mother, Jessie Huisken, also lived just around the block, and with Hein's help Jessie and Gertie and "Grandma" (two neighbors) were able to live at home for many years as they aged.

Hein supported the local community as a member of the Civic Club, as well as a board member for the Chamber of Commerce, Edgebrook Care Center, Hillside Cemetery, Runals Memorial, and area Christian schools. He was also a volunteer emergency medical technician for over 20 years.

He enjoyed golf, tennis, bicycling, bowling, and racquetball at Dutchmen's Den. His love of the outdoors also included clay pigeon shooting, boating and water skiing, and canoeing in the Boundary Waters. Hein's love of sports meant he was always eager to watch a Vikings or Timberwolves game on TV, livestream a Southwest Christian High game, or cheer on Dordt University. In their later years, Hein and Iva enjoyed being snowbirds, escaping the wind-whipped plains of southwestern Minnesota to spend a few months basking in sunnier locales like Palm Springs, California. After decades living on the 700 block of 1st Ave W, he became a resident of Edgebrook in early January 2026 and went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on January 28, 2026.

He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Iva (Huisken) De Boer, and six children:

Brenda and Randy Nugteren of Pella, IA

Amy and Jonathan Vander Vliet

Ryan Nugteren

Steve and Chelsey Nugteren, Annika, Ruby, Vivian

Bob and Karla (Stockton) De Boer of Holyoke, CO

Jeremy and Heather De Boer, Ella, Ava

Laurie and Jarritt Owen, Jacie, Cole

Brian and Tara De Boer, Weston

Gene and Chery (Link) De Boer of Omaha, NE

Nathan and Megan De Boer, Corina, Desmond

Evan and Erika De Boer

Danielle and Myles Bartlett

Rod and Barb (Van't Hof) De Boer of Orange City, IA

Becky and Dan Elgersma, Bailey, Samuel, Jedidiah

Jason and Cassie De Boer, Henry

Jeff and Bonnie (Kooiman) De Boer of Edgerton, MN

Kyle and Allie De Boer

Marissa and Kyle Westra, Avery, Hannah, Grace

Jay and Kalyn De Boer, Lynden

Joel and Kristi (Hulstein) De Boer of Edgerton, MN

Taylor De Boer

Kiera De Boer

Alexa De Boer

He was preceded in death by his two sisters, Gertrude and Gladi. He is survived by five siblings: Beth Vanden Berg, Pier De Boer, Mel De Boer, Joan Pool, Alyce Ten Cate, and brother-in-law Mike Vander Pol.

Also preceding him in death were Iva's siblings and in-laws: Marva De Boer, Leanne Huisken, Ben Huisken, Fred Huisken, and John Hooyer. He is survived by Iva's siblings Ihla Hooyer, Jim (Jan) Huisken, Bill Huisken, and Kathy (Mike) Tinklenberg and sister-in-laws Trudy Huisken and Betty Huisken.

Memorials can be directed to Southwest Christian Schools.