Dean Huisman Obituary, Death – Dean Huisman, 71, from Wellsburg, Iowa, died June 4, 2023. Memorial services and a luncheon will be conducted at Orchard Hill Church in Grundy Center, Iowa, on Friday, June 9, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. The First Christian Reformed Church Cemetery in Wellsburg will hold a committal service with military honors at 9:00 a.m. before the memorial service at 11:00. Orchard Hill Church in Grundy Center will have visitation from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on June 8, 2023. Conrad, Iowa-based Anderson Funeral Homes will handle the arrangements. Dean was born in Aplington’s Aunt Helena’s residence on November 29, 1951. Donald and Grace Huisman, his parents, lived there.
He attended NIACC in Mason City from 1970–1971 after graduating from Wellsburg High School. He loved driving his 1968 Roadrunner. Dean served in the US Army 1971–1973. In Frankfurt, Germany, he served in the Honor Guard at the Belgian National Cemetery and other national cemeteries. The American Legion promoted him to Specialist. Wellsburg post member. He married Nancy Eekhoff on July 3, 1974, in the 1st Christian Reformed Church in Wellsburg in front of family and friends. They lived in Annville, Kentucky, from 1974 to 1976, where Dean printed Annville Institute’s publications and they were dorm parents. From 1976 to 1978, Dean worked as a printer for the Pella Chronicle and the couple had their first child, Justin Dean, in Pella. From 1978 to 2006, they farmed outside Wellsburg, Iowa. 1984 brought Quentin Kyle, and 1979 brought Nathan Paul.
From 1993 to 2019, Dean was a full-time rural mail carrier covering Wellsburg and a portion of Holland. He loved playing card games with family and friends, especially Pepper with his boys around Christmas. Fishing was his favorite summer activity, so he acquired a boat in 2021. Travel highlights included trips to Washington, Yellowstone National Park, the Black Hills, their “canyon tour” in 2007, Washington, D.C., and Europe, where they visited relatives in the Netherlands, cruised the Rhine River, and flew from Paris. Dean declared his faith in Jesus Christ at Wellsburg Reformed Church. Deacon and elder at First Christian Reformed Church. He also served as treasurer on Timothy Christian School’s board of trustees for 11 years.
