Obituary of John George Barwegen

John [Jan] George [Gaatse] Barwegen, the son of Rienk and Willemke [Gras] Barwegen, was born September 2, 1927 in Hitzum, Friesland, The Netherlands. His sister Hinke [Bergstorm] came seven years later. As a teenager during World War II, he worked with the Dutch resistance rescuing Dutch Jews from being sent to concentration camps in Germany. John was always thankful for the American/European Allies, who liberated him and the Netherlands. In 1948 John immigrated to the United States at age 21. He settled in the Prairie City area and later was a dairy farmer in the Vandalia and Killduff area. Later he sold the dairy farm when he began working at Maytag. Later on a visit to Holland, he met Petronella [Nellie] Cornelia Dekker. They were married on April 4, 1957 in Ermelo, Gelderland, The Netherlands. John was a hard worker. He worked for the Maytag Company for 32.4 years, retiring from die cast in 1991. He also had a landscaping and lawn mowing business on the side. He was very good at beautifying green space and his business grew by word of mouth. John was a long time member of the Newton Christian Reformed Church and the U.A.W. Local #997. John loved his family and always strived to be a good provider. John died on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 in Newton at the age of 87. John was preceded in death by his parents. John will be remembered for his love of God, his family, and his love for telling a good story. Those left to honor John's memory include his wife Nellie, his daughters, Nancy Barwegen of Newton and Winnie (Mike) Rye of Des Moines; his three grandchildren, Timothy Barwegen, Attalie Rye and Shaeyla Rye; and his great grandson, T.J. Barwegen. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, December 13th at the Pence ~ Reese Funeral Home in Newton with Pastor Aaron Gunsaulus of the Newton Christian Reformed Church officiating. The family will greet friends from 10:00 -11:00 a.m. with the service at 11:00 a.m. A lunch will follow the memorial service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be designated to Newton Christian School and may be left at the funeral home.