Alvina Henrietta Van Gorp

Alvina Van Gorp died June 4 at Copper Glen in Montevideo at the age of 94.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, June 8 at 11:00 am at Hope Reformed Church in Montevideo. Pastor Mike Altena and Pastor Tony De La Rosa will officiate and interment will be at Sunset Memorial Cemetery.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, June 7 from 5-7 pm at Anderson-TeBeest Funeral Home in Montevideo with a prayer service at 7:00 PM.  Visitation will continue one hour prior services at the church on Thursday.

Alvina Henrietta (Van Roekel) Van Gorp was born on December 29, 1928 in her parents home near Sioux Center, IA the first child of Neal and Dena (Sneller) Van Roekel. She grew up in Northwest Iowa attending country school and then graduating from Sioux Center High School in 1946. She went on to obtain her teaching license at Westmar College in Lemars, IA and began teaching school at 17 years old. She taught country school for five years during which time she married Donald Van Gorp on August 29, 1950 at the Little Brown Church in the Vale.

The couple made their home in Orange City, IA for the first 2 1/2 years of marriage before moving to a farm near Maynard, MN. After eight years of renting land they bought and moved to a farm south of Montevideo in 1962. Many years were spent farming and building a dairy operation with the help of their growing children. In 2003 Alvina and Don moved to Montevideo where they continued to work flipping houses until they were in their 80’s. After a fall in 2021, Alvina moved to Copper Glen and Don followed a few months later. A favorite for the past few years has been the Sunday afternoon get-togethers at their apartment with all of her children present. You’d be amazed how many people you can pack into a small space!

Alvina worked along side of her husband farming, milking cows, and doing carpentry. She enjoyed being a homemaker, sewing, cooking, and helping her children. Each year that her son Allan would do missions in Honduras she would spend countless hours sewing quilts for him to take to the people there. Some of Alvina and Don’s favorite times were spent traveling to most every state in the US as well as a trip to England with Alvina’s brother and sister-in-law.

Alvina attended Hope Reformed Church where she was involved in teaching Sunday School, Catechism, Women’s Guild etc. She loved the Lord since she was a young child and her greatest desire was to know that her children and grandchildren were following the Lord as well.

She is survived by her husband of 72 years, Donald and their five children all from Montevideo: Norman (Loralee) Van Gorp, Warren (Randi) Van Gorp, Sandra Sumner (Jim Eichhorst), Allan ( Nancy) Van Gorp, & Donna (Gary) Koosmann. 17 Grandchildren: Peder (Jennifer) Van Gorp, Emmett (Kate) Van Gorp, Matthew (Sarah) Van Gorp, Melissa (Kyle) Pausch, Nathan Van Gorp, Phillip (Leah) Van Gorp, Eric (Nicole) Van Gorp, Dustin Sumner, Emily Sumner (Mike), Callie (Mark) Kellen, Stacia (Chad) Albrecht, Laura (Jonathan) Peterson, Nathan Van Gorp, Gabriel Van Gorp, Amber (Scott) Brezinsky, Blake (Rachael) Kuiken, Avery Koosmann. 36 Great-Grandchildren; Sister-in-laws Esther Bos, Darlene Van Roekel; Brother-in-law Perry Van Gorp, Uncle Ray Sneller, numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and a few old friends!

Preceding her in death were her parents, Neal & Dena Van Roekel; brothers, Delmer & Gerald Van Roekel; sister, Bernice Moss and her husband Jim. In laws, Edward & Gertrude Van Gorp, Russell & Mildred Van Gorp, Lloyd & Hendrine Van Gorp, Howard & Francis Van Gorp, Peter Bos, Jo Van Gorp and Grandson, David Brian Van Gorp.