Wilbur Henry Veenstra, the second of five children, was born on March 8, 1938, to Lambert and Hester (Branderhorst) Veenstra.  Depending on when you knew him, you called him Boy, Wilbur, Wilb, Will, Uncle Willy, Bur-Bur, or Papa.

Wilbur was born on a farm near Bussey.  Their family later moved near Harvey and a few years later settled on a farm southwest of Tracy, Iowa.  Wilbur graduated from Tracy Consolidated High School in 1956.  On January 4, 1960, he enlisted in the Iowa National Guard and he served for six years as a personnel specialist until January 3, 1966.

Carolyn Van Arkel was his lifelong neighbor, and they were united in marriage on September 8, 1967, in Pella, Iowa.  They were blessed with three sons: Joel Thomas, Douglas James, and Bradley John.  They lived in Tracy until November of 1992, and then moved to Pella (Amsterdam Hill) where they created countless memories with their children and grandchildren, including decades of pool parties.   As a family, many memories were also made camping at the school, Lake Red Rock, and the Iowa State Fair.

Wilbur's first jobs were driving a coal truck and driving a school bus.  He then worked at the Tracy Lumberyard until he purchased this lumberyard from his father in 1965.  He also purchased a concrete truck in 1970 and in the late 70's and 80's Joel and Doug would help him pour concrete in the summers and Brad would ride along in the truck.  The boys say their dad taught them to work hard.  He ended his working years as an American Family Insurance Agent from 1986 until 2006.  After retirement, Wilbur and Carolyn purchased a motor home and spent eleven winters exploring Florida, Texas, and Arizona.

Wilbur was a lifelong member of the Tracy Christian Reformed Church, where he served in the consistory and as a cadet counselor.  He was a third generation Veenstra at Tracy CRC and was proud to have his son and granddaughters be the fourth and fifth generation Veenstras in his church.  You would see them sitting and worshiping together every week. He had a big heart for those in need and would quietly bless them. He belonged to the Red Rock Lake Association for 20 years and enjoyed volunteering and keeping the lake area beautiful.

Wilbur loved to try new things and had many hobbies.  He began running in 1982 and ran hundreds of races - most in Pella and Des Moines including the Dam to Dam, Living History Farm Run, Gene Van Wyk Run, Turkey Trot, and Klompen Classic.  His last run was the Klompen Classic in 2022 at the age of 84.  He enjoyed the Iowa Senior Games and would enter as many events as possible. He won many of these events and would share his medals with the grandchildren who came to cheer him on. He owned several motorcycles over his lifetime and could be seen making a quick trip on his bike to pick up his granddaughter Christa from school or taking a longer road trip to Arizona.  He loved airplanes and had a pilot's license.  He listened to all music genres and loved bluegrass to classical.  The grandkids would sit by him at the player piano for hours at a time.

Wilbur spent hours playing ping pong with his sons; Brad was always his doubles partner and they would passionately battle against Joel and Doug.  They competed for decades!  Later this led to tennis games. All the grandchildren loved spending time with Papa.   He attended over 1,000 ball games, cheering for them from the time they played their first game through college sports.   The grandchildren also created special memories on walks through the timber on the family farm.  When they were not together, he made them laugh when he texted jokes and crazy snapchats. He joked about his height and told everyone he was five foot, eighteen inches.

He is survived by his wife, Carolyn, their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Joel and Julie Veenstra of Urbandale, Iowa

Jessa (Veenstra) and Colin Frye and their sons Aiden and Emmett

Luke and Danielle Veenstra and their daughter Josephine

Grant Veenstra

Doug and Carrie Veenstra of Tracy, Iowa

Christa (Veenstra) and Ben Andringa and their sons Theodore and Cooper

Cara Veenstra

Brad and Angie Veenstra of Clive, Iowa

Emma (Veenstra) and Justin Groen

Carson Veenstra

J.T. Veenstra

Javontae Veenstra

Wilbur leaves his siblings: brother, Kenneth Veenstra, sister-in-law, Katrina Veenstra, sister Marie and her husband Francis Schiebout all of Pella, Iowa and his sister-in-law, Connie Van Arkel of Oskaloosa.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Lambert and Hester Veenstra, sister Deloras and her husband Jacob Hoogerwerf, sister-in-law Janice Veenstra, brother, Lester Veenstra, and brother-in-law, Kenneth Van Arkel.

Visitation will be May 7, 2025 from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00p.m.

Funeral services will be May 8, 2025 at the Tracy Christian Reformed Church at 11:00 a.m. and will be live streamed on the Tracy CRC Iowa Facebook page.

Interment will proceed the service at 10:00 a.m. at the Bellefontaine Cemetery at Tracy, Iowa.

Memorial contributions are suggested for Many Hands - supporting Doug and Carrie Veenstra or Tracy Christian Reformed Church.

Tracy Christian Reformed Church
Tracy IA

Many Hands 4 Haiti
Pella IA
Web: http://https://secure.qgiv.com/for/manyhands/