Donald W. Bruxvoort

Donald Wayne Bruxvoort was the only child born to Herman and Kay Bruxvoort on May 8, 1942 near Sully, Iowa. Don grew up around the Sully/Kellogg area on the farm, with all the work and experiences the country life offered in that day. He attended Sully Christian School, Pella Christian High School and Dordt, Grandview and Drake Universities.

On September 11, 1963 he married his high school sweetheart, Theresa Hoksbergen in Pella, Iowa. They began their married life together in Des Moines, Iowa, where they spent the first 25 years of their marriage. His major employment was the AMF Lawn and Garden Division and he continued to work in the outdoor power equipment industry for most of his career. These years were also busy with starting and raising a family – Jana, Pam and Brian were all lovingly welcomed.

When the kids had all moved off to college, Don and Theresa followed his job down to Jackson and eventually to Nashville, Tennessee, where they adjusted to southern living, made many new friends and broadened their horizons.

Don enjoyed working with his hands on whatever his mind conceived: houses, boats, cars, snowmobiles, model railroads, decks, swing sets, garden tractors – he had his hand in designing and building or restoring of all of them. He built and rebuilt the “Brianville & St. Theresa” model railroad in almost every home he lived in, getting more and more elaborate with each move.

He completely rebuilt the “Haven House” in South Haven, Michigan, turning an old abandoned halfway house with raccoons living in the enclosed front porch into a beautifully restored home. He and Theresa lived there for 10 years and hosted the annual “Bruxvoort Bash” for their kids’ families every 4th of July. They also made many close friends and helped grow a new church family in South Haven before recently moving back to Iowa.

Boating was another of Don’s lifelong passions that brought his family together, from ski boats on Lake Red Rock and Saylorville to cruisers on the Tennessee River and Lake Michigan. His love of boating culminated in the year-long LOOP trip that he and Theresa took from South Haven to Chicago, down various rivers to the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, up the Eastern Seaboard, across the Erie Canal and back into the Great Lakes.

Don also spent much of his life in service to his various churches through council, committees, school boards and building projects. He also spent many hours working on disaster relief, especially after the Nashville tornado of 1998.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Theresa, and his children and their families:

Jana and Brian Van Haaften of Pella, Iowa and their children: Tiffany and Brett Maxwell and their daughter, Adley Hope, and Reece and Jessica Van Haaften

Pam and Eric Hyde of Des Moines, Iowa and their children: Caleb, Ezra and Sophia

Brian and Christine Bruxvoort of Ypsilanti, Michigan and their children: Ursula and Donovan

He is preceded in death by his parents, Herman and Kay Bruxvoort and his Son-in-Law, Carl Kulczyk.

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