Virgil Heetland

Virgil Heetland, 85, of Ackley, passed away on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at The Cottages of Hearthstone in Pella of natural causes. A private family service will be held with burial in the Cornerstone Cemetery, rural Ackley. A public viewing will be from 11 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.on Saturday, December 5, 2020 at the Cornerstone Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Fellowship of Christian Farmers, Cornerstone Presbyterian Church or The Cottages of Hearthstone in Pella. Funeral arrangements are under the guidance of the Sietsema Funeral Home in Ackley.

 

Virgil Vern Heetland was born on October 13, 1935 to Paul and Florence (Geerdes) Heetland on the family farm south of Ackley. He graduated from Ackley High School in 1953. On December 15, 1959, Virgil was united in marriage to Darlene Stahl in Holland, Iowa. Darlene passed away in 2003 and Virgil later married Mary Lou. Virgil was a self-employed farmer and was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Farmers. He was also a 4-H Leader, a Deacon and Church Elder and was on the 4-H Extension Council. Virgil was a kind & gentle man whose strength came from his belief in God. Daily devotions were a routine for him & his wife. The power of prayer, his unselfish love for others, & his faith lead him on many mission trips to various countries.

 

Virgil is survived by his second wife of 15 years, Mary Lou (DeWaard) Heetland of Pella, his children Valerie (Jeff) Cook of Hubbard, Lynn (Lynette) Heetland of Waukee, Gary (Lorna) Heetland of Ackley, Kendall (Maria) Heetland of North Aurora, IL and Rodney (Jamie) Heetland of Sioux Falls, SD, his brother Gordon (Rosemary) Heetland of Dike, grandchildren Rita Cook, Becky (Cook) Young, Kyle Cook, Vince Cook, Chelsie (Heetland) Stilwill, Kayla (Heetland) Handsaker, Sadie (Heetland) Frederiksen, Karen (Heetland) Eastman, Trent Heetland, Dylan Heetland, Ashley Heetland, Sean Heetland, Karli Heetland and Austin Heetland and his great-grandchildren Reagan Young, Otis Young, Quinlynn Stilwill, Zayden Stilwill, Caden Handsaker, Case Frederiksen, Wesley Frederiksen and Brady Eastman. He is also survived by Mary Lou’s five children, numerous grandchildren & great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Darlene, sisters Pearl Harms and Gladys Bakker and brothers Elmer, James, and Kenneth Heetland.