Alvin Van Langen

Alvin George Van Langen was born May 9, 1930, at the farm home near Kamrar to George and Jennie (Klaver) Van Langen. He grew up in the Kamrar area and was baptized and confirmed in the First Presbyterian Church near Kamrar. On June 1, 1950, Alvin married Elaine Rigter at the Kamrar First Presbyterian Church.

All Alvin ever wanted to do was to be a farmer, and following graduation from Kamrar High School, that is what he did for the remainder of his life, first farming near Kamrar, then near Radcliffe and then moving to Jewell where he lived and farmed for over 50 years. Alvin was a lifetime member of the First Presbyterian Church serving as trustee, deacon and elder. He served on boards at the local Coop elevator and Jewell Golf Course and was also a township trustee and a member of Jewell Lions Club. Alvin raised many hogs during his lifetime and in 1963 he received the Master Swine Producer award. He was also the recipient of a Century Farm Award. Alvin and his wife became snowbirds in the mid 70’s and spent many years making and enjoying new friends in Arizona where he loved to play shuffleboard and Aggravation. Alvin moved to Independent Living at Timberland Village in Story City, Iowa, in the fall of 2019 where he still set his alarm for 5:30 so he could have breakfast at McDonald’s to visit with the area farmers — as he always said, “once a farmer, always a farmer.”

Alvin is survived by daughters, Joan (Keith) Gelder of Jewell, Beverly (Gerald) Huisman of Kamrar, and Patricia (Jerry) Ober of Story City; grandchildren Brian (Mindy) Gelder, Steven (Lindsay) Gelder, Jeremy (Chelsea) Huisman, Ashley (David) Arellano, and Alyssa (Matthew) Halbach; great-grandchildren, Elia and Grayson Gelder, Sydney and Wyatt Gelder, Brynley and Camden Huisman, Hannah and Bailey Arellano, and Brooklyn and Nicholas Halbach. He was preceded in death by wife, Elaine, in 2013, parents, George and Jennie Van Langen, brother, Norman Van Langen, sisters, Eleanor Britson and Shirley Moore, brothers-in-law, Ward Britson, Alan Moore, Raymond Rigter and Joel Rigter; and sisters-in-law, Dorothy Van Langen, Orpha Rigter and Joan Rigter.

The family thanks the staff of Timberland Village and Bethany Life for all their friendship and loving care of Alvin. Memorials may be directed to the Lord’s Cupboard in Jewell, IA, and Bethany Life in Story City, IA.