Dena De Bey

Dena De Bey, 89, of Sioux Center, IA died Saturday, July 20, 2013 at Pleasant Acres Care Center in Hull. A visitation will be held on Monday from 4-8PM, with the family present from 6-8PM at Memorial Funeral Home of Sioux Center. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday at 10:30AM at Central Reformed Church of Sioux Center with Rev. R. Van Rathbun officiating. Interment will follow the funeral service in Memory Gardens Cemetery of Sioux Center. The De Bey family prefers memorials be directed to the Foster Grandparent Program. Dena (Wolfswinkel) De Bey was born on September 20, 1923 to Henry and Johanna (Sandbulte)Wolfswinkel in the homestead house north of Carmel. Dena attended country school in Carmel until the eighth grade. She was the youngest of 6 and helped take care of her sisters' and brothers' children. Later she worked in the Hull Hospital. On August 22, 1950 Dena was united in marriage to Raymond De Bey at the First Reformed Church in Hull. Dena and Ray settled on a farm northwest of Sioux Center. They were blessed with 5 children. She and Ray semi-retired to Sioux Center where they cleaned at the B.J. Haan Music Building at Dordt. Dena also enjoyed being a foster grandma at Hope Haven for several years. Dena enjoyed crocheting afghans and baby blankets. She also loved gardening and working with flowers. She was a very good cook and loved doing that for her family, always making the best buns ever for every holiday. She is a member of Central Reformed Church and attended different ladies bible study groups. She was a prayer warrior for her family, every night (looking at the pictures on her wall) and praying for each one of them. She also prayed for the people who took care of her at Pleasant Acres for the 2½ years she was there. Surviving Dena are her five children: Gerald (Jean) De Bey, Janice Nyhuis of Sioux Center, Betty (David) Vande Griend of Hull, Darrell (Crystal) De Bey of Friendship, New York and Roger (Lisa) De Bey of Rock Rapids; her fourteen grandchildren: Briana Erickson, Whitney De Bey, Amy Schmidt, Renee Bonhom, Roger Nyhuis, Darrell Vande Griend, Dean Vande Griend, Elizabeth Van Maanen, Dale Vande Griend, Rachel Vande Griend, Annalesha Vande Griend, Heather De Bey, Corey De Bey, and Jarod De Bey; fifteen great grandchildren: Alexander Erickson, Kael Erickson, Oliver Erickson, Abigail Schmidt, Ashley Schmidt, Alyssa Schmidt, Jeremiah Bonhom, Madilyn Bonham, Maci Bonham, Jake Vande Griend, Ethan Vande Griend, Lucas Vande Griend, Oren Vande Griend, Ava Van Maanen, and Leah Van Maanen. Dena is survived by one brother-in-law, Darrell Miller of Downs, Kansas and numerous nieces and nephews. Dena was preceded in death by her husband; parents; son-in-law, Robert Nyhuis; brother and sister-in-law, Joe and Sadie Wolfswinkel; sisters and brothers-in-law: Jennie and Ben Schoep, Hattie and Ralph Vande Berg, Johanna and Art Rozeboom and an infant brother.