Joan Helene Punt

     Joan Punt, age 65 of Sioux Center, IA, formerly of Maurice, IA passed away Wednesday, December 18, 2019 at the Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD.

     A Prayer Service will be held at 9:45 a.m. Monday, December 23^rd at the Memorial Funeral Home in Sioux Center. Burial will follow at the Memory Gardens Cemetery in Sioux Center.

     Memorial service will be 11:00 a.m. Monday, December 23^rd at Maurice Reformed Church in Maurice, IA with Rev. Wick Hubers officiating.    

     Visitation will be Sunday, December 22^nd from 3:00 to 5:00 PM with family present at the Memorial Funeral Home of Sioux Center.

In lieu of flowers the family would like memorials directed to: the Ireton Christian School or Sioux County 4-H Foundation.

     Joan Helene Rodenburgh was born on September 29, 1954, to Simon and Gertrude (Zoet) Rodenburgh at Sioux Center Hospital. She attended Hull Christian School through eighth grade and Boyden-Hull High School in Hull, IA, through grade twelve. She also graduated from Southeast Area School of Practical Nursing in 1975 with an LPN degree, and in 1989 went to Western Iowa Tech, graduating with an Associate Registered Nurse Degree.

     Joan was raised on various farms near Hull, IA, with the last one being a successful dairy farm. Her dad was partial to Holstein cows. It was a "family affair," with her mom and dad working from early morning till late at night to pay for the only farm they ever had. Joan and her sister Phyllis spent countless hours working the dairy and helping with the rest of the farming operation starting at age eight. They continued with the dairy operation until she graduated from high school. Joan then went to work at Otis Radio in Orange City, IA, and, before attending nurses training, spent time working in New Mexico and Arizona. In 1974 she started her nursing career, and for the next forty-five years she worked in the health care system. She worked in nursing homes in George, Rock Rapids, and Hawarden for thirteen years and then went back to college to complete her RN degree. After she completed her studies, she went to work at the Hawarden Hospital. During this time, she became the hospital's Emergency Room Supervisor. She also worked as an EMT while living in Hawarden. In 1998, she started working at the Floyd Valley Hospital in LeMars, IA as night-shift supervisor and retired from that job in 2017. Joan was listed in with the Manchester's Who's Who during this time.

She left behind many friends and special co-workers, too numerous to share. She recently started nursing at Royale Meadows in Sioux Center.

     In 1976, Joan married Henry Delfs, and to this union, daughter Joy Rebecca was born. Later that marriage was dissolved. In 1992, she married Leroy Punt, and they started their life together in Hawarden, IA. In February of 1995, they moved to an acreage by Maurice, IA. In 1996, a son, Mitchal Simon, was born. They continued to live on the acreage until 2017 when they moved to their home in Sioux Center, IA.

     Joan was a past member of the First Reformed Church in Hull, the Peace Lutheran Church in Rock Rapids, the Christian Reformed Church in Hawarden, and most recently the Maurice Reformed Church in Maurice, IA. She helped with various volunteer jobs in the church, mainly the nursery, VBS, and maintained a library position for over fifteen years and sewed with "Stitches of Love" at church. She had a deep personal faith with God and read her Bible from cover to cover. She said she needed God in her life every day or the days would not be complete and filled with joy.

     Joan's passion was in 4-H, and as a former 4-H member (thanks Philip), she became a leader and had done so for over twenty years. Her main desire in 4-H was working with the kids in her club with awards. During her lifetime of serving as a leader, she wrote over five hundred leader's nominations for "her" kids. She served in various supervisory roles at the local fair, worked with the judges, and belonged to Citizens for Extension. In 2017, she was inducted into the 4-H Volunteer Hall of Fame, and in 2019, she started judging at local fairs.

     Joan and Leroy's favorite times were when they lived on the acreage. They loved having lots of animals around, but their favorite was raising egg layers, broilers, and having 4-H lambs. She even raised Himalayan kittens for a time. Joan enjoyed traveling with her husband all over, but their favorite memories were spending time at Lake Okoboji with family in the summer and at Christmas and taking the family on trips to Florida. They were the best. The couple also went to all the local fairs around them during the summer, and to the Iowa State Fair just about every year they were married.

     In the last few years they lived on the acreage; Joan took up riding 4-wheeler with her son Mitchal. It became such a passion to her that she would ride every day, even in 20 below zero weather. She finally bought her own machine and enjoyed this sport more than any other.

     Joan enjoyed her "blended" family, and all of them were special to her. She prayed for her kids and grandkids daily. They really completed her, and she always said she had the "perfect" family. There were so many highs and lows in the family, but all of them made them a stronger family. She considered it an "honor" to be called Grandma. She loved taking the grandkids to the fair or having them at their place where they spent hours jumping on the trampoline or just playing outside. In the summer, when Leroy and Joan would go to Lake Okoboji, the grandkids would be sure to come along at one time or another. It didn't matter if there was enough room or not; they always made it work. They spent hours on the boat and tubing, and everyone would be burnt by the end of the day. Joan's best friend was her sister Phyllis, also known as "Biz" or "Aunt Biz" to the whole family. She talked on the phone to her sister every day, and when they went shopping two to three times a year, those times were priceless.

     Joan is survived by her husband of twenty-seven years, Leroy Punt of Sioux Center, IA; two children, Joy (Ryan) Haugan of Sioux Falls, SD and Mitchal (Emily) Punt of Hull, IA; step-children: Orlin (Amy) Punt of Langford, SD, Bill (Cathy) Punt of Alton, IA, Teresa (Lyle) Hoekstra of Sheldon, IA; eleven grandchildren: Olivia and George Haugan, Zachary, Joshua, Ryan and Jacob Punt, Cheri Wenzel, Brad and Roslyn Punt, Catherine Punt, Kyle and Kelsey Hoekstra and Samantha Hoekstra (fiancé Cobi Jones), and baby Punt due in April; two great-grandchildren, Melanie and Aubrie Punt and baby Hoekstra due in April; sister, Phyllis (Harlan) DeHaan of Orange City, IA; and several special nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her husband's family, Alvina Punt, Lawrence (Shirley) Groen, Arlene Bidwell, Lloyd (Gracia) Punt and Dorothy (Curt) Van Briesen.

     She was preceded in death by her parents, Simon and Gertrude Rodenburgh; step-children, Cheryl and Brian Punt; step-grandchildren, Anthony and Erica Hoekstra; step-great-grandchild, Paige Punt; father and mother-in-law, Henry and Wilhelmina Punt; and in-laws, Donald Punt, Audrey Groen, Ralph Punt, Forrest Bidwell, and Henry Punt.