Leroy Altena

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Leroy Altena, age 84, of Sioux Center, Iowa died Wednesday, September 30, 2020 at Sioux Center Health in Sioux Center.  

     A private family funeral service will be held 10:30 a.m. Monday, October 5, 2020 at Memorial Funeral Home at Sioux Center with Rev. Todd De Rooy officiating.  Burial will follow in the Memory Gardens Cemetery at Sioux Center.

     Visitation with some family present will be held Sunday, October 4^th from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at the Memorial Funeral Home at Sioux Center.

     Social distancing guidelines will be followed and masks are recommended. 

Memorials may be designated to Sioux Center Christian School.

     Leroy Fredrick Altena was born December 1, 1935 to Jake and Sadie (DeVries) Altena in Maurice, Iowa.  Leroy was raised on the family farm near Maurice and attended country school through the eighth grade and graduated from Western Christian High School.

     Leroy met a lovely young woman named Esther DeBoom at a Young Peoples’ Society meeting.   On June 3, 1955, they were united in marriage at the Bethel Christian Reformed Church of Sioux Center where they became members of the church.  In 1994, they became charter members of Redeemer United Reformed Church in Orange City, Iowa. 

The couple lived on a farm near Hawarden, Iowa for a year before moving to the Altena family farm near Maurice. After 35 years of farming, Leroy “retired.”  He continued to stay busy working in the hay business and selling wooden pallets. He enjoyed being outdoors and took drives to look at the crops.  In June 2020, Leroy and Esther moved from the farm into Sioux Center.

Leroy and Esther honeymooned in the Black Hills of South Dakota and have returned almost every year since.  They especially enjoyed watching the Buffalo Roundup at Custer State Park. They also enjoyed visiting flea markets and antique stores.

Those left to cherish his memory are his wife of 65 years, Esther Altena of Sioux Center; three daughters and their husbands: Debra and Paul Dorr of Ocheyedan, IA; Carey and Alan De Boer of Orange City, IA, Leanne and Tom Franken of Hawarden, IA; 15 grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; three sisters-in-law, Ladene Altena, Arlene Altena and Chalice Altena and numerous nieces and nephews.  

Leroy was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Sentner, Aubrey and his twin Elroy; and one infant great granddaughter.