Marlin "Mike" Vanden Bosch

Marlin “Mike” Vanden Bosch, age 85 of Sioux Center, IA passed away Tuesday, April 7, 2020 at Prairie Ridge Care Center in Orange City, IA. There will be a Private Family Service at Memorial Funeral Home in Sioux Center with burial following at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Sioux Center, IA. Condolences to the family can be offered on the Memorial Funeral Home website. Mike Vanden Bosch Memorial Folder Memorials may be directed to the Mike Vanden Bosch English Scholarship Fund at Dordt University. To watch the recorded funeral service please click the link Mike Vanden Bosch Funeral Service Mike was the son of L.T. and Margaret (Lems) Vanden Bosch. He was born December 12, 1934 on a farm near Rock Valley, IA. He attended Rock Valley Christian School and Western Christian High School. He attended Calvin College and graduated in 1957 with an English major. While at Calvin he was on the baseball team, was a member of the French Club and also a Thespian. On June 4, 1957 he married Nancy Vander Jagt in Grand Rapids, MI and then spent six months with the Army Reserves in Missouri and Texas – without his wife. In 1958 Mike and Nancy moved to Hull, IA where Mike taught English at Western Christian High for nine years, except for the 1961-62 school year when he was recalled by the Army Reserves. He spent that school year in Fort Ord, CA, where he worked in the army hospital as a medic and also pitched lots of softball. While teaching at Western he spent many summers at the University of Iowa working on an advanced degree in English. Also, while at Western, Mike coached track and cross country, and had many winning seasons coaching boys’ basketball. In 1968 Mike joined the English Department at Dordt College where he taught many different courses until his retirement 32 years later. He did take a three-year leave in the early 70’s and attended the University of Iowa and received his Ph.D. in English Education. He coached girls’ softball and men’s track for a few years while at Dordt. One of Mike’s favorite things to do his whole life was playing baseball and pitching softball. He was known in Northwest Iowa as an outstanding softball pitcher. He was also a life-long avid Boston Red Sox fan. Mike enjoyed serving on boards and committees and also on church council both in Iowa City and at Covenant CRC in Sioux Center. He enjoyed teaching English to local Hispanics. Mike took five trips to China in summers while working for ELIC. What Mike enjoyed most was writing: poetry, litanies, pageants, histories, including the history of Sioux Center and also Dordt College. Mike passed away on Tuesday, April 7th after spending 3 ½ years in the nursing home in Orange City suffering from Alzheimer’s. Mike will be missed by his loving family: wife of 62 years, Nancy, children, Shelley and Jackson Hall (Tara and Stephen Chicola, Dani and Don Malin, Tanya and Peter De Groot), Mick and Judy Vanden Bosch (Michaela and Adam Hofer, Anisa, Ciana), Dan and Sandy Vanden Bosch (Kristin and Cam Stuive, Kasey), son-in-law, Steve Wolffis (Derek and Carla Engelsman, Risa and Andrew Herrema), great-grandchildren, Trey, Jackson and Kinsey Chicola, Dax, Decker and Drake Malin, Elliott De Groot, Micaiah and Addyelle Hofer, Carter Stuive, Brody Herrema. He will be reunited in heaven with his dearly loved daughter, Kim Wolffis, his parents and many brothers and sisters.