Peter Dykhuizen Jr.

PETER DYKHUIZEN JR.

Cedar Rapids

Peter William Dykhuizen Jr., 78, of Cedar Rapids, passed peace-fully away Monday, March 24, 2014, at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy, Hiawatha. A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Friday, March 28, at Cedar Valley Bible Church, 3636 Cottage Grove Ave. SE. The family will be available to greet friends for an hour before the service. A luncheon will be served following the service at the church. Interment will be private.

Bill, as he was known to his family and friends, was born Aug. 20, 1935, to Peter William Dykhuizen Sr. and Luella Rose Buseman. He grew up in Cedar Rapids and graduated from McKinley High School in 1953. He began working for Quaker Oats before beginning his service to his country by enlisting in the United States Navy, where he served aboard the USS Boxer for a peacekeeping mission following the Korean conflict. He married Audrey Kohl in 1957 and established a home in Mount Vernon following his first tour of duty. They had two children: a daughter, Denise, and a son, David.

Bill was joined in marriage to Mary Popelka in December 1966. He returned to the Navy to again serve during the Vietnam War aboard the USS Apache. After his second tour of duty, he and Mary made their home in Cedar Rapids. Their son, Michael, was born in 1972, and Bill returned to Quaker Oats, where he worked for 38 years, ending his time there as supervisor of the shipping department. For the past 16 years, he and Mary have worked together as event staff for Venue Works, enjoying the wide variety of cultural events that came to their city.

In May 2013, Bill participated in an Eastern Iowa Honor Flight. He considered himself privileged to spend the day in Washington with other men and women who attended. Bill was proud to have served his country and he was deeply moved by the honor and recognition that he and other veterans received on that special day. He was quick to pull out the photo album of his trip and share his memories with anyone who stopped by.

Bill's faith was an im-portant part of his life, and he and Mary were longtime members of Cedar Valley Bible Church, where many of the people became as dear as family to them. Members always knew when Bill was there as they would see his Bible, propped on a music stand, in front of his favorite seat.

Bill had a gift for seeing a problem and coming up with his own unique solution. He could build, design or refurbish almost anything, but his passion was fishing. Through the years he rebuilt several boats, he built and wrapped his own fishing poles from blanks and poured his own weights and sinkers. Warm weather usually found him on the Cedar River fishing with Mary and a few others who were lucky enough to have been invited along. Family made his life complete and he loved the time spent with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 47 years, Mary; their son, Michael and wife Dori (Jones) of Cedar Rapids, and their children, Connor "Buck," Dalton, Madison and Kaiya; daughter, Denise (Dykhuizen) McDaniel and husband Larry of Columbia, Mo., and their children, Joshua, Haley Boyd (husband Matt and children, Caden and Grayson), Abigail Rainwater (husband Lance), Anna and Caleb; son, Dave "Dutch" Dykhuizen of Mount Vernon and his daughter, Tara Griesinger; brother-in-law, David Popelka (wife Marilyn) of Cedar Rapids; as well as many dear nieces and nephews.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Luella; his sister, Anna Mae; his brother, Dale Henry; a son-in-law, Ryan Kaufman; a granddaughter, Amanda Joy McDaniel; and his in-laws, Harold and Ruth Popelka.

Arrangements are by Cedar Memorial.

Memorials may be given to Cedar Valley Bible Church, American Cancer Society or Coyote Hill Christian Children's Home.