Warren Van Denplas

Rock Rapids, Iowa Warren W. Van Denplas, age 88 of Rock Rapids, IA went to his heavenly home on Friday, February 24, 2012 at Royal C. Johnson Veterans Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD. Funeral service will be held at 10:30 AM, Tuesday, February 28th at Tabernacle Baptist Church in George, IA, at 10:30 A.M. with Pastors Bryan Anderson and Oryn Meinerts officiating. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery in Rock Rapids, IA. Visitation will be Monday, February 27th from 4:00 to 7:00 PM, with the family present from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at Tabernacle Baptist Church in George. The Jurrens Funeral Home of Rock Rapids is in charge of services. Warren W. Van Denplas was born April 11, 1923 and raised in Schenectady, New York. He was the son of Virgil J. and Helen Fay (Carpenter) Hasche. As a young man, Warren was considered to be very athletic and enjoyed playing all sports and graduated from the local high school. Warren was a hard worker all of his life. He started working for General Electric, building wiring harnesses right out of high school. In 1942 he entered the U.S. Army Air Corps and served in the 15th Air Force as a Crew Chief on a B-17. In 1944, his plane was disabled and shot down resulting in his capture by the German forces. After nearly a year as a P.O.W., he was liberated by U.S. forces. In 1946, he was honorably discharged as a Technical Sergeant. He returned to New York to attend Lake Champlain College and later transferred to Denver University where he graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Business. On June 2, 1949, Warren was united in marriage to Mary Pat Sullard and also became a father to daughter, Margy. Shortly thereafter, the new family moved to Albany, NY, where Warren started working for Thom McAn, a division of Melville Shoe Corporation. As Warren worked his way up to District Manager, they lived in various places in the United States. Twenty five years later, Warren retired from Thom McAn, but unable to stay retired, he briefly worked as a General Manager for Trans World Industries in Ohio. In 1987, Pat and Warren moved to Rock Rapids, Iowa to care for Warrens ailing parents. In later years he enjoyed golfing, but most of all he enjoyed tinkering in the shed with various things. Throughout his life, he was an active church member serving as a Deacon, teaching Sunday School, assisting in a prison ministry and juvenile shelter program, and carrying out a ministry in juvenile detention center. On November 2, 2009, after 60 years of marriage, Warrens beloved wife Pat, passed away. After her death, Warren continued to be an active member of the Van Anne-Field Post No. 6960 VFW, Rex Strait Post No. 103 American Legion of Rock Rapids and the Disabled American Veteran Association. He also was an active member of the Tabernacle Baptist Church in George, Iowa. On Friday, February 24, 2012, at Royal C. Johnson Veterans Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD, at the age of 88, he joined his dearest Pat in the arms of their heavenly father. He will be remembered as a dedicated husband, loving father, benevolent grandfather and trusted friend. He was survived by his daughter, Margy Hanna and son-in-law David Hanna of Oceanside, CA; three grandchildren, Steven (Mona) Jones of Hayward, CA, Lisa (Arlen) Shaw of Arnold, CA and Amy (Michael) Ivey of Murrieta, CA; seven great-grandchildren Van, Abigail, Elora, Graceana, Sophia, Ben, and Ruby; one brother, Robert (Vinnie) Hashe of Boston, MA; and other extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Virgil and Helen Hasche, sisters Ione Caranchini and Jeanne Lewis.