Leo Persoon

Rock Rapids, IA Leo Persoon, age 94 of Rock Rapids, IA, formerly of Alvord, IA died Thursday, July 31, 2008 at Lyon Manor Nursing & Rehab Center in Rock Rapids, IA. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM, Tuesday, August 5th at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Alvord, IA, with Father Douglas Klein as celebrant. Burial will follow at St. Marys Catholic Cemetery in Alvord with Military Graveside Honors by Dick DeBoer Post #704 American Legion in Alvord and Rex Strait Post #103 American Legion in Rock Rapids. Visitation will be Monday, August 4th from 2 " 8 PM, with the family present from 6 " 8 PM at the Jurrens Funeral Home of Rock Rapids. Also there will be a Vigil service at 7:00 PM Monday night at the funeral home. Leo Persoon was born near Larchwood, Iowa, on November 7, 1913, to Henry and Felicia (Verlinde) Persoon. He was a lifelong farmer in the Alvord area and served for 35 years in various positions with the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS). He married Rachael Birgen of Beresford, South Dakota, on August 26, 1947, and raised three sons, Jim, Dick, and Jerry. He was an Army veteran of World War II and a member of Dick DeBoer Post #704 of the American Legion. He also belonged to the Alvord Gun Club and Sacred Heart Parish, Alvord. Upon retirement, he moved to Rock Rapids and joined Holy Name Parish. He is survived by his son Jim (Mary) of Spring Lake, Michigan; his daughter-in-law Barbara of Pleasantville, Iowa; seven grandchildren, Justin, Catherine, Rebecca, Michael, Carolyn, Doug, and Eric; and four great-grandchildren, Kelsey, Austin, Trevor, and Imani. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, his wife Rachael, his sisters Loretta, Lucille, and Mary, and his sons Dick and Jerry.