Dr. Jeffrey Knobloch

Dr. Jeffrey Knobloch, age 38, of Grinnell, Iowa and formerly of Rock Valley, Iowa, died on Saturday, August 13, 2016, at his home.   Two services will be held to honor Jeff’s life. A service will be held in Lester, Iowa near his hometown of Rock Valley, Iowa and a service will be held in Grinnell.   A visitation will be held on Wednesday, August 17th at the Apostolic Christian Church, 510 Dove Avenue in Lester, from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. and from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday at the Apostolic Christian Church in Lester.  A reception will immediately follow the service.  Jurrens Funeral Home of Rock Rapids, IA will be handling the services in Lester.    A visitation will be held on Friday, August 19th in the Grinnell High School Gymnasium, 1333 Sunset Street in Grinnell, from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and Jeff’s family will greet friends from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Friday evening. A celebration of his life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 20, 2016, in the Grinnell High School Auditorium.  Smith Funeral Home of Grinnell, IA will be handling the services in Grinnell.   Memorial contributions may be designated to the Dr. Jeffrey Knobloch Memorial Fund and mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, Iowa 50112. Memories and condolences may be shared with Jeff’s family online at www.smithfh.com. Jeffrey Paul Knobloch was born the son of Delbert Wilmer Knobloch and June Renee (Vander Sanden) Knobloch on August 17, 1977, in Rock Valley, Iowa. He grew up in Rock Valley and graduated from Rock Valley High School with the class of 1995. He attended Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and later Des Moines University, where he earned his doctorate degree. Jeff was united in marriage to Heidi Marie Sandholm on November 3, 2001, at Meredith Drive Reformed Church in Des Moines. After Jeff's medical residency, they moved to Sibley, Iowa, where Jeff was a family practice doctor for five years. In 2009, they moved to Grinnell and Jeff was a family physician at Grinnell Family Care until the time of his passing. Jeff and Heidi were blessed with two sons, Averey and August; and a daughter, Elsa. Jeff enjoyed being busy and in his spare time he followed his children's swimming, soccer, music and dance activities. His other passions were golfing, mowing the lawn, riding his motorcycle, and doing mission work. Jeff was a member of the Sibley and Grinnell School boards, respectively, an active participant of Prairie Lakes Church in Grinnell, where he played the drums with the Worship and Praise Team, was the team doctor for Grinnell Tigers athletics, and traveled on many mission trips to countries around the world. Jeff will be remembered as a great father, husband, son, brother, and friend to many. He strived to improve the lives of others and the communities he lived in by his acts of kindness, volunteerism, and wisdom. Jeff is survived by his wife of 15 years, Heidi Knobloch of Grinnell; three children, Averey, Elsa, and August Knobloch of Grinnell; parents, Del and June Knobloch of Rock Valley, Iowa; sister, Jill (Jeremy) Leusink and their three children, Noah, Natalie, and Jori, of Sibley, Iowa; maternal grandfather, Clarence Vander Sanden of Rock Valley; father and mother-in-law, Tom and Carol Sandholm of Grinnell; brothers and sisters-in-law, Bryan (Ellen) Sandholm and their children, Audrey, Lauren, Meryl, and Eva, of Ankeny; Heather (Darren) Kleis and their children, Corbin and Bergin of Johnston; and many additional relatives, cousins, and dear friends. Jeff was preceded in death by his maternal grandmother, Klazina Vander Sanden; paternal grandparents, Walter and Iola Knobloch; uncle, Jerry Vander Sanden; aunt, Sheryl Knobloch; and cousins, Jeremy Heyer and Ike Rentschler.