Sheila Sue Haspels

Little Rock, Iowa

     Sheila Haspels, age 44, of Little Rock, Iowa, died on Sunday, March 31, 2024, at Avera Merrill Pioneer Hospital in Rock Rapids, Iowa.

     Visitation will be Thursday, April 4, 2024 from 6:00 to 8:30 PM with the family present at Jurrens Funeral Home in George.

     A private family funeral service will be Friday, April 5th at Jurrens Funeral Home in George, with Cheryl Van Beek officiating.  Burial will follow in Bethel Reformed Church Cemetery in Little Rock.

     In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family for later designation.

     Sheila Sue Haspels was born October 24, 1979, the daughter of Doug and Kathy DeGroot in Sheldon, Iowa.  She grew up on a farm southeast of George with her parents and two siblings, Karen and Dan.  She graduated from George-Little Rock High School in 1998.  
     On August 28, 2004, Sheila was united in marriage to Larry Haspels.  They raised their son, Johnathan, born in 2005, and daughter Ellyanna, born in 2007, on a farm west of Little Rock.
     Sheila began her 25-year career in soil conservation in 1999 when she became a District Technician with the Lyon County Soil and Water Conservation District in Rock Rapids, Iowa.  In 2002, she became a Soil Conservation Technician with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.  In 2020, she received a promotion to the title of Civil Engineering Technician.  In all three of these positions, Sheila was the centerpiece in implementing hundreds, if not thousands of conservation practices such as terraces, grass waterways, water and sediment control basins, wetland restorations, livestock watering facilities, and native prairie restorations in Lyon, Osceola, O’Brien and Sioux Counties in Iowa.  Sheila took extreme pride in her work and always implemented a practice that was in the farmer’s or landowner’s best interest.  Sheila was a great instructor to new employees with NRCS, showing them the craft of different soil conservation practices.
     Recently, Sheila also had a part-time position at Dollar General in George.
     Sheila’s family was the most important part of her life.  She never stopped thinking of things that would make them feel special, including making elaborate birthday cakes.
     She enjoyed fishing, crafts, and attending her children's and nieces’ and nephews’ events.  She was a 4-H leader with the Town & Country Kids for several years.
     Her family will remember her as strong-willed, loving, and courageous in confronting medical challenges early and later in life.
     Those left to cherish her memory are her husband of 19 years, Larry; her parents, Doug and Kathy DeGroot; children, Johnathan and Ellyanna; her sister, Karen (Jeff) Winkel of Ashton; brother, Dan (Jodi) DeGroot of Little Rock; as well as nieces, nephews, and many extended family members and friends.
     She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Noel and Lavina Schoo, and John and Evelyn DeGroot; and uncles and aunts, Jim Schoo, Janet Iedema, Nadine Dykstra, and Patricia DeGroot.  

Blessed Be Her Memory.

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