Dennis Brand, 78, of Pella, passed away Dec. 12, 2021. Funeral service will be Thursday, Dec. 16, at 10:30 a.m. at Third Church, 706 East 13th Street, Pella. The service will be livestreamed on Garden Chapel YouTube page. Private interment will be in Oakwood Cemetery, Pella. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Many Hands for Haiti.
Dennis Eugene Brand was born Apr. 16, 1943, the son of Lyle and Minnie (Van Genderen) Brand. He grew up on the family farm outside Killduff with older siblings Charles Brand and Karen (Brand) Needham. Denny graduated from Lynnville-Sully High School in 1961, active in both athletics and music. He continued music at Central College in Pella where he met his wife, Beverly De Cook, in the trombone section. Their love of music and each other blossomed, and they sang their wedding vows to each other on Aug. 6, 1965, after Denny graduated from Central. Their 56-year marriage was full of faith, family, and fellowship with many circles of people.
Denny’s early teaching career began in Waterloo at Bunger Junior High School. He then went on to teach and coach at Montezuma High School from 1966-1973. Denny’s love for teaching the game of basketball built quite the program, and he led the Braves to the Iowa Boys State Championship in 1971. His picture can still be found in the Montezuma gym, and he had many wonderful stories from that season. Anyone who ever watched Denny on the bench knows how passionate he was as a coach. He also started the cross-country program and coached track. Denny got his master’s in counseling from Northeast Missouri State (now Truman State) and became a counselor and boys basketball coach at Dowling Catholic in West Des Moines. Denny and Bev welcomed their firstborn, Steven James, on Feb. 18, 1973. Denny continued to work at Dowling and had several successful basketball teams. Mar. 13, 1976, Michelle Renee (Shelly) was born. Denny switched schools to be a counselor and boys basketball coach at Urbandale in 1977. During their time in Urbandale, they attended Meredith Drive Reformed Church and made many lasting friendships. Their third child, Timothy Jason, was born July 8, 1979.
In 1981, Denny became the career services director and the head men’s track coach at Central College, and the family later moved to Pella. Denny started working in sales at Pella Window Store from 1983-1990. This job led to some memorable trips with Bev, and the kids would tag along on a few as well. From Pella Corporation, Denny went back into education at the alternative high school Basics and Beyond in Newton until 1994. His sense of humor and compassion made him a natural in building relationships with these students. He also helped coach his own kids’ many athletic teams. Always the basketball coach, Denny dreamed of a way to help young kids have success in shooting hoops. He and his brother-in-law, Dennis Steenhoek, began to design a high-quality, adjustable basketball hoop, and Goalsetter Systems Inc. was founded in 1994. The Goalsetter hoop became the top-of-the-line basketball system and can be found all around Pella, the state of Iowa, and the nation. Denny and Dennis led Goalsetter until they sold the company in 2006. Not really retired, though, Denny took one more counselor position at Pella Middle School in 2008-2010. His final official job was in pastoral care at Third Reformed Church from 2011-2018. In this role, Denny loved and served countless church members in their times of need. He especially enjoyed being an elder and leading a Sunday school class at church for over 30 years until his illness forced retirement.
Denny’s greatest joys were spending time with his wife, children, and 10 grandchildren. He vacationed many summers at the Ozarks with family: Boating, golfing, skiing, and eating frozen custard at the end of full days on the lake. He was an avid sports enthusiast and loved attending sporting events for his children and grandchildren. Thanks to live-streaming, he got to continue watching games even in his final days. He had a big place in his heart for the people of Haiti. Serving from 1987 to his final trip in 2016, Denny gained many brothers and sisters in Christ through his work with Promise for Haiti and Many Hands for Haiti. Denny also loved singing, particularly in quartets. He sang at many weddings, funerals, and special church events. He dearly loved sharing life with people over coffee and never met a stranger! Denny never failed to provide memorable stories of his mishaps and adventures that are retold through the years. He was a model of Christ’s love to so many people through church, teaching, coaching, and his family. He fought the good fight and ran the race. Now, he is at rest in the arms of his Savior.
Denny was preceded in death by his parents, an infant sister Gweneth Brand, and his sister-in-law Joyce Brand.
Those left to cherish his memory are his wife Bev and their family: Steve (Robin) Brand of Mount Vernon, Nolan, Kaleb, Summer, and Kameron; Shelly (Jon) Nelson of Oskaloosa, Mary and fiancé Noah Van Veldhuizen, David, Josie, and Hannah; and Tim (Catie) Brand of Pella, Abbie, and AJ.
Denny is also survived by his siblings Charles Brand and Karen (Gary) Needham; his sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law Dennis and Judy Steenhoek and Jim and Karla Campbell; and many beloved nieces and nephews.
