Gerrit Van Hal, 86, died Aug. 17, 2018. Funeral service was held Aug. 21 at Second Christian Reformed Church, Pella. Memorials have been designated for Pella Christian Schools and Lake View Camp.
Gerrit was born Apr. 16, 1932, to Jacob and Dena (Spoelstra) Van Hal on the family farm near Sully where he grew up. He received his education at Sully Christian School where he graduated from the eighth grade in 1946. After this, he helped on the farm and worked as a hired hand for some local farmers. In January 1950, he began working at the Sully Co-op which he did until November 1952, when he was drafted into the Army during the Korean War. He was deployed to Korea in July 1953, attained the rank of sergeant, and was honorably discharged in 1954. After he was released from service, he resumed his work at the co-op.
Nov. 25, 1954, Gerrit was united in marriage to Shirley Van Der Kamp at her parents’ home near Sully. They became parents of four children: Sharon, Gregory, Erwin, and Anita. Gerrit was baptized and made profession of faith in Sully Christian Reformed Church and was a member there until moving to a farm northwest of Pella in March 1957. They farmed there until December 1965, when they moved to a farm southwest of Leighton. They continued to farm there until February 1997, when they retired from farming and moved to Pella. He went on to work for six years at Vermeer Manufacturing, retiring in May 2003. After this, he did some day work and volunteering.
Gerrit served several terms as deacon and elder in the Pella and Leighton Christian Reformed Churches. He enjoyed grandchildren’s activities, reading, listening to gospel music, gardening, and spending time with family and friends. At the present time, he was a faithful member of the Second Christian Reformed Church and a member of the American Legion.
Gerrit was preceded in death by his parents; great-granddaughter Grace Nunnikhoven; sisters Jennie and Helene Van Hal; brothers Raymond and Jerry Van Hal; brothers-in-law Donald Bennink and James Vanden Oever; parents-in-law, Ernest and Anna Van Der Kamp; sister-in-law Vivian Van Der Kamp; and brother-in-law Marvin Schmelzle.
He is survived by his wife Shirley of 63 years, their children and their families: Sharon (Lyle) Nunnikhoven of Oskaloosa, Gregory (Sue) Van Hal of Pillager, MN, Erwin Van Hal of Pella, and Anita (Scott) Carroll of Pella; his siblings: Geurt (Carolyn) Van Hal of Palos Heights, IL, Sophia Bennink of Des Moines, Evelyn Vanden Oever of Chariton, Cornie (Marinella) Van Hal of Pella, Darlene (Glenn) Summers of West Des Moines, and Nancy (Carl) Jensen of Golden, CO; sisters-in-law Ruth Van Hal of Pella and Darlene Van Hal of Pella; and many nieces and nephews.
