Henk Veldhuis, age 89 of Prior Lake, passed away with his family at his side on March 14, 2017. A visitation will be held on Monday, March 27, 2017 from 4-7PM at Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home, Prior Lake. Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday, March 28, 2017 at 11AM with a visitation 1-hour prior at St. Michael Catholic Church, Prior Lake. Henk will be laid to rest at St. Michael Catholic Cemetery. Father Tom Walker will preside. Urn bearers for Henk will be his sons, Jerry, Harry, and Robert. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to be distributed to charities by Henk’s family.
Henk was born on July 31, 1927 in the small town of Oldenzaal, Netherlands to parents Gerard and Johanna Maria (Rosens) Veldhuis. Henk was the third of five sons. During his childhood, Henk endured much hardship—the death of his father when he was 14 and the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II. After their father’s death, Henk and his older brothers left school to support the family. In the years following the war, Henk was selected to be 1 of 20 young men from across Europe selected for an exchange program through Honeywell where he learned the tool and die trade.
Upon returning to Oldenzaal, Henk realized there was a greater opportunity in the United States than in post war Europe and obtained a sponsor for emigration. He married Cathy Nieuwland and convinced her to move to America, and they exchanged wedding vows at the Basilica of St. Plechelmus in Oldenzaal on September 23, 1954. They arrived in Minnesota on July 11, 1956 with their 6-month-old son. The young couple eventually settled in Prior Lake where they raised their growing family and were eventually joined by Henk’s younger brother and wife, Ted and Betty.
Henk worked tirelessly to provide for his family. While working for Honeywell, he also attended Hamline University and earned a degree in engineering. He worked as a manager with the Eaton Corporation for nearly 20 years before retiring in 1989. In retirement Henk and Cathy loved to winter in Texas and visit the North Shore in the summer. Henk found time for other pastimes as well, such as bowling with the Knights of Columbus, playing the harmonica, golfing and tending his orchard of 60 apple trees. Regardless of what Henk was doing, he made it fun with his goofball sense of humor.
Henk’s memory will be cherished by his wife of 62 years, Cathy Veldhuis; children, Jerry (Betty) Veldhuis, Harry (Lori) Veldhuis, Ann Marie (Brad) Norris, Janet (Kevin) Kennedy, Sonja (Jeff) Rodriguez , Robert (Jolene) Veldhuis; 16 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren; brother, Ted (Betty) Veldhuis. Henk is reunited in heaven with his parents, Gerard and Mary Veldhuis; brothers, Antone, Gerard, and Marinus Veldhuis.
The Veldhuis family is proudly cared for by the staff of Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home & Cremation.
