ELDON DYKSTRA, age 88, of Worthington, died Friday, August 23, 2019 at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Luverne. He was born August 20, 1931, in Rock Valley, IA, the son of Nick and Reka (Wiekamp) Dykstra. Eldon attended country school through the eighth grade, then left to work on the family farm.
He was drafted into the US Army and served in Korea from 1953 through 1955. Upon his return home, he began working in construction, specializing in churches, which took him around the Upper Midwest.
On a construction job in Aitkin, Minnesota, he met Marian Hegman, and they were married September 2, 1961. They lived several different places in the early years of their marriage, eventually settling in Worthington, where they had two sons, Brad and Curt. Eldon worked for Gary Roos Construction and for Johnson Builders, and also did freelance projects from time to time. He was well-known for the quality of his cabinet work.
He was a long time member of the First Baptist Church, which later became Lakeside Church in Worthington, serving on both the deacon and trustee boards, as well as the board of Shetek Baptist Camp. Eldon entered the Veterans Home in April of 2011. His family is very grateful for the loving care he received during his time there.
Eldon is survived by his wife, Marian Dykstra, Worthington; two sons, Brad (Amy) Dykstra, of Coon Rapids; and Curt (Chris) Dykstra, Chaska; brother, Gerrit (Ila) Dykstra, Wasilla, AK; two sisters, Tressa (Carl) Hayes, Glendora, CA; and Lucy (Henry) Post, Blooming Prairie, MN; and a brother-in-law, Lanny Barringer, Mesa, AZ.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Barney Dykstra; an infant sister, Berdene; and a sister, Alice Barringer.
Visitation will be from 4-7 pm Tuesday at the Dingmann Funeral Home in Worthington. A memorial service will be Wednesday at 1 pm at the Lakeside Church, in Worthington, officiated by Pastor Noah Wright. A private family burial will precede the funeral.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to The Alzheimer's Association; Minnesota Chapter, The Minnesota Veterans Home, in Luverne or The Lake Shetek Baptist Camp in Slayton.
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