Dick Cornelius Slegh

Dick Slegh was born on October 3, 1922 in Oskaloosa Iowa, the son of Peter and Cora (Fredricks) Slegh.  He moved to Hollandale as a young child.  On June 25, 1950 Dick was married to Adeline Behle.  They were married 38 years and blessed with three children: Dean, Kent, and Polly. Adeline died of cancer in 1989. Dick was remarried to Helen Wiersma on January 3, 1990.  They enjoyed traveling with their motor home, especially to Branson, MO, northern Minnesota, Texas and Arizona.  He was an avid gardener who enjoyed raising a large garden, and sharing the produce with neighbors, friends, and family. Together they also loved to can and freeze the produce. Dick enjoyed cooking and grilling special meals for the two of them.
On any given morning you could find Dick sitting at the local café having a cup of coffee with the farmers.  Dick worked as a tractor mechanic for John Deere at Veldman Equipment for 40 years.  He was a career mechanic who was gifted and skilled with any tractor engine. There was no problem too big or too small for Dick’s expertise.  He was innovative and resourceful in finding a temporary solution to keep the farmers running.  After retirement, he enjoyed being a “consultant” to anyone who needed information on restoring 2 cylinder JD tractors.  Dick had a passion for restoring antique tractors to their original “glory”.
Dick’s strong belief in Christ was reflected in his morals and values. His faith in Christ did not go unnoticed by those who knew him. In his life Dick had served on church council, the Hollandale City Council, the fire department, was the Water and Sewer Superintendant for Hollandale, drove a snowplow for the township and an ambulance for the fire department.  He also made sure the tractor was running for the Autumn in the Village Days at the Freeborn County Historical Museum.
Survivors include his wife Helen, children Kent (Joyce) Slegh, Polly (Chris) Drenth, Deb (Pete) Louters, Leah (Bob) Crabtree, Pennie (Steve) Ladlie, Tim (Sue) Wiersma, and Tom (Kathy) Wiersma; daughter-in-law Marilyn (Rod) Zimmerman; grandchildren Chad (Janeen) Slegh, Cori (Keri) Slegh, Carey (Peggy) Slegh, Candace (T.J.) Buchholz, Nathan (Shaofang) Slegh, Jonathan (Alesha) Slegh, Emily (Jay) Kuiters, Elizabeth (Tony) Roth, Andy (Ashley) Drenth, Tony (Corinna) Louters, Michelle (Josh) Lange, Philip (Amy) Louters, Kim (Mike) Goodwin, Josh (Emily) Crabtree, Eric (Bridget) Crabtree, Emily (Mike) Olson, Jenny (Jesse) Korsbon, Aaron (Emily) Ladlie, Abraham (Arani) Ladlie, Jon Wiersma, Amy Wiersma, Chad (Breauna) Wiersma, Jordan Wiersma, Joy Wiersma, Juliann Wiersma, David Wiersma, Justin (Maria) Fonner, Liz (Joey) Fisher, Karin Wiersma, and Kevin Wiersma; many great-grandchildren; sister-in-law Marlene Behle, and nieces and nephews.
Dick was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife Adeline, his son Dean, great-granddaughter Bailey, brothers John, Gary, and Cornelius Slegh, and brother-in-law Roger Behle.
Memorials are preferred to Gideon Bibles, Albert Lea Hospice, or Hollandale Christian School.