Joseph Tenhove

JOSEPH TENHOVE was born to Henry and Dirkje (Mouw) TenHove on March 5, 1923 in Inwood, Iowa. When he was six years old, he moved with his parents to a farm near Chandler, Minnesota. They lived there for 11 years and then moved to a farm near Woodstock, Minnesota where Joe farmed for many years. On December 18, 1954, he was united in marriage to Ethel (Scotting) Van Veldhuizen at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. Following their marriage, they farmed and operated TenHove Grocery in Woodstock for nine years. Joe retired from farming in 1992 and they moved to Pipestone, Minnesota. In September, 2010, Joe was diagnosed with bladder cancer and was put under hospice care. On Saturday, July 16, 2011, Joe entered the Pipestone county Medical Center and was transferred to hospice care at the Good Samaritan Communities of Pipestone where he died on Saturday, July 23, 2011 at the age of 88 years, four months and 18 days.

Joe had served as mayor of Woodstock, and he also served on the Woodstock Elevator Board. He liked having coffee with his Langes’ friends each day. He loved making birdhouses, and he enjoyed playing cards, especially pinochle.

He is lovingly remembered by his wife, Ethel TenHove of Pipestone, Minnesota; his granddaughter, Darla (Van Veldhuizen) Brockus of Riverside, California; his great-grandson, Nathan Brockus; his daughter-in-law, Elaine (Van Veldhuizen) Hansen and her husband Raymond of Luverne, Minnesota; one nephew; two nieces; and other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; one sister, Cornelia Timmers; and two stepsons, Richard and Alan Van Veldhuizen; and his grandson, Kevin (Van Veldhuizen) August.