- Date Of Birth: March 5, 1960
- Date Of Death: April 21, 2019
- State: Iowa
Robert “Bob” Van Arkel, 59, of Newton died on Sunday, April 21, 2019.
Robert Wade Van Arkel, the son of Bill and Dorthy Van Arkel, was born on March 5, 1960 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was raised in Newton, Iowa and graduated from Newton High School in 1978. He earned a Building Trades degree from DMACC. He grew up on a farm and retained a love for country living his entire life.
Bob was married to Kim Oskam on June 25, 1982 and they were blessed with two sons, Ryan and Adam. He dedicated his life to serving others by working as a firefighter/paramedic for the Newton Fire Department for 28 years. Bob also owned and operated Van Arkel Construction and took great pride in all of his projects, eventually building his own home.
Bob made his acreage his home by planting trees, selling firewood bundles, cultivating sweet corn, and operating everyone’s favorite local pumpkin patch. These ventures earned him the nickname “Farmer Bob”. Bob’s personality was infectious. His passion for everything he did made you believe anything was possible. He never did any job halfway; anyone who knew him respected and admired his meticulous attention to detail.
As a firefighter, Bob’s coworkers became a second family and he proudly filled the role of leader, mentor, and friend.
Above all, Bob was a loving and dedicated husband, father, brother, and son.
Bob loved sunsets, they reminded him of the beauty of God’s creation. Even though the sun set too early on his life, he taught everyone around him to live every moment to the fullest.
Those left to remember Bob are his wife, Kim Van Arkel of Newton; sons, Ryan (Liz) Van Arkel of Des Moines and Adam (Emily) Van Arkel of Grinnell; his sister, Rhonda (Scott) Morrill of Altoona; uncle, Ed (Andi) Van Zee of Newton; his mother-in-law, Bette Oskam of Newton; and his siblings-in-law, Bernie (Renee) Oskam, Belinda (Gary) Birkenholtz, Jim (Brenda) Oskam, and Missy (Randy) Graff, all of Newton; and his many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and father-in-law, Tony Oskam.
Every time you see a beautiful sunset be reminded that Bob is with us.
