Virgil Vreugdenhil

Virgil Robin Vreugdenhil was born on July 23,1934 to Gerrit and Nellie (Bok) Vreugdenhil on a farm north of Platte, SD, in Brule County.  He attended rural school and after completing the tenth grade worked on the family farm where he was quite often found on a horse.

On March 15, 1955 he was united in marriage to the love of his life Dorothy Olivier.  They set up house in Platte, SD, where Virgil worked for the International dealership.  After a year they moved to a farm two miles south and one mile east of Aurora Center.  The next move was to a farm west of Stickney on the shores of Pleasant Lake where Virgil was known to cast out his rod and reel and listen for the sound of a fish on his line while he milked the cows in the barn.  In 1967 they packed up the family one more time and moved onto his parents farm 12 miles west and 1 1/4 miles south of Stickney S.D.  They lived there until Virgil entered the Good Samaritan Center in Corsica under Hospice care on April 25, 2025.

Virgil was a man of faith. He was a member of the Aurora Reformed Church and served as Deacon, Elder and Sunday School teacher for many years.

He was one of the original members on the board for the Aurora Brule Water System and served in that position for 45 years.

Virgil enjoyed his yearly deer hunting trips to Meade County and also hunting pheasants with friends who came yearly to enjoy a few fun filled days with the family.

Farming was his life. He was a hard worker and he spent  many an hour on a tractor. 

Virgil passed away on June 24, 2025 at the Good Samaritan Center in Corsica, SD, at the age of 90. He was a devoted husband and loving father and will be greatly missed by his family and all who had the privilege of knowing him.  

Grateful for having shared his life are his wife of 70 years Dorothy; children Cindy (Ken) Droppers of Pierre, SD, Ron Vreugdenhil of Stickney, Deb (Tim) Jones of Mitchell, SD, Al Vreugdenhil of Stickney and Darwin Vreugdenhil of Stickney; along with 12 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren;  sister Bertha (Bob) Groeneweg of Anchorage, AL, brother Garry (Linda) Vreugdenhil of Concord, NC, sisters-in-law Lorena Vreugdenhil of New Holland and Albertha Vreugdenhil of Corsica; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Virgil was preceded in death by his parents Gerrit and Nellie Vreugdenhil, brother John and sister-in-law Helen Vreugdenhil, brother William Vreugdenhil, brother Arlow Vreugdenhil and infant sister Loretta Vreugdenhil; brothers and sisters-in-law John Jr. and Elenor Olivier, Susan and Garfield Bruinsma, Clarence and Jessie Olivier, Raymond and Johanna Olivier, Geneva and Hank Breukelman, Ernest and Esther Olivier, John and Virginia Nydam, Willace Olivier, and grandson Cole Vreugdenhil.