Service Details
Her funeral service will be held in Trinity Lutheran Church, 7900 Nicholson Rd., Caledonia on Saturday, December 2nd, at 1:00 p.m., with her son Rev. Richard Egtvedt, Col. USAF(retired) officiating. Visitation will be in the church on Saturday from 11:00 a.m. until the time of the service, Burial will follow in Country Haven Cemetery.
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Darlene Ann Egtvedt, 88, passed away on November 26, 2023, on Christ the King Sunday, at Mon Health
Medical Center. Born September 14, 1935, she was the daughter of the late Seitsa “John” and
Blanche (Hrouda) Dykstra. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Burnel Egtvedt; three brothers, John Donald “Don” Dykstra, Lowell Dykstra, and Marlene “Mike” Dykstra.
Darlene loved horses. She met one of her oldest friends, because a father and his daughter were riding horses down the road by her family farm. This love for horses and friendship only grew as the father made room for the two of them to ride. She eventually taught horseback riding and helped teach a daughter of Roy Rogers, how to ride. Even through these later years, she loved seeing horses and was always excited to do so.
She met the Love of her life while attending a “hard times” party at Tabor Hall (the local Grange Hall) in Caledonia, WI. Robert Egtvedt was coming down the steps to the lower level, when she was returning up to the dance floor. An experience which was always described as “Love at first sight”.
After living in Racine for several years, she bore her next two loves. “Bob’s” work eventually took her to Grand Rapids, MI and then Comstock Park, MI, where her next two loves were born. Four boys over a seven-year span. Darlene threw herself into being a loving homemaker until the last of her sons was in High School. She then took on a part-time position doing consumer research with Western Michigan Research in SE Grand Rapids.
Following her husband’s work, she moved from Grand Rapids, MI; to Pataskala, OH; North Carver, MA; San Salvadore, El Salvadore; and Somerset, NJ, before settling at “Mountain Meadows” near Romney, WV. This is where she loved working at Warm the Children, Inc., which provided warm coats and clothing to children up to 16 years of age. Jeff “her 5th son” spoke of how she got down on her hands and knees to be introduced to his daughter. She would also approach strangers in the store with young children in their carts and ask, “where can I get one like this?” Even with Alzheimer’s, which only showed after Robert’s death, she loved the simple things in life; to include the size of trucks on the roadways and the trees where she lived out her days in Oakland, MD, and her dear friends at Shepherd of the Hills.
In her later Alzheimer days, Darlene loved washing dishes and cutting up strawberries for breakfast. In addition to her lifelong passions for painting and refinishing furniture, she enjoyed finishing projects that her first love created in his woodshop. Darlene loved gathering her family and friends for Thanksgiving every year at “The Farm”.
She is survived by 4 sons, Randal Robert Egtvedt (Christi), Scott Alan Egtvedt (Jackie), Richard Todd Egtvedt (The Rev. and Colonel, USAF (ret.)) and Daniel Dean Egtvedt; one sister, Gayle Freudenwald; one brother, Todd Dykstra; 10 Grandchildren, Christopher McClatchy, Adam Clark (Joanna), Brian Clark,Nicholas Egtvedt (Kelly), John Vanderband (Emily), Bradley Vanderband(Meredith), Joseph Vanderband (Jaqueline), Rebecca Fullalove (Jeremy),Rachel Egtvedt and Logan Egtvedt; sixteen Great Grandchilden; and one Great Great grandchild.
Alma Fultz says
Darlene was a beautiful woman inside and out. She loved being around people was always friendly and outgoing. She will be missed by her family and friends. RIP Darlene, you are now with your eat loved Robert.