John Veenstra: Former Executive Director of the Chamber Dies
By Terry Miller
Published: Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
By Susan Motander
On August 10. John Veenstra, 71, of Temple City, died while visiting family in Iowa. Veenstra was the former Executive Director of the Monrovia Chamber of Commerce. The former executive was fully retired after working as a free lance marketing consultant after retiring from the chamber; however, he was considering returning to work at the time of his death.
Veenstra had been in Jefferson, Iowa visiting his mother Ruth Veenstra and her new husband, Horace Hedges when he fell while getting the morning paper on August 3. In falling he hit his head and was taken to the hospital shortly thereafter, but slipped into a coma the next day, according to family friends.
Barbara Veenstra said that she and her husband had discussed end of life issues and were in agreement that it was the quality of life which mattered most to both of them. “There was severe brain damage and John would not have wanted to live if he wouldn’t be ‘John,’” she said. “We decided to let him die and to donate whichever of his organs could be used.”
On August 10 he died, surrounded by his family, without regaining consciousness. According to Barbara they were able to donate several of his organs including skin grafts and “his beautiful eyes.” She said that she was sharing this information in the hope that other people would be inspired to become organ donors.
John Dean Veenstra was born on June 7, 1939 in Jefferson, Iowa, the son of Ralph and Ruth (nee Neidigh) Veenstra. In 1957 he graduated from Jefferson High School, then attended Northeast Missouri State. He then enlisted in the United States Army. After being honorably discharged from the Army, he enrolled and graduated from Drake University.
For many years Veenstra was employed by the Knight Ridder Newspaper chain working for several papers in the chain in many parts of the country. Eventually he settled in this area becoming the managing editor of the Pasadena Star News in the mid 1980s. He married Barbara Makela on August 6, 1988 in Pasadena, California.
After retiring from the Star News, he began working for the Monrovia Chamber as its membership director in 1996, eventually becoming its Executive Vice President in 1999, a position he held through 2001. Dick Singer, Monrovia’s former Public Information Officer who preceded Veenstra as the Executive Director, said of his friend and former colleague, “John had a distinguished career in journalism across this country for 30 years. He spent the last several years in this area and was a major booster of Monrovia. He loved this town and served it well. He will be missed.”
After his retirement from the Chamber he started his own marketing consulting firm working for the Chamber as well as the City of Monrovia and Ferrari Brothers Body Shop. Mark Ferrari said of Veenstra’s death: “It’s a shock. He was someone who grasped what was important in life. He had his priorities and he rose above the things which didn’t matter. John understood what was important.” Ferrari said that Veenstra was a mentor to him, teaching him to look at those priorities and to realize how small some of his own problems really were.
Similar sentiments were also expressed by Pam Fitzpatrick who, as a Old Town merchant, worked with Veenstra in the Monrovia Chamber of Commerce. “John was my friend; he was my marketing buddy. He and I has the same kind of vision for marketing and how to stir things up,” she said.
John served as past President of the Kiwanis Club Tallahassee, Florida, past Board Member of the Monrovia Rotary Club. He served as Treasurer of the Monrovia Boys and Girls Club, Board Member of the Santa Anita YMCA in Monrovia, and a member of the Jefferson, Iowa, Elks Lodge. In 2006, John was named Volunteer of the Year of the San Gabriel Valley Boy Scouts of America.
According to Joanne Spring, he was an enthusiastic reader each time Monrovia Reads held a “Read Across Monrovia Day.” She said, “He always loved to read at Wildrose Elementary because he was reading to his beloved granddaughter.”
The formal obituary prepared by the family reads in part “John lived and enjoyed life to its fullest. He was an avid Jimmy Buffett fan, enjoyed watching all sports, while drinking his beloved Bud-Light, watching his favorite Florida State Seminoles and Denver Broncos. He enjoyed playing golf, carding a hole in one in Durham, NC and Azusa, CA. He enjoyed traveling and especially enjoyed spending time with his family and friends.”
One of those friends, Andy Montgomery, echoed the idea that Veenstra loved life. “John was a super guy, a lot of fun; he was the life of the party. It won’t be the same without him.”
John is survived by his wife. Barbara of Temple City, his daughter Jody Wilken of Plantation, Florida, and daughter and son-in-law Col Thomas and Jerri Isom, of Suffolk, Virginia; one step-daughter, Teri Neblung of Citrus Heights, and one stepson, Bill Makela of Rosemead. He is also survived by his mother, Ruth Veenstra and her husband, Horace Hedges of Jefferson, Iowa; one sisteramd brother in law Bill and Joyce Evans of Urbandale, Iowa, his brother and sister-in-law Jim and Sally Veenstra of Clinton, Iowa, and several nieces and nephews. John was preceded in death by his father, Ralph Veenstra.
According to Barbara he was a devoted “Papa” to his six grandchildren: Jonas Wilken, Audrey Isom, Ruby Isom, Ashlyn Gibson, Alan Gibson, and Kacie Neblung.
Graveside services were held on Friday, August 13 at Jefferson Cemetery in Jefferson, Iowa, Veenstra’s hometown. At the ceremony he was accorded military honors by Floyd Brown American Legion Post #11 & Jefferson V.F.W. Post #9599.
A local memorial service is being planned and is tentatively scheduled for late September or early October. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting memorial donations be made to City of Hope in Duarte, or to Santa Anita Family Services in Monrovia.
3 Responses for “John Veenstra: Former Executive Director of the Chamber Dies”
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John Veenstra was also key to revitalizing the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce in 2004, when, along with local business leaders and volunteers, he became the first Executive Director of the newly incorporated organization. (The old one had failed in 1999). He took me under his wing, taught me the ropes and selflessly recommended me for a job he could easily have kept doing himself, for which I will always be grateful. John will be missed by many.
I suspect John’s life was full of good deeds and inspiring connections we’ll never hear about, which makes me sad. Anyone who knew John could sense that he was a good man with a big heart. Our family functions were always more fun and filled with more laughter when John was around. Thank you for sharing your perspective Mr. Feldmann. I wish more people would chime in with their thoughts and recollections about John here for those of us who couldn’t be at the funeral in Iowa and can’t make it out for the memorial in California. He was a sweet soul who deserves to be remembered and celebrated.
John was such a nice guy. He used to come and visit my boss at Hot Shots Salon. He always had a smile on his face and had the greatest attitude about life. What I liked best about him was his joy in always helping others. I guess he died doing just that helping someone in need. He is in such a better place now and of course God greeeted him at the pearly gates with the words “good work my loving and faithful servant”. He will be missed by those on earth for sure!