"To the family of Donald: My name is audrey Williams,I would like to send my condolences and comfort for the loss of your loved one! There is no greater comfort than to know Gods word the Bible,that says in Isaiah 26:19 your dead ones one will live again,andthey will rise up. and psalms 37:29says:The righteous will rise and live forever upon the earth!"
In loving memory of
Donald E. Bekker
July 6, 1943 - April 8, 2013
DONALD BEKKER
MUSCATINE, Iowa - Donald E. Bekker, 69, of Muscatine, died on Monday, April 8, 2013, at Trinity Hospital - Muscatine.
Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 11, 2013, at St. Mathias Church. The Reverend Jason Crossen of Ss. Mary and Mathias Parish will officiate. Casket bearers will be Tom Summitt, Jason Summitt, Andy Summitt, Tom Guck, Kevin Guck, Rich Hines, Brandon Bauer, and Dennis Brady. Burial will take place in St. Mary's Cemetery, Nichols.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10, 2013, at the Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to Muscatine Special Olympics.
Don was born on July 6, 1943, in Muscatine, the son of Bernard J. and Mildred G. Schaapveld Bekker.
He was a member of International Association of Firefighters, AFL/CIO Local No. L1672, the Iowa Emergency Medical Services Association (IEMSA), and was a retired member of the Iowa Reserve Law Officers Association.
He worked as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-I) for Riley Ambulance and Muscatine Ambulance, and also worked for Muscatine City Fire Department. He also worked part-time as a dispatcher for the Muscatine Sheriff's Department.
Don is survived by a daughter, Cindy White of Muscatine; one grandson, Jacob J. White of Muscatine; one brother, Bill Bekker of Davenport; one niece, Lisa Bauer of Davenport, one great-niece, Kaitlin Bauer of Davenport; and one great-nephew, Brandon Bauer of Davenport.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Eugene; three sisters, Elizabeth, Marilyn, and Ruth Ann; and one sister-in-law, Beverly Bekker.
Tributes
"Tears have been shed for a cousin and friend that will be missed a lot. His emails and fun things on facebook kept us connected. He was a special person who enjoyed life and had lots of fishing stories to share with my parents and others. We are so sorry we were not able to make any of the services, but our thoughts and prayers are with his family...all the cousins. God Bless"
"Don was a man with a warm heart. May your hearts be comforted knowing he cared for so many. God Bless and our sympathy."
"Don was a great friend and a steady presence. Diane and I derived great joy from his terrific kindnesses. His troubles are over and he's at rest. He was always there."
"Rest In Peace Don. You deserve your rest with all the good you have done for one and all here on this big beautiful world. You will be missed but you're in a better place among many, many friends. You were a true "Saint" among men and will be greatly missed. I will forever always remember the care you took on Dad's call. You were a true professional. Rest In Peace Don."
"Don ~ we miss you already but know you are out of pain. Tom and I have such wonderful memories from over the years ... a special one for me was working bingo at Hayes Elementary School where we would share recipes to pass the time between the bingo calls. We will miss our lunch & dinner catch up sessions. Rest peacefully. "
"I have lived away from Mscatine for 30 yrs and I knew Don really well. I'll remember the good times I had with him. His brother was my brother-in-law and I knew the family well since my sister married his brother Bill. I know you are happy because you are going to be a angel in heaven. Rest In Peace."
"RIP Don.."
"I knew the family well, Don was like a younger brother. On a foggy night, we were called to Muscatine, our youngest daughter had a slight accident. Don was at the scene with the ambulance, so asked if I could ride to the hospital. Don replied, "Only if you ride in back with your daughter". Being so upset, that brought a smile on my face, so glad to see a familiar face, helped calm me down. Never forget this! Everything was fine. Will miss seeing Don, especially at certain eating places. Mary Lou"
"Nobody could give a hug like Don. When he hugged you, you knew it meant something. Strong and loving. "I'm here for you," is what those hugs meant. "You are important." -- I will miss him so much."
"Don Bekker... never met him personally, but have heard only wonderful, lifesaving comments about him. Believe he saved the living from miserable "on earth" demons- we need those kind of people more than you may realize!!"
"Condolences to the Bekker and Schaapveld families on the death of Don. He beat the odds a lot of times and had a heart of gold."
"He saved me so many times. RIP Don..."
"Please forgive me for the length of this tribute, but Don meant a lot to me during the three years I lived and worked in Muscatine... I met Don as part of my daily rounds as a public safety reporter at the Muscatine Public Safety Building...besides Tammi Bierman, Don was usually the first person I greeted in the mornings... As a result, Don got to know me...not just as a journalist...but as a person, too...and he took it on himself to not only introduce me to everyone in the Muscatine Fire Department, but took the time to "clue" me in on what Muscatine was as a town and who were the important people I should get to know... He told me a lot of stories about growing up in Muscatine and what he did as a paramedic/ambulance driver before the unit was taken over by the fire department... In return, he eased the way for me to be a much more effective public safety reporter by suggesting the best questions to ask fire staff during events and teaching me the vocabulary firefighters use... Don was struggling with his health issues while I was there...so he fully understood about my own health issues when I started having them in 2004/05...sometimes, we would sit around and discuss our various maladies and Don always had an open ear and open heart... My job was stressful - and I had issues with the newspaper's management at the time...along with my health problems, it was a bad combination...Don went out his way to keep me focused on the most important things...and occasionally, call me out of the blue to take me out to dinner - his treat... Sometimes, I would visit his office in the afternoons just to hang out...we would look out the window and talk about the weather...the up & down price of gasoline at the gas station across the street...the latest gossip...or Don would ask me about my life in Kansas City... But the biggest gift that Don gave me was to introduce me to his childhood friend Bob Walter...he suggested that I write a story about Bob's WWII prisoner-of-war experience, but told me that it would take a lot of work on his and my part to convince Bob to let me write it... It did...it took about a year...one evening after I had come home after a 10-hour work day, Don called me and asked if I had time to visit Bob at his house...when I arrived, he sat with me and listened to Bob for at least 5 hours...afterwards, he told me that he had known Bob for more than 50 years and he didn't know about all of the things he went through during the war... I have not been able to visit Muscatine since I left in 2006...mostly because it's taken a while to get my health issues under control...But even back here in KC, Don always made sure to email me when important events happened in Muscatine and eastern Iowa...letting me feel that Muscatine was still "my" town... It was my greatest wish to visit Don this summer...I had heard his health was deteriorating, but I hoped he would hang on for a little while longer...The knowledge that I will only be able to visit a gravesite, hurts deeply... To Don's family: Don was special to me because he took an "outsider" and made sure he was welcomed in the community...I can never repay that directly, but I can follow his example with others... I hope through these written words you know what is in my heart and how much I cared about Don...thank you for allowing me to express my feelings... Steve Byrd "
"to a great man who was always smiling and made me anne and joan sit in godd humor rest in peace my dear friend"
"Heaven definetely received a new angel yesterday. He was an excellent EMT. I enjoyed working with him. Don will be missed as a friend and EMS provider."