Rev. James Dores Brinkhuis
March 17, 1931 ~ April 23, 2022
Rev. James D. Brinkhuis, 91, Little Rock, IA, was received into Heaven on Saturday, April 23, 2022, at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls.
Visitation with family present will be Sunday, May 1, 2022, from 2-4pm at Salem Reformed Church in Little Rock, IA. Funeral Services will be 11am Monday, May 2, also at Salem Reformed. Burial will be at Augusta Cemetery, Marietta, MN, at a later date.
James “Jim” Dores Brinkhuis was born March 17, 1931 to Abraham and Hattie (Dorsman) Brinkhuis, rural Rock Valley, IA. He grew up on a farm near the Rock River, and attended public school in Rock Valley, graduating from high school in 1948. He attended Northwestern Junior College, Orange City, IA, graduating in 1952. He taught in two different country schools before attending Northwestern College, and then finished his Bachelor’s degree at Central College, Pella, IA in 1955. He then attended Western Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, MI, graduating with his Master’s in Divinity in 1957 and was ordained that same year.
Jim served as the student pastor of the Antelope Valley Reformed Church, rural Marietta, MN during the summer of 1954, where he “met his little deer (dear)”. He was ordained in 1957 and began to serve as the pastor of the Immanuel Reformed Church in Willow Lake, SD. On June 1, 1958, he was united in marriage to Darlene Limberg, daughter of John H. and Anna (Knock) Limberg. In 1961, they began serving the Grandview Reformed Church in Armour, SD, and in late 1963, began serving the Hope Reformed Church in Westfield, ND. In 1969, they began serving Bethel Reformed Church, rural Ellsworth, MN, from which he resigned in 1978. He continued to minister to others by providing pulpit-supply for a variety of churches in IA, SD, MN, and NE. He had an uncanny ability to remember the faces and names of seemingly everyone he met, as well as learn and connect their family trees. He genuinely loved people and enjoyed making those connections.
Jim held a variety of positions at Parkview Manor Nursing Home in Ellsworth, MN, Village Northwest in Sheldon, IA, and Country View Manor Nursing Home in Sibley, IA. In 1999, after experiencing heart surgery, he retired from official ministry but never stopped serving the Lord. He started to assist with the Little Rock Dinner Date program, delivering meals to elderly shut-ins, and eventually transitioned to the program director. After many years of serving others within the community, he retired from Dinner Date due to increasing health problems.
Jim and Darlene were blessed with five children: Randall, Susan, Tamara, Darla, and Joy. He enjoyed supporting his children, and eventually his grandchildren, throughout their many activities over the years. He loved sports of all kinds, whether participating or cheering and supported the Little Rock or G-LR sports teams, as well as any basketball team that represented northwest Iowa schools. He was a diehard Twins and Vikings fan and liked to have the radio tuned to a sports game anywhere he went. He loved every opportunity to fish, even if he was content to catch bullheads.
Jim also had a green thumb and loved growing potatoes and other produce, as well as his beloved flowers. He was proud to enter many of his flowers as exhibits for the Corn Show. Many who knew him, knew his “corny” sense of humor since he was born in Iowa after all. He often laughed the loudest at his own jokes.
Grateful to have shared his life are his wife of almost 64 years, Darlene; his son, Randall Brinkhuis, Vienna, VA; his daughters, Susan Brinkhuis (Christian Merle), Lyon, France, Darla Brinkhuis-Gross and Joy (Brad) Schroeder, Sioux Falls, SD; son-in-law, Kevin Barry, Danvers, MA; grandchildren, Anna and Celeste Brinkhuis, Melody and Jameson Merle, Summer and Mitchell Gross, Jared Brinkhuis-Gross, and Marissa, Justin, and Timothy Schroeder; great-grandson, Kenzo Merle; one sister, Mary Van Surksum, Rock Valley, IA; sisters-in-law, Grace Brinkhuis, Sioux Falls, SD, Joyce (Maynard) Peterson, Clear Lake, SD, Donna (Jim) Collins, Revillo, SD, and Linda Limberg, Gary, SD; and many nieces and nephews.
Jim was preceded in death by one daughter, Tamara Barry; one grandson, Keith Barry; his parents, Abe and Hattie; parents-in-law, John H. and Anna (Knock) Limberg; sisters, Geraldine (Arnold) Van Roekel, Hermina (John) Sandbulte, Gladys (Harry) Terpstra; one brother, Abe Brinkhuis; and brothers-in-law, Richard Van Surksum, Leroy Limberg and Gene Limberg.
Darlene and family So sorry to hear of your loss. My God hold you all in his arm at this sad time.