- Born on: April 6, 1951
- Departed on: December 23, 2016
- Resided in: North Liberty, IA
Arthur Heusinkveld
Arthur H Heusinkveld (Artie), 65, of rural North Liberty died December 23, at his home with family.
Born April 6, 1951 in Cedar Rapids, he was the son of the late Arthur H. Heusinkveld of Cedar Rapids and Joan Liffring-Zug Bourret of Iowa City.
Arthur was preceded in death by his father Art, his brother David B. Heusinkveld and nephew Jordan H. Heusinkveld of Amana.
Artie liked working with his hands, building go-carts with little brother Dave and a hydroplane with his dad Art. Active and athletic, he enjoyed doing backflips and grannies on the trampoline, and enjoyed many matches on the tennis court. Adventurous and curious, he spent hours exploring the creek behind the Adel St. house; collecting specimens, studying nature, meeting friends for a lifetime.
As with many in the ‘60’s he had his rebellious side, getting kicked out of Cedar Rapids Washington High School half way through junior year for hair over his collar. Artie received his GED from Kirkwood Community College, thereby finishing earlier than his class of 1969. After many youthful adventures, he completed carpentry training at Kirkwood.
In 1972, he married Diane Paul from geometry class, and they continued youthful adventures. In 1974 they purchased a wooded lot with a small house and no running water. Reluctant to build rectangles, together they created an amazing free-form home that he considered his “college education in carpentry”. The house remains an ever evolving work of Art.
Along the way he worked remodeling older homes into beautiful apartments for the family rental business; before turning his attention to his workshop where he crafted unique custom furniture. “Tired of working alone”, he joined his carpentry friends working for Stone City Log Homes, furthering his education. Always learning new construction techniques he continued on to many other projects, over time mastering his craft. He could build anything, from the ground up to the lifetime aluminum roof, and all the custom detail in-between. Solid and beautiful were the trademarks of his work.
When he wasn’t working, and often when he was, he enjoyed fishing and exploring with his family from their cabin on Lake Kabetogama, Minnesota, in Voyagers National Park. Beginning at age 3, he rarely missed a summer. He and brother Dave would take off with Dad to “do some serious fishing”, and then a spin or two, or 20, on the water skis. Always curious he pursued many interests, happy to share what he knew, especially with his children; Sharing his love of The Lake, its history and archeology, and the processes that shaped those lives, glaciated mountain tops with evergreens and north air breezes, quite different than the limestone and large oaks of The Woods in Iowa.
Passionate about science and the nature of the universe, from fossils to dark matter, he appreciated the pursuit of knowledge, as well as the importance of having a good time. He loved having parties with all his friends and their children- bonfires, food, and music. From youth, music often meant Artie on the piano and Dave on the guitar “making some racket”. Over the years he collected hundreds of rock and blues albums and enjoyed playing them on his custom stereo system. If the windows didn’t rattle, it wasn’t Friday night.
Arthur is survived by his wife Diane, his son Ahren of Denver, Colorado; his daughter Holly Flame and her husband, David Black of Iowa City; his stepmother Dawn Heusinkveld of Cedar Rapids; his mother Joan and stepfather Dwayne M. Bourret of Iowa City; his stepsister K O’Brien, husband Pat, nieces Kate and Hannah from Springville; his stepbrother J Sheets and wife Anne of Colorado; his sister-in-law Carol and nephew Forrest from Amana, grandson Shea of Arizona, and many wonderful friends and family.
A celebration of his life will be held in the springtime at the Heusinkveld home in North Liberty.
Born April 6, 1951 in Cedar Rapids, he was the son of the late Arthur H. Heusinkveld of Cedar Rapids and Joan Liffring-Zug Bourret of Iowa City.
Arthur was preceded in death by his father Art, his brother David B. Heusinkveld and nephew Jordan H. Heusinkveld of Amana.
Artie liked working with his hands, building go-carts with little brother Dave and a hydroplane with his dad Art. Active and athletic, he enjoyed doing backflips and grannies on the trampoline, and enjoyed many matches on the tennis court. Adventurous and curious, he spent hours exploring the creek behind the Adel St. house; collecting specimens, studying nature, meeting friends for a lifetime.
As with many in the ‘60’s he had his rebellious side, getting kicked out of Cedar Rapids Washington High School half way through junior year for hair over his collar. Artie received his GED from Kirkwood Community College, thereby finishing earlier than his class of 1969. After many youthful adventures, he completed carpentry training at Kirkwood.
In 1972, he married Diane Paul from geometry class, and they continued youthful adventures. In 1974 they purchased a wooded lot with a small house and no running water. Reluctant to build rectangles, together they created an amazing free-form home that he considered his “college education in carpentry”. The house remains an ever evolving work of Art.
Along the way he worked remodeling older homes into beautiful apartments for the family rental business; before turning his attention to his workshop where he crafted unique custom furniture. “Tired of working alone”, he joined his carpentry friends working for Stone City Log Homes, furthering his education. Always learning new construction techniques he continued on to many other projects, over time mastering his craft. He could build anything, from the ground up to the lifetime aluminum roof, and all the custom detail in-between. Solid and beautiful were the trademarks of his work.
When he wasn’t working, and often when he was, he enjoyed fishing and exploring with his family from their cabin on Lake Kabetogama, Minnesota, in Voyagers National Park. Beginning at age 3, he rarely missed a summer. He and brother Dave would take off with Dad to “do some serious fishing”, and then a spin or two, or 20, on the water skis. Always curious he pursued many interests, happy to share what he knew, especially with his children; Sharing his love of The Lake, its history and archeology, and the processes that shaped those lives, glaciated mountain tops with evergreens and north air breezes, quite different than the limestone and large oaks of The Woods in Iowa.
Passionate about science and the nature of the universe, from fossils to dark matter, he appreciated the pursuit of knowledge, as well as the importance of having a good time. He loved having parties with all his friends and their children- bonfires, food, and music. From youth, music often meant Artie on the piano and Dave on the guitar “making some racket”. Over the years he collected hundreds of rock and blues albums and enjoyed playing them on his custom stereo system. If the windows didn’t rattle, it wasn’t Friday night.
Arthur is survived by his wife Diane, his son Ahren of Denver, Colorado; his daughter Holly Flame and her husband, David Black of Iowa City; his stepmother Dawn Heusinkveld of Cedar Rapids; his mother Joan and stepfather Dwayne M. Bourret of Iowa City; his stepsister K O’Brien, husband Pat, nieces Kate and Hannah from Springville; his stepbrother J Sheets and wife Anne of Colorado; his sister-in-law Carol and nephew Forrest from Amana, grandson Shea of Arizona, and many wonderful friends and family.
A celebration of his life will be held in the springtime at the Heusinkveld home in North Liberty.
