Mark De Ruyter

Mark De Ruyter, 54, of Middleburg, Iowa, died unexpectedly on July 21, 2026, at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD.

A visitation will be held from 5- 7 PM on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at the Middleburg Free Grace Reformed Church. 

A graveside service will be held at 9:30 AM on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at the Valley View Cemetery in Rock Valley, Iowa. 

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at the Middleburg Free Grace Reformed Church of rural Orange City, Iowa with Reverend Mark Schwarz officiating. 

In lieu of flowers, charitable donations may be directed to the family for a later designation.

Livestream of the funeral service is located on the Middleburg Free Grace Facebook Page: Livestream of Service. 

Mark Alan De Ruyter was born on January 13, 1972, in Rock Valley, Iowa, to Edward and Rosella (DeKruyf) De Ruyter. He grew up in Rock Valley, Iowa with one sister and two brothers. Mark attended Rock Valley Public School and graduated in 1990. He majored in Social Work at Northwestern College in Orange City and obtained a MSW from University of Nebraska in Omaha.

On August 14, 1993, he was united in marriage to Jill Gayer at First Reformed Church in Rock Valley, Iowa. They lived in Orange City, Osage, and Middleburg before building their dream house on an acreage near Boyden, Iowa. They were blessed with two daughters and two sons.

Mark deeply loved his four children and his precious granddaughter. They were his pride and joy. He also had a special love for his many boxer dogs. He was a very intelligent man and, although genuinely humble, humorously referred to himself as a “genius”. He was a member of Free Grace Reformed Church and loved to discuss Biblical theology. He also enjoyed riding his motorcycle, hunting, fishing, playing chess, and cruising around in his 1972 Ford Mustang. He was a great cook and often joked that he would open a BBQ shack or food truck someday. He loved music and enjoyed trying to name each song and artist that he would hear.

Mark worked for many agencies as a social worker, including Hope Haven, Northwestern College, Avera Spencer Medical Clinic, and Floyd Valley Health. He had a heart for the vulnerable and a deep passion for helping people. His final act of organ donation was a fitting reflection of the life he lived - one devoted to helping as many people as he could.

Those left to cherish his memory are his wife of almost 33 years, Jill; daughters, Alexa (Dylan) Vander Berg of Verona, Wisconsin and Kelana De Ruyter of New York City, New York; sons, Treyton and Tylandon De Ruyter of Boyden, Iowa, beloved granddaughter Kyla Vander Berg; parents, Edward and Rosella De Ruyter of Rock Valley, Iowa, sister, Carla Kieft of Rock Valley, Iowa, brothers Steve (Bonnie) De Ruyter of Rock Valley, Iowa and Dave (Becky) De Ruyter of LeMars, Iowa, father-in-law, Lester (Helene) Gayer of Orange City, Iowa, brother-in-law, Jerod (Deb) Gayer and sister-in-law, Dana (Tom) Harskamp of Waverly, Iowa; along with many nieces and nephews and extended family.

He was preceded in death by his mother-in-law, Muriel Gayer and his grandparents.