CORNELIUS ROBERT RIETVELD

Cornelius R. Rietveld, 92, of Twin Falls passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at his home in Bridgeview Estates. He was born on February 4, 1918 in South Holland, IL, and he was the eldest child of Gerrit and Hattie (Anker) Rietveld. Corny, as he was known to his friends, was raised in a bountiful farming community near Chicago Heights, IL where he worked with his family raising onion sets, tomatoes and sugar beets. He graduated from Bloom High School in 1936 and began his lifelong and satisfying career as a specialty vegetable farmer. He married Gertrude Van Der Giessen on January 6, 1942, and they raised three children together. While in Illinois, Corny was very active in agricultural policies and practices, and he served on the Board of the Cook County Farm Bureau for 12 years. His tireless service to the agricultural community led to numerous accomplishments, such as being inducted into the Bloom High School Hall of Fame, being featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and being named an Illinois Master Farmer in 1972. As the city of Chicago marched southward, Corny and his family relocated to Kouts, IN in 1974 and established a new farming venture with his brother Glenn and two cousins. While in Indiana, Corny was very active in the Lions Club and in the Kouts Presbyterian Church. Upon reaching age 65, Corny was certainly not ready to retire, and he boldly embarked on a trial production of specialty onions in Idaho with his son-in-law James Kelly and his son Robert. After several years of being 1700-mile "migrant" farmers, the family moved incrementally from Indiana to Idaho and established Magic Valley Growers, Ltd. Corny remained active in this new operation until he "retired" at the age of 75. The company he co-founded is still thriving 26 years later as a premier producer of specialty onions and potatoes. Corny loved living in Idaho, enjoying the friendly people and the ideal weather. During these years in his adopted state, Corny contributed his time as a member of Kiwanis and the First Presbyterian Church of Twin Falls. Corny enjoyed life to its fullest. He and Gertrude traveled the world extensively, and he could boast that the only continent they did not visit was Antarctica. Although he visited his ancestral homeland of Holland 26 times, his dream was to live there for several months and immerse himself in their culture, which he and Gertrude did during the summer of 1992. His lifelong hunger for knowledge was fed by his voracious reading habit, which included his favorite subjects of history, religion and politics. A deep love of classical music rounded out his leisure activities. Corny is survived by his wife of 68 years, Gertrude; a brother, Glenn of Scottsdale, AZ; three children Gerrit (Jackie) of Hopkinton, NH, Mary Kelly (James) and Robert (Patty) both of Twin Falls; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. His youngest brother, Claude, preceded him in death. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 30, 2010 at 11:00 am at the First Presbyterian Church in Twin Falls. Arrangements are under the direction of Parke's Magic Valley Funeral Home & Crematory of Twin Falls. Those wishing to share condolences may do so at www.magicvalleyfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, a memorial contribution may be made in Corny's name to Hospice Visions. The family extends a heartfelt thank you to the men and women of Hospice, and in particular to Carl for the extraordinary and compassionate care he provided to Corny in his final weeks.