Douglas L. Jansz

Douglas L. Jansz died on November 3, 2015 at his home. A memorial service will be held on Monday, November 9, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. at Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway, 3601 Westown Parkway in West Des Moines, IA; with visitation to follow from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. His ashes will be interred at Waveland Cemetery in Prairie City, IA.

Doug was born to William and Ruth VanderLinden Jansz in Pella, IA on August 29, 1933. He graduated from Pella High School and attended Central College and Drake University. He began working for Western Electric as a communications installer and his job would take him to cities all over Iowa and from North Platte, NE to San Diego, CA and Manhatten, New York City.

Doug married Central college coed, Joyce Eflin in 1958. They lived in Des Moines where a daughter and son were born, then 15 years in Prairie City where another daughter joined the family. Doug became a member of Preston Masonic Lodge and served on the Prairie City Council. In 1980, they moved to Cedar Rapids where Doug was Operations Supervisor for northeast Iowa. Returning to Des Moines, Doug retired in 1989 from AT&T Technologies, the successor to Western Electric. Seeking adventure, Doug and Joyce worked summers in Denali National Park in Alaska, volunteered in Gallatin National Forest in Montana and also enjoyed many trips to the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Australia, Cuba and other places in the world and U.S.

Doug will be remembered for his laid back manner and wry sense of humor. He put his family first and was a steady encouraging influence. He enjoyed swimming, boating, mountain hiking and attending Hawkeye football games with friends. His favorite trips were to Africa and he liked nothing better than arising before the sun to go on a game drive.

In 2000, he was diagnosed with MS. He is donating his central nervous system tissue to the Rocky Mountain MS Tissue Bank at the Colorado School of Medicine for research.

Cherishing Doug’s memory are his wife, Joyce; daughters, Marti Parkinson of Crowley, TX, Heidi Dexter of Mountain Lakes, NJ; son-in-law, Kevin Dexter; grandchildren, Zara and Nicholas Parkinson, Zachary and Ryan Dexter; and his half-sisters, Penny Harvey of Ojai, CA and Pamela Jansz of Rancho Murieta, CA. Doug was preceded in death by his son, Christopher.

The family thanks Unity Point Hospice for their care and support. Memorials may be made to Iowa Public Radio or Unity Point Hospice. Condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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