Jan Willem Post
February 27, 2016
On the afternoon of February 27, 2016, Jan passed away at A. H. Blank Golf Course in Des Moines Iowa. A Celebration of Life will be held Friday March 4, 2016 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Waveland Golf Course, 4908 University Ave. Des Moines Iowa.
Jan was born in Amsterdam, The Netherlands on December 28, 1956 to Henk and Gerda Post. He graduated from Des Moines Abraham Lincoln High School in 1975. He went on to receive an associate’s degree in Information Technology in 1984, and then went on to earn a Bachelor Degree in Information Technology from Bellevue, Nebraska in 1994. He worked as a Project Manager for the State of Iowa – Executive Branch. He was also a member of the Project Management Institute Central Iowa Chapter for 18 years.
In 1977, Jan married the love of his life, Monica Harper. Together they have one son, Nicholas who was born on May 29, 1992.
Jan loved to golf, and the time he spent playing the game with his son and with his friends. His friends often regarded him as the “event planner” because he always had a plan and took control of tee times, golf outings, and golf trips. Memorable trips include Augusta National, Phoenix, AZ, and places around Iowa. No matter how much ribbing he took as the “event planner”, he was always there to make the next tee time or plan the next golf get away.
Jan liked to debate politics and the current affairs of the day. The underlying tone of his discussions revealed a great deal about his character; that people mattered. Jan knew what it was like to have a job and to lose a job, and those things that can drive others crazy he always took in stride. He would reassure others by telling them, “It’s all good”.
Jan was an Iowa Hawkeye fan and loved to watch the Hawks play. He loved to play cards with friends and his game of choice was Texas Hold ‘em. Jan lived life to the fullest.
He is survived by his loving wife, Monica of 38 years; and his best accomplishment of all his son, Nicholas. His mother, Gerda; his sisters, Saskia, Dela, Christina, Babette; his brother, Peter; his in-laws, Bob and Jane Harper; as well as brothers-in-law, Greg Helms and Adam Weir; and sister-in-law, Nola Harper; along with several nieces and nephews.
Jan was preceded in death by his father, Henk and step-mother, Suzette; as well as brother-in-law, Tom Harper and sister-in-law, Cherie Helms.
Condolences may be expressed online at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com. Please no flowers.
Dave and Patti Gray
03/01/2016
Jan, you will truly be missed. We have known you since the early days at Mutual and I always enjoyed the golf and bowling matches we had. Always had a lot of fun and laughs! Our thoughts and prayers go out to your family.
Anita Volk
03/01/2016
Jan was a wonderful man with a spunk and charisma that drew people to him. I worked with Jan in Cedar Rapids and then Des Moines. I will truly miss Jan and my thoughts and prayers are with Jan's family.
Maxine Flaherty
03/01/2016
Dear Monica, there are no words! We are so sorry for your loss of John. We didn't know him well, but heard so many great things about him. Our thoughts & prayers are with you. Mike & Maxine
Rodd Bullard
03/01/2016
Monica and Nick,
Words cannot express my sorrow of Jan's passing. He was the best friend that a person could ever wish to have and he touched so many lives in a positive manner because of his caring and upbeat personality. Regardless of the occasion, he always made sure to include everyone and earned the well deserved nickname of *The Event Planner*. Our trip to the 2012 Masters is one of my best memories and I will cherish it for the rest of life. Playing golf, watching an Iowa game or discussing the political landscape will never be the same without him. Even though it does not feel feel like it at this moment, Jan would remind us that *it's all good* because he lived every day to the fullest. Together we will make it through this difficult time!
Meredith Carle
03/01/2016
I had known and worked with Jan for over ten years. He was smart, kind, passionate and had a deep love and respect for his family. He beamed with pride whenever talking about his son, especially. It was clear there was a very special Father Son friendship and bond. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Post Family.
Patty Collins
02/29/2016
Jan was the first person to take me under his mentorship as a new employee at Transamerica. I appreciated his honesty and leadership. He had a great love for his family and his work and will be missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.
Jason Hartwig
02/29/2016
I worked with Jan from 2011 - 2013 in Cedar Rapids. Jan was always kind and willing to speak his mind! Although I've never met Monica or Nick, he spoke about them all the time and how much they meant to him. My fondest memories of Jan are going the range to hit golf balls over lunch, golfing at Amana golf course and talking about the Hawkeyes. Although Jan worked in Des Moines, we continued to text/email to keep in touch. Jan enjoyed being a mentor; for golf and for project management. I'm honored to have known Jan and will miss him. God bless all of Jan's family through this difficult time.
Jennifer Burke
02/29/2016
Jan was such a great guy and will be missed!! He loved his family and his friends and always had a kind word to say.
My thoughts and prayers to his family!
Kathryn Burd
02/29/2016
We are so sad to hear of Jan passing away. He was such a great guy with a zest for life. We will miss him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this time.
Kavitha Aitharaju
02/29/2016
You were a natural leader and CACTAS will not be same without you.
Will miss you Jan !
Martha Owen
02/29/2016
Jan will leave a large void. He was a born leader and a great friend. He truly cared about every person that he worked with and spent time with all of us each day.