William Jon Versteeg
1944 - 2024
William Jon Versteeg, 80, of Parker, CO, passed away peacefully on January, 18th at The Suites Parker surrounded by family after a battle with cancer.
Jon was born in Redfield, SD on January 6th, 1944 to Eugene and Marge Versteeg. Jon attended Redfield High School before graduating from the School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, SD with a degree in Engineering. After college, Jon worked for GE, Stone and Webster, and then started his own company, Equal Electric with partener Dave Paulson. Jon met his best friend, Jerry Taylor, in the first grade. The two were inseparable, loved to play sports, cruise mainstreet, and get into a mild amount of trouble. They even married sisters, Joan and Diane Salerno!
Jon was never one to sit down and relax. He loved running, doing pushups and situps, tanning on the deck, and showing off his shirtless muscles. When he bought a house in California as a young father, he discovered there was a swimming pool in the backyard that had been filled in with dirt. If you know Jon, he was just as cheap as he was active. He got out a shovel and started to dig, and dig, and dig. By the end of summer, he had dug out the swimming pool, patched it up, and got the systems working all for his kids to enjoy.
Later, when he moved his family to Colorado, he decided to build a full tennis court in the backyard made of bricks. He spent the whole summer leveling the yard, laying down the sand, and meticulously placing each brick by specific color and design to create the tennis court lines. All for his children to enjoy.
Christmas Eve, 1982, Jon walked through waist deep snow during a major blizzard in Colorado because he was on a mission to ask Carolyn Rogo to marry him. And once Jon gets something in his mind, he doesn’t back down. Ever. He even rescued an elderly woman on the way to Carolyn’s townhouse! Covered in snow and ice, Carolyn let him in. He popped the question and she said yes!
When asked if he could do life over again, what would he do, Jon immediately said he would have been a singer. He said he would sit at a pub, and sing for beer. That would be his career. Jon loved music, and came from a musical family. His mother taught piano lessons and his sister, Andi, has perfect pitch and is a genius on the piano. When Jon’s mom turned 80, he and Carolyn took her on the Mozart tour in Austria and Germany. It was one of many trips he and Carloyn went on (New Zealand, Australia, China, Peru), but more special because it meant so much to his mother.
Jon loved his wife, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He loved building a fire and watching snow fall through the pines in his backyard. He loved sunning on the deck, snuggling his cats, and drinking a good quality beer while burning burgers to a crisp on the grill.
Jon was preceded in death by his father Eugene, his mother Marge (Adrian), son Billy , and grandson Jesse. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn (Rogo), daughters Carleen and Janeen Haley (Pat), Grandchildren Austin, Christian, Oran, Victoria, Isabella, Bree, Elijah, Ashton, Greyson, and Great grandchildren Liam and Ava Rose.
Viewing followed by a brief blessing 11 a.m., Monday, January 22nd at Be A Tree, 2970 W Severn Pl, Denver, CO 80204.
Church services will be held at a later date in Redfield, SD.
Viewing & Ceremony
Viewing
Monday, January 22, 2024 at 11 AM
Be a Tree Cremation
2970 W Severn Pl
Denver, CO 80204
Church services will be held at a later date in Redfield, SD.