Arlene Staal Veltkamp, 92, of Belgrade, passed on to be with her Savior on Friday, March 11, 2022, after a challenging eight-year journey with Alzheimer’s.
Arlene was born to Sake and Tillie Staal on January 27, 1930, in Columbus, Montana, and was the eldest of five children.
Sake moved his family to Bozeman where Arlene attended Emerson Elementary School. The family later moved to Billings where Arlene attended junior high school. They later moved to Chicago where she attended high school.
After working various jobs in the Chicago area, Arlene returned to Montana in 1952 and married Harold Veltkamp. The newlyweds moved to Three Forks, leased farm acreage north of town, and began farming and raising their three children.
In 1962, Harold and Arlene purchased a farm north of Belgrade and moved there in 1970.
Arlene pursued her dream of becoming a beautician-barber and attended Billings Barber College in 1983. She then started a hair-cutting career she loved for over thirty years. She managed her own shop and also served as barber for several years for the Law and Justice Center in Bozeman.
Arlene enjoyed music, singing, playing the piano, and other simple joys in life such as reading the newspaper each morning while drinking her cup of coffee.
Arlene was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Harold; sister, Shirley; brother, Robert; two nieces and a nephew. She is survived by her son, Victor Veltkamp; and his children Chloe (Nicholas) Claiborne and Myra Veltkamp, with their mother Lorinda; daughters, Valerie (Wayne) Tofslie and Veniece Lindemulder; grandson, Seth Lindemulder; great-grandchildren, Theodore and Cora Claiborne; sister, Berniece; brother, Dean; sister-in-law, Magaretha Broekema; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A Private Burial will take place and a public Memorial Service is planned for June at Manhattan Christian Reformed Church. Memorials and donations should be directed to Manhattan Christian Reformed Church, 7950 Churchill Road, Manhattan, Montana, 59741.
Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com
