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 partner Dave Paulson. Jon met his best friend, Jerry Taylor, in the first grade. The two were inseparable, loved to play sports, cruise main street, 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 sit-ups, 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. Once again, for his children to enjoy.  

On Christmas Eve, 1982, a major blizzard was developing in Colorado. Jon was on his way to ask Carolyn Rogo to marry him when his vehicle got stuck in the deep snow. Jon was never one to back down from a challenge once he decided to get something done. And this day was no different. He walked through waist deep snow for miles to get to Carolyn’s house. He even rescued an elderly woman on the way! 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 he would do differently, 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, Andy, 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 Carolyn went on (New Zealand, Australia, China, Peru), but even 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 (Tina & Brea), and grandson Jesse. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn (Rogo), sister Adrienne (Andy), daughters Carleen and Janeen Haley (Pat), Grandchildren Austin, Christian, Oran, Victoria, Isabella, Bree, Elijah, Ashton, Greyson, and Great grandchildren Liam and Ava Rose. 

Service will be held on Saturday, February 17th, 11:00 a.m. at the First Congregational UCC in Redfield, SD. Lunch and fellowship immediately following at the church..