Gary Vermeer, founder and chairman emeritus of Vermeer Corp. in Pella, Iowa, died Feb. 2 at the Comfort House of Pella. He was 90 years old.
He is survived by his wife, Matilda, and three children and their spouses, Stanley and Alma Vermeer, Robert and Lois Vermeer, and Mary and Dale Andringa; eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Gary Vermeer and a cousin Vermeer Corp. in 1948 after inventing a wagon hoist that made it easier to unload corn five years earlier. Demand for the labor-saving device from his neighbors prompted him to open Vermeer Manufacturing Company.
From that small operation, the company has grown throughout the past 60 years to an international organization that manufactures agricultural, construction, environmental and industrial equipment. Two of Gary Vermeer’s children, Robert Vermeer and Mary Vermeer Andringa, now serve as co-chief executive officers of Vermeer Corporation. Three of his grandchildren also are active in the corporation.
Born Sept. 29, 1918, in Pella to Jacob and Anna Vermeer, Gary Vermeer was raised in a farming community with strong Dutch roots. After his marriage in 1941 to Matilda Van Gorp, the couple started their lives together with 120 acres of land. Throughout the years, Vermeer continued to accumulate farmland, and though he hired farm managers as factory demands increased, Vermeer always took time out of his schedule to climb back on the cultivator, planter or combine, as recently as spring of 2007. All of his grandchildren — and many of his great grandchildren — have enjoyed sitting at his knee or by his side while he harvested corn.
In addition to Gary Vermeer’s contributions to manufacturing, he is well known for his philanthropy. The company started a foundation in 1958 to set aside a portion of the its profits. Over the years, the Vermeer Charitable Foundation has made significant contributions to many projects, both locally and worldwide. These include many college scholarship programs, building projects at Dordt, Calvin and Central colleges and Pella Christian High School, disaster relief, aid for missions, and much more.
Gary Vermeer also took an active role in his church and community, and used his passion for the outdoors and for flying to serve others. In 1958, he helped lead a drive that raised more than $450,000 to build the Pella Hospital. Two decades later, he led another fund drive to raise $1.5 million to expand the hospital.
He first obtained a pilot’s license in 1950 to save travel time when visiting customers and dealers. By the late 1960s, he was regularly ferrying people — customers, employees, friends and mere acquaintances - from his church and community to a wilderness camp in Canada. For nearly 40 years, he treated hundreds of people to these trips. While Vermeer enjoyed the flying and was an avid fisherman and hunter, his biggest enjoyment was providing a new experience to someone for the first time. He, too, appreciated new experiences as he and his wife Matilda enjoyed extensive travels, typically for the challenges offered rather than any luxuries.
Vermeer served on many area boards and was recognized with several awards including the Pella Community Service Award in 1977 and was named Iowa Inventor of the Year in 1984. He was inducted into the Iowa Business Hall of Fame in 1986, the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Achievement in 1992 and the Construction Equipment Industry Hall of Fame in 1996.
In honor of Gary Vermeer and his lifetime of contributions, a Web site has been established.
