John Glenn Hayenga

JOHN GLENN HAYENGA

June 15, 1938 - November 16, 2025

Born to John I. Hayenga and Helen Alcock Hayenga in Kings, IL. Graduated from Rochelle High School, Rochelle, IL, and went straight to farming. While serving in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1960-1964, Glenn was awarded the Sharpshooter marksman badge.

Glenn was a farmer to his core. He grew up working the land and developed a deep-seated love of the soil and of the outdoors. That passion became his identity. Glenn often commented on the fresh smell of just-turned Midwest soil.

Glenn also loved to raise livestock, particularly cattle. We wondered if he thought of himself as some sort of “cattle whisperer”.

Glenn was a stereotypical Midwesterner with a wholehearted zeal for sweet corn, tomatoes, and asparagus. He would eat eight ears of sweet corn at a sitting. It was such fun to hunt for asparagus with Glenn when it could be found wild in fence rows.

Another great love of Glenn was socializing. No morning was complete without visiting with “the boys” at the coffee shop. That visiting trend traveled through to his DeKalb Seed Corn business where he had 180 customers at one time.

Glenn could not fathom slowing down. He started a successful scrap-metal project where he would buy old farm equipment at auctions and salvage the valuable metals, such as steel and copper. He loved the auctions!

Glenn was an avid football enthusiast and watched many, many games on Sundays with friends and family. Of course, no football game was complete without chicken wings.

Glenn is predeceased by his parents, John and Helen Hayenga. Glenn is survived by children Christine (James) Drumm, Gwendolyn (Ron) Deters, Michael Hayenga, and Jennifer (Alex) Munoz; siblings Norma (John) Swanson, Wayne Hayenga, and Wilma Hayenga; grandchildren Caroline Drumm, Katharine Drumm, Michael (Julia) Drumm, Quintin Munoz, and Alexander Munoz.

In lieu of flowers, please consider memorial donations to the American Stroke Association or American Heart Association. Thank you.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. on Friday, November 21, 2025, at Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory, 1860 S. Mulford Rd. Rockford, IL 61108. Burial will conclude in White Rock Cemetery, Kings, IL on Saturday, November 29, 2025, at 11:00 a.m.

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