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Doug Swets, 50, of Blair, formerly of Orange City, Iowa, died Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014, at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha after an extended illness.

A funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Middleburg Free Grace Reformed Church of rural Orange City with Rev. Stephen Breen officiating. Interment will follow the service in Capel Township Cemetery of rural Orange City. A visitation will be Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. with the family present from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Memorial Funeral Home of Sioux Center, Iowa.

Douglas Jay “Shakey” Swets was born on Aug. 15, 1964, to Delbert and Mary (DeGroot) Swets. Doug was raised on the family farm near Middleburg, Iowa, and graduated from Sioux Center High School in 1982.

At the age of 19, Doug began his career at Interstates Electric of Sioux Center, where he worked 30 years, until illness limited his ability to work. Over his career with Interstates, he held many positions and worked at many job sites throughout the country. He had the opportunity to work with many wonderful people over the years and developed lasting friendships. For the last several years, he was the project manager for Interstates Electric in the Blair regional office.

Shakey loved spending time with friends and enjoyed cooking, working in his shop and riding his Harley. He especially enjoyed cooking for his family and his crew at work. His greatest love was his children. He loved going to their school activities, taking them on family vacations and spending time with them.

Doug is survived by his four children: Gordon (19), Meagan (16), Nathan (14) and Kristen (12), and their mother, Christine Swets, all of Blair; his mother, Mary Swets, of Sioux Center; his four siblings: Julie and Keith Van Waardhuizen of Oskaloosa, Iowa; Terry (Tyke) and Missy Swets of Sioux Center, Paula and Mark Jacobsma of Sioux Center and Cindy and Chad Webb of Cedar Falls, Iowa; as well as, numerous aunts, uncles and nieces and nephews.

Doug was preceded in death by his dad, Delbert Swets.

The Swets family prefers memorials to the Swets Children College Fund, c/o of the Swets family. www.MFHonline.com.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~