Carroll Hoksbergen Obituary

Carroll Hoksbergen, 69 of rural Lynnville, passed away peacefully at his home. A private family graveside will be held in the Stewart Cemetery near Taintor. A Celebration of Life will be held on his 70th birthday on September 12, 2025 at the Federated Fellowship Church in Pella beginning at 2:00 pm. The service will be followed by a gathering in honor of Carroll's Life and Legacy with food and plenty of sharing on the Hoksbergen Prairie Farm near Lynnville. Holland-Coble Funeral Home of New Sharon is in charge of arrangements.
Carroll Hoksbergen, son of Harold and Clazina (DeJong) Hoksbergen, was born on September 12, 1955 in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He attended Peoria Christian School through 8th grade and then Pella Christian High School where he was a star player on the basketball court. However, his greatest love was farming. Carroll began farming for his father and eventually bought the family farm; over time he converted the corn and beans operation to Iowa ecotype production of wildflowers and native grasses.
On August 12th, 2006, Carroll married his wildflower, Elizabeth (Buser) Lirio at the Friend's Church in Lynnville, Iowa. A few months into dating, Elizabeth knew Carroll was the one when she asked him whether he would ever buy her flowers, and he quipped, "No, but I will grow you fields of flowers." Carroll and Elizabeth were blessed with three daughters in what most would consider old age; Carroll was almost 51 when Moriah was born and almost 60 when Caroline was born.
Moriah Elyse, their firstborn, joined the Hoksbergen home on July 30th, 2007. Moriah brought sunshine, sweetness, and a love of all things technology and math to their home. Moriah has her father's gentle spirit, kind heart, and logical reasoning abilities. Soon after Moriah's debut, Lillian Grace, made her early arrival on September 16, 2008. Lillian brought empathy, wisdom, and culinary savvy to the Hoksbergen abode; she has her father's glorious curly locks, lighting speed thinking, and shrewd observational skills. On May 19, 2014, carefree Caroline Elizabeth-Rae announced her arrival; she brought never ending song, dance, and a colorific zest for life to the family. Caroline, named after her father, has his mechanical aptitude, love for the outdoors, and quick wittedness.
Over the last four decades, Carroll has devoted his life to preserve Iowa's prairie heritage through seed collection, prairie planting, specialized harvesting, seed cleaning, and educating others. Through his commitment to conservation, water and air quality, and restorative farming practices, he has helped many farmers and land owners embrace the beauty and benefits of growing prairie grasses and wildflowers. His fearless, uncompromising work ethic, coupled with his stellar instincts and love for the land, resulted in the establishment of Hoksey Native Seeds and planting thousands of acres of prairie across the state of Iowa.
Carroll enjoyed the beauty of the outdoors, watching his daughters grow and accomplish new things, working on the farm, spending time with family and friends, and watching the prairie grow with Elizabeth. Although he did not relish reading long books or writing essays, he was the epitome of an Agricultural MacGyver, always finding new ways to preserve Iowa's heritage through conservation of prairie. His wittiness, powers of observation, and razor-sharp reasoning, knew no end. He treasured his family and worked tirelessly to provide for them, even when it required great sacrifice on his end.
Carroll's memory will be treasured by Elizabeth, his wife, of 19 years, his children, Gabrielle (Aaron) Corbin, Nicolas (Danielle) Lirio, Nathanael (Merritt) Lirio, Moriah Hoksbergen, Lillian Hoksbergen, and Caroline Hoksbergen, and his grandchildren, Ava Corbin, Ben Corbin, Isabelle Corbin, and Olive Corbin. His memory will also be honored by his brother Ron (Marlyn) Hoksbergen, brother-in-law Dan (Corene) Criger, sister Donna (Barry) Ferguson, and sister Cindy (Gary) Vandenberg as well as his many beloved nephews and nieces. Carroll was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Clazina Hoksbergen and his sister, Charlene Criger.
May these beliefs, by which Carroll lived, inspire us all:
1. Whatever you do, do it with honor
2. Trust the Lord in all things
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