Visitation: Visitation will be Wednesday at Anderson Home from 1-4:30pm and will resume at the church at 6pm. A prayer service will begin at 7pm.

Service: Funeral services will begin at 10 am Thurs., Sept. 27 at Canton United Methodist Church.

Alvin “Duke” Van Bockern, age 90, died Monday, Sept. 24, 2012 at Good Samaritan Society Canton.  Funeral services will begin at 10 am Thurs., Sept. 27 at Canton United Methodist Church.  Visitation will be Wednesday at Anderson Home from 1-4:30pm and will resume at the church at 6pm.  A prayer service will begin at 7pm.

        Duke was born October 3, 1921 near Rock Rapids, Iowa to Fred and Lena (Hassebroek) Van Bockern.  Duke attended school in Canton and later worked on a farm near Inwood, IA for many years.  He returned to Canton in 1950 and worked for Van’s Rubbish Removal owned by his brother-in-law Marty Skaien and later his nephew Craig Van Bockern.  Following his retirement in 1992, he mowed several lawns in town and enjoyed repairing lawn mowers and bicycles.  Duke was an avid bowler for many years.  He moved into assisted living at Good Samaritan Society in 2006 and later became a resident of the nursing home.  While at Good Sam, Duke enjoyed the company of his room-mate and good friend, John Lems.

        Duke is survived by his sister, Helen Severson, Canton, SD; brother, Donald, Sioux Falls, SD; sisters-in-law, Dorothy Van Bockern, Canton, SD and Dee Van Bockern, Sioux Falls, SD; and numerous nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by five sisters- Lois Van Bockern, Mabel Skaien, Ruth Anderson, June Wallin, and Dorothy (Stewart) Layton and five brothers- Art, Leo, Earl, Dale, and Dick.