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It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our beloved husband and father, Dr. Johannes Lambertus "J.L." de Koning. Born in Banyumas, Java, Indonesia, to Dutch parents, he spent most of his early years in The Hague, Netherlands, including during WWII from 1940 to 1945. After surviving the German occupation of the Netherlands, he obtained his medical degree from Rijksuniversiteit in Leiden. J.L. then immigrated to the United States and has lived in Altoona since 1960. Despite moving across the world, he never lost his love of the Netherlands and his Dutch heritage, always improving the Dutch vocabulary of those around him and fondly sharing stories of his life in Holland.
He married the love of his life, Rose Marie Imgrund, on Dec. 31, 1965, and spent the majority of his career in private practice in Hollidaysburg. In addition to his private practice, he served his community as the Medical Director at the Lutheran Home, as an on-call physician at the Blair County Prison in Hollidaysburg, preceptor at the Altoona Hospital and as a member of the medical staff at Mercy Hospital, where he was recognized for over 50 years of active service -- during which time he delivered over 6,000 babies. His service even extended outside of his local community in Central Pennsylvania, as he also volunteered at the Mercy Hospital in Guyana, South America. As a man of many talents and interests, J.L. was very creative and spent his free time immersed in a variety of hobbies: stamp collecting, photography, model ship building, genealogy and studying languages.
His creativity blossomed after retirement in 2003, when he found his love for drawing and painting, in addition to his devotion to gardening and watching his (next year for sure) Pittsburgh Pirates. Most recently, he shared his passion for language by teaching French and German at the Blair Senior Center. In October, we were grateful to celebrate his 95th birthday with friends, family and the community he lovingly cared for and served alongside during his 50-plus year career.
He is survived by his loving wife, Rose Marie; grown children: John (Mitzi), Chris (Robin), Juliette (Sam) and Jessica (Marc); and grandchildren: Cody, Jude, Bella, Miles, Lewis, Daphne and Griffin.
Visitation is from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, at the Stevens Mortuary Inc., 1421 Eighth Ave., Altoona.
The family requests that contributions be made in J.L.'s memory to Doctors Without Borders (doctorswithoutborders.org/get-involved/ways-to-give).
Condolences can be made at www.stevensfamilyfuneralhomes.com or Stevens Family Funeral Homes Facebook page.