Max Eugene Van Den Berg

Max Eugene Van Den Berg, of Meridian, Idaho, passed away on December 26, 2021, at the age of 85 due to heart failure.

Max was born in 1936 to Herman and Lena Van Den Berg in St. Lawrence, South Dakota. He was the youngest of four children. After high school he worked as a heavy equipment operator out of Miller, SD for the next five years. He married his first wife Judy Anderson in 1959. Max then volunteered for the draft with the U.S. Army and was sent to Korea where he served 1959-1961. Shortly after his return, Max started college at South Dakota State University. He then took a year off to work after losing his wife to a short-term illness. He later returned to SDSU earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering. During this time, Max was introduced to Marjorie Goetz. Marj was also widowed at an early age with 3-month-old son, Greg. Max and Marj later married in 1964.

Max and Marj moved to the Boise area in 1967 where Max began his 30-year career for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Second to his wife and family, Max’s career was one of his greatest rewards.

Alongside his career, there were many great years spent on their 20-acre farm raising a small herd of cattle, a couple of horses, chickens, and rabbits here and there, and even a donkey named Sylvester. Max was heavily involved with 4-H, spending summers at the local fairs. Their church family was also important to them as Sunday church services followed by breakfast out with friends was a weekly activity they looked forward to, until the pandemic that is.

During their 57 years of marriage, they added three more children to their family: Rafe, Missy, and infant Kristen whom they lost to sudden infant death syndrome.

In 1997, Max retired and filled his days with many hobbies such as fishing, hunting, gunsmithing, tractor tinkering, cowboy poetry writing, napping, and his all-time favorite hobby of shootin’ the bull with some of his favorite people at multiple weekly coffee groups. He also loved volunteering with the Meridian Lions Club and all their activities.

Max is survived by his loving wife, Marjorie, and his children: Greg Goetz (Kim) of Kimberly, ID; Rafe Van Den Berg (Kim) of Eagle, and Missy Tucker (Dan) of Meridian. Grandchildren Hayley Baker (Dusty), Barry Tucker (Leslie), Kaitlyn Goetz, and Justin Goetz. Great grandchildren Braden Baker, Jameson Baker, Clara Tucker, and Lily Tucker. Also survived by his three siblings: Gwen Campbell, Lowell (Nona) Van Den Berg, and Eleanor (David) Lanz, their families and many nieces and nephews.

Services will be held at 2PM on Saturday, February 19, 2022 at Cloverdale Funeral Home – Gibson Chapel in Boise, Idaho. A reception will follow the service in the Cloverdale Event Center. In lieu of flowers, Max, and his family welcome you to donate to your favorite charity.