Ruth Ver Woert, 94

                Funeral services were held Monday, Mar. 4, at 1:30 p.m. at Garden Chapel Funeral Home in Pella for Ruth Ver Woert, 94, who died Feb. 25, 2019, in Pella. Memorials have been designated for Wesley Life and Crossroads of Pella.

                Ruth Virginia Ver Woert was adopted as a young child after Robert and Helen (Klein) Castorf found her. They brought her home from the orphanage in York, NE, to their home in Sully where she remained her entire life until she married Andrew Ver Woert. After the passing of Ruth’s parents, they took over the farm and raised four children.

                Ruth enjoyed the farm working alongside her husband.  She was a good cook and made fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn, all grown on the farm.  She taught her kids to butcher chickens.

Ruth was musically talented and loved playing the piano and organ. Ruth graced many with her beautiful singing voice.

                Ruth was a God-fearing woman who taught her children to read the Bible and also read many stories out of big Bible story books. She made profession of faith as a youth while attending a church camp.

                Ruth will be greatly missed by all her family and friends. Those left to cherish her memory are: daughters Ruthanne (Marvin) Van Wyk and Linda (Gerrit) Verhey, 11 grand-children, 19 great-grandchildren, and eight great-great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sisters-in-law Dee (Rex) Ver Woert and June (Rox) Ver Woert, daughters-in-law Pat (Bob) Ver Woert and Carol (Joe) Ver Woert, and many nieces and nephews.

                She was preceded in death by her husband Andrew, her parents Robert and Helen Castorf, her parents-in-law Jacob and Hattie Ver Woert, her sons Robert and Joseph Ver Woert, her grandson Gregory Van Wyk, and her great-great-grandson Avery Mayn Does

John W. Van Maanen, 60

                John W. Van Maanen, 60, of Viola, IL, died Saturday, Mar. 2, 2019, at Genesis Medical Center, Aledo, IL.

                Funeral services and Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Mar. 7, at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Davenport. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. John’s Catholic Church in Viola, IL, or to the family for diabetes research.

                Born Sept. 11, 1958, in Newton, John was the son of John W. and Jennie (Nikkel) Van Maanen. On Oct. 31, 2009, John married the love of his life, Kathy Ehrecke.

                John was an auctioneer and a farmer. He enjoyed woodworking, playing cribbage, and playing practical jokes. John was a man strong in his faith; overcoming personal adversities; enjoying his time with his family. He loved his Belgian horses, but his true love was his wife, Kathy.

                Those left to honor his memory include his wife, Kathy; sisters, Bonnie (Vernon) Vander Weerdt of Sully, Betty Polman of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Marva (John) Tolson of State Center, Joy (John) McGinley of Newton, and Norma (Bill) Rozendaal of Grinnell; mother-in-law, Ella Ehrecke of Walcott; brothers and sisters-in-law, Frank (Lori) Ehrecke of Davenport, Chris (Jim) Green of Long Grove, Steve (Julie) Ehrecke of Muscatine, Anne (Mike) Hunter of East Moline, and Beth Ehrecke of Davenport; numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and cousins.

                John was preceded in death by his parents; father-in-law, Kenneth Ehrecke; and brother-in-law, Bert Polman.

                Online condolences may be made at www.hmdfuneralhome.com.

Henry M. Van Sant, 82

                Henry M. Van Sant, 82, a son of Andrew and Gertie (Van Hal) Van Sant, was born Sept. 28, 1936, in Sully and died Feb. 10, 2019, in California. He went to school at Sully Christian School, graduated from Lynnville-Sully High School, and was an air traffic controller in the Navy. After he got out of the Navy, he worked as an air traffic controller until he retired.

                Survivors are his wife, Jeanene Van Sant of California; three daughters, Lori and Sharon of California and Teresa of Ohio; and three brothers, Delmar, Harold, and Doyle, all of Arizona.

                Memorial services were held Mar. 2 in California.

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