Dorothy Louise (Oetken) Gerdes
GERDES, OETKEN, BARTUSCH, ZACHMEYER, CARNCROSS
Posted By: Stacy Bliesener (email)
Date: 1/20/2015 at 21:37:42
Dorothy Louise Oetken Gerdes died at the Great River Hospice House and went to be with the Lord on January 17, 2015. Born March 11, 1923, to Edward D. and Mary A. Bartusch Oetken, she was raised on the family farm north of Burlington and attended Hunter School through the 8th grade.
She was a member of the Oak Street Baptist Church and very active there until her elder years. She served as president of the Oakettes for a time. This was a group founded by Mrs. Alfred Bernadt during World War II for single girls and wives of service men. She was also a Sunday School teacher and served on many committees of the church as well as several terms on the trustee board.
At 17 Dorothy moved to town and worked as a domestic Nanny for almost nine years and did clerical work at the Brown Lynch and Scott store in downtown Burlington. On July 23, 1950, she married Daniel Gerdes at Oak Street Baptist Church. He died on her birthday, March 11, 2007.
When her children were young, Dorothy was an active member of the Police Auxiliary, the PTA, and babysat children in her home. As her youngest child entered middle school, Dorothy began working for Burlington Schools in food service, retiring in 1988 after 18 years of service to care for some of her grandchildren. In 1989 she began work at the BG's Buy N Bye Deli in West Burlington, where she was instrumental to its success. Ill health forced her to retire from there in 2001.
Dorothy loved her family, her work, entertaining, and family gatherings. She enjoyed crafts, puzzles, gardening, and flowers. She was an extremely thoughtful person, volunteering her talents whenever possible and always remembering friends and family on all their special occasions. She did not have an idle bone in her body, which is why it was extremely hard on her in her elder years, when her body would not let her "do" as she wanted.
Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents; one sister, Edith Zachmeyer; her husband; and one infant son, Kenneth M. She is survived by one brother, Richard E. Oetken of Burlington; one daughter, Elaine M. (Gordon) Carncross of West Chicago, IL; and three sons, LaVerne A. (Ruby) Gerdes, Wayne E. Gerdes, and Steven D. (LoReah) Gerdes, all of Burlington. Her ten grandchildren and their spouses, eleven great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild were the lights of her life.
Words cannot adequately express the depths by which she will be missed, but some of the words specifically used by her family to describe her are kind, thoughtful, wise, sensible, humble, particular, generous, amazing, selfless, non-judgmental, giving, fair, caring, loving, thankful, and a great cook. As one of her granddaughters so appropriately put it, she had a Golden Heart.
Friends may call at Lunning Chapel between noon and 8:00 p.m. today, with family being present between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. The funeral service for Mrs. Dorothy Gerdes will be Wednesday, January 21st, at 2:00 p.m. with interment after the service at Aspen Grove Cemetery.
Memorials have been established for Oak Street Baptist Church and St. Jude Children's Hospital.
http://www.lunningfuneralchapel.com/obituary/131243/Dorothy-Gerdes//
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