VANDEEST, Esther 1918-2002

VANDEEST, HUISMAN, KRUEGER

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 6/17/2014 at 12:39:51

Esther Van Deest, 84, of rural Wellsburg, died August 25 at Allen Memorial Hospital. Funeral services were August 28 at Wellsburg Reformed Church. Burial followed in the church cemetery. A memorial fund has been established.

Esther was born March 25, 1918, at home in Wellsburg, the daughter of Tile and Etta (Krueger) Huisman. On May 15, 1939, Esther was united in marriage to William B. Van Deest at the Wellsburg Reformed Church Parsonage. She and William farmed in rural Wellsburg for many years. Esther helped with all of the farm work and also helped raise nine children, six sons and three daughters. Esther and William shared 63 years of marriage together.

Esther was a lifelong member of Wellsburg Reformed Church. She loved to watch her children and grandchildren participate in sporting events. She also enjoyed watching Chicago Cubs baseball on television.

She is survived by her husband, William B. Van Deest of rural Wellsburg; six sons, Ben Van Deest and his wife Dee of Sioux Falls, SD, Ted Van Deest and his wife Linda of Wellsburg, Jim Van Deest and his wife Shirley of Grundy Center, Larry Van Deest and his wife Faye of Grundy Center, Alvin and his wife Michelle of Wellsburg, and Melvin Van Deest and his wife Jani of Clive; three daughters, Linda Peters and her husband Howard of Maxwell, Susan Lutterman and her husband Alan of Holland and Coleen Ralston and her husband Tim of Grundy Center; 21 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; two sisters, Elizabeth Dimke and Dena Huisman; four brothers, Theodore (Dewey) Huisman, Bryan Huisman, Harm Huisman and Tyle Huisman; one half-brother, Andrew Kruger; two grandchildren, Leah Van Deest and Allen Van Deest; one niece, Dorothy Huisman; and one nephew, Truman Schulte.

--The Grundy Register/Wellsburg Herald (Grundy Center, Iowa), 29 August 2002, pg 6