Van Zante, Kathryn – 1915-2010

BEYER, BLOM, DE RONDE, HANNAY, HANSON, JANSEN, KALDENBERG, KLEIN, MASSELINK, MCKENNA, SJAARDEMA, VAN DEN BERG, VAN WYK, VAN WYNGARDEN, VAN ZANTE, VANDE KROL, VISSER

Posted By: JCGS Volunteer
Date: 5/15/2010 at 13:29:52

On Oct. 14, 1915, Rutt and Sibbelina Catharina Sjaardema Kaldenberg gave birth to their second child, a daughter, Kathryn, who was born near Taintor, Iowa. Within the next 20 years, the family grew to include 12 siblings. Kathryn grew up near Sully, Iowa, where she graduated from the Sully Christian Grade School. Her formal education concluded at that time, as she was needed to assist the family in caring for her younger sisters and brothers.
As a young girl, she worked in her father’s store, the Kaldenberg General Store in Sully, and later lived in Denver, Colorado, Chicago, Illinois and Artesia, California. On March 6, 1941, she was united in marriage with Harris Van Zante in Sully. To this union, two children were born: Fosteene and Fred Dee. During their first year of marriage, they resided on a farm north of Lynnville, Iowa, where Harris worked as a hired hand and Kathryn was a homemaker. They then moved to Newton, Iowa, where Harris was employed at the Maytag Company.
Shortly thereafter Harris was drafted into the armed services during World War II, and he was the first married man in Jasper County, Iowa, to be drafted. Kathryn followed him stateside, and during his active military tenure, she lived with her brother, Dewey Kaldenberg, while working at the Maytag Company in Newton. Following his discharge in 1945, Harris and Kathryn, in 1951, purchased a farm south of Newton, where they raised their two children, Fos and Fred.
Kathryn remained interested in learning, and at the age of 62 years obtained her GED in 1977. She and Harris were active in their church, the Newton Christian Reformed Church in Newton, where she played the organ for years. They also were involved in the organization of the Newton Christian Grade School. Kathryn was active with the Harmony Helpers, sold World Book Encyclopedias and volunteered at the Jasper County Museum.
On Dec. 7, 1977, Harris passed away suddenly at the age of 65 years. Following his death Kathryn remained active with bowling, enjoying games and sports, playing cards and checkers and doing handwork. She was an avid reader who read her Bible and the daily newspaper relentlessly and appreciated music. Since 1987, she had made her residence in Pella, Iowa, where she became a member of the First Christian Reformed Church and enjoyed the companionship of her sisters. On Monday evening, May 10, 2010, she passed away there suddenly at the age of 94 years. Those who will cherish her memory are her daughter and her husband, Fos and Craig Van Wyngarden of Reasnor, Iowa; her son, Fred Van Zante of Newton; five grandsons; one step-grandson; four great-grandchildren; and three step-great-grandchildren.
Kathryn leaves the following brother and sisters and their spouses: Dewey Kaldenberg of Ankeny, Iowa; Ruth Hannay of Grinnell, Iowa; Agnes Masselink of Grand Rapids, Mich.; Sibel Hanson of Tucson, Ariz.; Dot and Bob De Ronde, Chic Visser and Darlene and Wayne Klein, all of Pella, Iowa. She also leaves a sister-in-law, Ruby (Laverne Van Zante) Van Wyk of Sully, Iowa.
Kathryn was preceded in death by her husband, Harris; her parents, Rutt and Sadie Kaldenberg; her parents-in-law, Andrew and Catherine Vande Krol Van Zante; two brothers and their wives, John and Ada Kaldenberg and George and Lena Kaldenberg; two sisters, Josephine McKenna and Jeanette and her husband, E. Jerry Van Den Berg; her brothers-in-law, Edward Hannay and Buck Visser; her sister-in-law, Minnie Mae (Dewey) Kaldenberg; and the following brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law: Laverne Van Zante, Leota (Van Zante) and John Blom, Marie (Van Zante) and Harris Beyer, Florence (Van Zante) and Cornelius Jansen.
Visitation is today, May 13, at Van Dyk-Duven Funeral Home in Pella, where the family will be present from 5 to 7 p.m. A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Friday, May 14, at the Newton Christian Reformed Church. Interment will be at the Newton Memorial Gardens.
For those desiring, memorials may be designated for the Newton Christian Grade School in Newton, the Sully Christian Grade School in Sully or the Pella Christian High School in Pella for the furtherment of Christian education.
Source: Newton Daily News Thursday, May 13, 2010