Dee Ann Neveln
NEVELN, SAMPSON, MAAKESTAD
Posted By: Sarah Fletcher (email)
Date: 4/11/2016 at 12:21:07
Dee Ann was born Jan 15, 1950, in Eldora, IA, the eldest child of Donald and Marjorie Sampson. Along with her sister Debra and brother David, she grew up on a farm near Elkhart and graduated in 1968 from North Polk High School. She attended Iowa State University in Ames, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and worked on pioneering DNA research. While at Iowa State, she met Gary Neveln and they were married March 1, 1970 in Cambridge, IA at Nazareth Lutheran Church. In 1974, Dee Ann gave birth to Joshua, followed by Kelly in 1978 and Izaak in 1986.
After college, Dee Ann and Gary moved around to different cities, living in Cedar Rapids/Marion, IA; Rockford, IL; Glen Allen, VA and finally to North Liberty, IA. Wherever they lived, Dee Ann found various occupations in addition to being a full time mother and later a grandmother. She was a Quality Control Technician at General Mills in Cedar Rapids, a sales associate at JC Penney in Glen Allen, and a substitute teacher in both Rockford and Iowa City.
Dee Ann’s leisure time often involved games. She participated in card groups and was always up for playing board, card and video games with family and friends. She enjoyed playing golf and bowling, and was an avid sports fan, particularly of the Chicago Cubs and Iowa State athletics. She especially enjoyed whichever sporting events her children and grandchildren participated in, including some time coaching youth softball and soccer. Dee Ann also had several hobbies including photography, macramé, and reading mystery novels.
Family was the most important to Dee Ann. She was always there to take her children to practices, games, and music recitals and concerts, which she did with never-ending patience. She relished extended family gatherings around holidays or annual vacations, especially when they involved making traditional Norwegian foods such as lefse and kringla. The expansion of her family with the weddings of all three of her children brought her much joy, and she was delighted to become a grandmother to her 5 grandchildren, on whom she doted.
Dee Ann approached life with a calm demeanor and a positive spirit. When faced with hardships, particularly in recent years during her battle with cancer and coping with Parkinson’s disease, she maintained a quiet determination to enjoy every moment she could with those she loved. She will be missed by many.
Surviving are her husband Gary; children: Joshua (Viveka) of Alexandria, VA with grandsons Seth and Nathan; Kelly (Michael Krogh) of Iowa City with grandson Gavin and granddaughter Greta; Izaak (Shannon Bridges) of Smyrna, GA with grandson Elliott; and stepfather Donald “Bud” Maakestad. Dee Ann was preceded in death by her beloved parents. Her family plans to inter her in Central Iowa at a future date.
Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service
Johnson Obituaries maintained by Cindy Booth Maher.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen