Unangst, Hillene ,(Mrs. John F.) 1953-2017

UNANGST, KRAAYENBRINK, VANDE KAMP

Posted By: Mary Lou Verburg,volunteer (email)
Date: 6/13/2021 at 20:33:34

Hillene G. Unangst, 63, died Feb. 1, 2017 at M D Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX, after a one-year battle with cancer.

Memorials were held on Feb. 23 at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Bedford, Texas. Services will also be held at 11 a.m. Sat. April 8 at the First Reformed Church in Hull, IA.

She was born on Oct. 24, 1953 in Sioux Center, IA to Asa and Wilhelmina (Vande Kamp) Kraayenbrink. She grew up on farms near Hull. She graduated from Boyden-Hull High School in Hull in 1971. She attended Northwestern College and then graduated from Iowa State University in 1975 with a degree in Fashion Merchandising/Business.
After college she moved to Selma AL. for a couple of years where she worked at J.C. Penney's. From there she moved to Wichita Falls, Tx and worked as Operations Manager at Target. She married John F. Unangst Jr. in 1984 in Wichita Falls. After their wedding they lived in AZ. for a few months and then Alamagordo, N.M. where she worked as general Manager at TGY & McCrory from 1985-1990, then moved to Colleyville, TX, where she lived until her death. During the years there she worked as General Manager at Bizmart from 1990-1993, then Mervyn's from 1993-2005 and then Sears, from 2005-2016. During her time working at Sears she spent one year in Austin, TX.
As manager she received many awards/recognitions such as "Best New Talent" at TGY & MCCrory in 1988; Exceeded operational goals within six months of starting at Bizmart; Named Regional Store leader of the year in 1998 at Mervyn's. Delivered highest company customer service rating for five years at Mervyn's. At Sears her facility was a regional training center for new managers.
She was a strong woman. She was a two-time cancer survivor over the past 32 years in 1985 and 1997. In 1997, she and her father were both fighting cancer together and had a very special bond.

She had a special love for cats, which started when she was a little girl on the farm in Iowa. She enjoyed traveling with her friends, sister and husband. Destinations were Kauai, Alaska, New York, and Black Hills and frequent trips to Iowa to see her mother and sister and to Florida to visit her mother-in-law.

She is survived by her husband,John, mother Wilhelmina Kraayenbrink of Hull, her sister Doris Scholten of Sheldon, her forever friend Cindy (David) Stoeckel, Landrum, S.C; here sister-in-law, Barbara (Boomer) Everest of Dunnellon, FL; four nieces and nephews and many aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, co-workers and employees.

She was preceded in death by her father Asa; her father-in-law and mother-in-law John and Jean Unangst; her brother-in-law Harold Scholten; and her maternal and paternal grandparents.

Source: North West Iowa Review 3/4/2017