Ver Steeg, Charlene Helen (Mrs. Dr. Jackson) 1935-2021

VERSTEEG, HAYDEN, HIMROD

Posted By: Marjorie Brunsting-Volunteer (email)
Date: 12/18/2021 at 13:58:48

Helen Charlene Himrod Ver Steeg, died peacefully in her sleep and went to be with her Lord, on Thursday, November 18, 2021.

There will be a memorial service on Monday, November 29, at 2:00 p.m. at the Meredith Drive Reformed Church at the Bridge, (10025 NW 62nd Avenue, Johnston, IA 50131), with gathering and conversation afterwards. Online condolences will be welcomed at www.oolman.com. Internment will occur at a later date at the West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City, Iowa.

Charlene was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on August 3, 1935, a long-awaited child to parents, Chas and Inez (Hayden) Himrod. Although she had no siblings, she enjoyed playing on a farm outside Gilmore City with her cousins. Showing creativity at an early age, she and a cousin once made a teepee out of a petticoat and sticks. The memory of the two of them, scrunched elbow to knee in their tiny playhouse, always brought a twinkle to her eyes.

Her father passed while Charlene was still in school, and her life-long work ethic was forged early, by helping her mother on the farm. She never forgot that hard year the locusts came, followed by the army worms, and remained a fearless killer of bugs for the rest of her days.

After graduating from the University of Iowa as an undergraduate, she entered the University’s College of Nursing. While there, a friend set her up on a blind date with a medical student who would eventually become her husband. Drawn together by their deep and abiding Christian faith, Charlene and Jackson were married on June 22, 1958.

The couple moved many times throughout Jackson’s internship and residency. Daughter Sue was born in Iowa City, Kristen was born in Michigan, and Kimberly was born at the Air Force Academy. With her husband sequestered at the base hospital during the Cuban Missile Crisis, leaving Charlene alone with three young children, she displayed her signature unflappability when following orders to place mattresses up against the windows of their apartment and filling the bathtub full of water. The family ultimately settled in Des Moines, where son Jackson was born.

Charlene was a devoted wife and mother valuing and nurturing the individuality in each of her four children. Leading by example, she taught them to throw their whole heart into everything they do. She hosted glamorous dinner parties, played piano, followed the Iowa Hawkeyes, and made homemade Christmas tree breads for each of her children’s primary school teachers. She sewed Halloween costumes, children’s choir outfits, and decorative banners for the church, played tennis, and wore colorful and glamorous “Jackie-O” sunglasses. She often danced in the kitchen as she prepared meals, where creativity was never in short supply. The supper table was graced by exotics like Japanese tempura and Russian borsht, and the birthdays of her children’s overnight friends were celebrated with chocolate chip pancakes, topped with Cool Whip and a candle.

Firmly grounded in her love for the Lord, the tapestry of her life was a rich brocade woven with loving friends, caring neighbors and meaningful activities, including bible study, birding, calligraphy, gardening, historical programs with the Questers, PEO and singing in both the Edgewater and church choir. She knew Robert’s Rules of Order, sent beautifully artistic birthday cards, and baked apple pies that were always the first to disappear at the church potluck.

To all who knew Charlene, she was the living embodiment of kindness. She looked for the best in everyone, and always found it.

Charlene is lovingly remembered by her husband Jackson; her children Sue (Minneapolis, MN), Kristen (Arlington, VA) and Jackson and wife Fin(Kaohsiung, Taiwan); her grandchildren Jackson Boldt Haas and Madeline Schuyler Haas (Minneapolis) and Jackson “Jacky” Dean Ver Steeg III and Ingrid Cordelia Ver Steeg (Kaohsiung); all members of the close-knit greater Ver Steeg family; and many, many dear friends.

Greeting Charlene in heaven with open arms will be her parents, Charles and Inez Himrod, and her beloved daughter, Kimberly.

Source: Oolman Funeral Home online obituary.