Vander Maaten, Vera (Mrs. Dennis Wayne) 1942-2023

VANDERMAATEN, HORN, VANDENBOSCH

Posted By: Marjorie Brunsting-Volunteer (email)
Date: 8/14/2023 at 12:28:03

Mrs. Vera Van Der Maaten, age 80, of Orange City, formerly of Boyden, passed away on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, at the Orange City Area Health System.

A visitation with the family present will be held on Monday, July 24, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm, at the Oolman Funeral Home in Orange City. There will be a funeral service on Tuesday, July 25, at 1:30pm, at the United Presbyterian Church in Boyden with the Rev. Chuck Kleinhesselink officiating. Interment will follow the service at the Sheridan Township Cemetery near Boyden.

Vera Mae, the only child of Herbert and Hermina (Vanden Bosch) Horn, was born on August 3, 1942, on her parents’ farm southwest of Boyden. She spent her childhood on the farm and attended the Capel Township No.5 Country School before graduating from the Boyden High School in 1959. Following her graduation, Vera enrolled at the Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in Sioux City, earning her nursing certificate in 1962.

She was united in marriage to Dennis Wayne Van Der Maaten on September 6, 1963, at the United Presbyterian Church in Boyden. As a young couple, Dennis’ education and work took them to several communities in Iowa where Vera worked as a nurse at hospitals in Sheldon, Orange City, Ames, and Emmetsburg. In 1971, they settled on the farm where Vera grew up. In addition to being a wife and mother, Vera regularly helped around the farm. She also enjoyed tending to her flowers and had a soft spot for the kittens and cats that lived on the yard. In 2015, after more than 43 years on the farm, she and Dennis moved to Orange City.

Mrs. Van Der Maaten was a lifelong member of the United Presbyterian Church in Boyden where she participated in the church’s Sunday school program and choir. She was also a member of the local Red Hat Society, and liked doing crafts including sewing, handwork, quilting, and working with stained glass. From the time she was a young girl until she was well into her seventies, she attended the annual Iowa State Fair. She also looked forward to family vacations in the Rocky Mountains, and later in life she and Dennis spent numerous winters in Texas. They also enjoyed attending country music festivals, where they developed a friendship with country music singer Terry Smith.

She is survived by her husband of almost sixty years, Dennis, of Orange City; a daughter and her husband, Susan and Andy Ten Braak, of Loveland, Colorado; a son and his wife, Timothy and Melissa Van Der Maaten, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and four granddaughters, Sarah Ten Braak, Mallorie Ten Braak, Sydnee Van Der Maaten, and Raygan Van Der Maaten. She is also survived by her husband’s five siblings, Audrey, and her husband, Jim Van Gorp, of Orange City; Randy Van Der Maaten, and his wife Karen, of Orange City; Deb Ver Steeg, of Orange City; Cathie and Bob Keyser, of The Woodlands, Texas; and Andy and Karen Van Der Maaten, of Decorah; along with numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband’s parents, Frank and Ruth Van Der Maaten; and a nephew, Thomas Keyser.

Memorials will be given to the United Presbyterian Church in Boyden.

Source: Oolman Funeral Home online obituary.