Dr. Imogene DeSmet 1928 - 2020

DESMET, VANOVERSCHELDE

Posted By: Connie Swearingen- Volunteer (email)
Date: 10/15/2020 at 12:47:14

Sioux City Journal
14 October 2020

Dr. Imogene DeSmet

Sioux City

Dr. Imogene Lorraine Marie DeSmet, 92, of Sioux City, passed away on Oct. 11, 2020, at Holy Spirit Retirement Home in Sioux City.

Services will be 10:30 a.m. Monday at St. Isidore Catholic Church in Colome, S.D., with the Rev. Kevin Achbach officiating. Burial will be in Dallas Catholic Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Waterbury Funeral Service of Sioux City.

Imogene was born on Aug. 24, 1928, to Charles and Ida (VanOverschelde) DeSmet, in Colome. She graduated from Colome High School and earned her BA degree from St. Mary's of the Vasatch in Salt Lake City, Utah. Imogene went on to earn her MA from Creighton University in Omaha, and her doctoral degree from the University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada.

Imogene taught English for many years at several places including Armour High School in Armour, S.D., the College of Saint Catherine, in St. Paul, Minn., and the University of Wisconsin in Stevens Point. She also taught abroad for a semester in Denmark and in Malaysia. After retiring from teaching, she moved to Sioux City to be closer to her family.

She loved to travel and spend time with her family and collecting dolls. She volunteered at each of the Catholic churches that she was a member at in many ways including being a lector, Eucharistic minister and helping educate others about the faith. She was also very active in several academic organizations.

Imogene is survived by her brother, Claire and his wife, Modeanna of California; sisters-in-law, Valda DeSmet of South Dakota, and Margo DeSmet of Massachusetts; and numerous nieces and nephews and their families who will always remember the stories she would tell them of her travels.

She was preceded in death by her parents; four brothers, Julius (Alona) DeSmet, Charles DeSmet Jr., Louie DeSmet and Joe (Marilyn) DeSmet; her three sisters, Madeline (Charles) Watzel, Sadie (Miles) Krizan, and Leona (Rex) Barcus; infant sister, Marie DeSmet; and a nephew, Jerry Barcus.