Gertrude (Meyers) PRUISMAN

PRUISMAN, MEYERS, GERDIS, NUEHRING, ELIASON, BENSEN, JORDANGER, DALLMAN, BOYD, KVALE, QUANDT, PALS, STEENBLOCK, KRAMER

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 6/23/2011 at 12:20:26

May 18, 1916 -- June 18, 2011

BELMOND, IA - Gertrude "Gert" (Meyers) Pruisman, 95, of Belmond, most recently a resident of the Rehabilitation Center of Belmond, died Saturday, June 18, 2011, at the Rehabilitation Center of Belmond. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, June 24, at the Belmond United Methodist Church, 1031 First St. S.E. The Rev. Michael Druhl will be officiating. Burial will be in the Amsterdam Cemetery, Kanawha. Visitation will be Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at the Andrews Funeral Home, 516 First St. S.E., Belmond, and will continue one hour prior to the services at the church on Friday. The family suggests those wishing to express their sympathies through a memorial in Gert's name consider Hospice of Wright County, the Belmond United Methodist Church or to their own choice.

Gertrude was the second child of 14 children born to Henry H. and Florence (Gerdis) Meyers. She was born May 18, 1916, at Buffalo Center. When she was 4 years old her family moved to Titonka, Iowa. She attended Titonka Consolidated School and graduated with her class of 1935. On July 11, 1938, she married Frank Pruisman at the Methodist Church in Bethany, Mo. They made their home in Kanawha. To this union three children were born, Dean, Wilma and Lois. They moved to Goodell and then to Belmond, where she raised her family and has resided ever since. She was employed at the Belmond Bakery for 28 years. She was a beautiful seamstress, making most of her own clothes and those of her children. She loved to bake and is remembered for her lemon and banana cream pies and angel food cakes. She was a matriarch of her family, caring much about her own family and siblings.

She was a warm and loving person. She always had a positive attitude - never spoke badly of anyone. She always said, "If you can't say something nice about someone don't say anything at all." She loved visits from all family members, would walk you to the door, saying, "Be sure to come back soon," and wave goodbye until you were out of sight. Her favorite food was ice cream. She and Frank would ride around town every night and had an ice cream cone before going home, and when we took her for a ride we also had to stop for ice cream and had to drive through main street before going back home. She was an active member of the United Methodist Church, rarely missing a Sunday service. She was a member of the Rebecca Circle, willing to help at funerals, dinners, pie and ice cream socials on the 4th of July. She taught vacation Bible school and chaperoned at church camp in Okoboji. Her motto was , "Live one day at a time," and this was her favorite hymn.

She moved to the Rehabilitation Center of Belmond on Sept. 1, 2006, after dementia made it impossible for her to stay in her own home. Left to cherish her memory are her children, Dean & Marlys Pruisman, Mason City, Wilma & Keith Nuehring, Webster City, and Lois & Richard Eliason, Kanawha. Twelve grandchildren, Marlyn (Angela) Pruisman, Lyle (Debbie) Pruisman, Dan (Dawn) Pruisman, Jim Nuehring, Larry (Margaret) Nuehring, Andy (Jennie) Nuehring, Mark Nuehring, Mindy Henry (Jim Bensen), Phyllis (Randy) Jordanger, Peggy (Dennis) Dallman, Curtis (Deb) Eliason; 21 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren. Four sisters: Ida Mae Boyd, Shirley (Robert) Kvale, Thelma Pals and Ardis Quandt. One brothers, Merle (Marjorie) Meyers. Sister-in-law Arlene Meyers and brother-in-law John Just. Numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Frank Pruisman, in 1998; twin great-granddaughters in infancy; four sisters, Helene Meyers, Ruth Steenblock, Amy Just and Geraldine Steenblock; four brothers, Harm Meyers, Lawrence Meyers, Allen Meyers and Henry Meyers; a cousin that resided with Frank and Gert, Larry Kramer; sisters-in-law, Minnie Meyers and Kathy Meyers; and brothers-in-law, Murland Steenblock, Bill Meyer, Ronald Steenblock, Orville Boyd and Gordon Quandt. Andrews Funeral Home, Belmond, IA.

Mason City Globe Gazette -- Iowa
June 23, 2011