Blong, Janette Jerrine "Nettie" (Monroe) Ryder 1937 - 2024

BLONG, MONROE, RYDER, WINTERS-KELLY, SCHOLTES, DAHLSTROM, BAXTER, REISER, PECK, KELLY, LYONS, ENGRAV, HUINKER, BEISKER, COX, MONROE, PRASKA, BARDEN, LIND, MRACEK, BRONNER, CLUPPER

Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 8/9/2024 at 15:47:24

Janette Jerrine Ryder Blong, 87, died Thursday, August 1, 2024 at Good Samaritan Center in Waukon, IA. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, August 14th, at 11:00 AM at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. John Moser, Fr. Joseph Sevcik, and Rev. Msgr. Ed Lechtenberg officiating. Burial will be at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Waukon. Friends may greet the family from 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Tuesday at Martin - Grau Funeral Home in Waukon where there will be a 4:00 PM scripture service. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to St. Patrick Catholic Church. The service will also be livestreamed on the funeral home's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/martinfunerals

Janette was born April 20, 1937, at her parents’ home in rural Castalia. Her father had gone to find the midwife for delivery, but by the time he had returned home Janette had already been born.

Janette had the nickname of “Nettie” as a child. Cousins still call her that name tenderly. Janette treasured hearing Denie Hager call her “Nettie” as she listened to a prayer in her last days. She loved going for ice cream with her dad. Ice cream with family and friends, even with Alzheimer’s, brought her a smile and a twinkle to her eyes.

Janette was baptized April 17, 1949, and publicly confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior April 24, 1949 at Evangelical United Brethren Church in Castalia. Her gift of faith in God grew attending Sunday school with her mom as her teacher. The posters about Jesus from 1949-1950 are treasures the family enjoys today. Janette had many experiences of God throughout her whole life and grew in the love of God and love of others both in actions and words.

As recorded by Janette in her wedding book, “Don Ryder and Pedro came to the Monroe family farm on a Monday in February 1955.” It was love at first sight as Don said to Pedro, “I’ll take her!” Don and Janette’s dates included Lorrie, her younger sister, by picking her up after school in different cars that Don was selling. Lorrie shares strength and support from frequent visits and prayers.

Janette’s high school coach told her, “He wouldn’t be able to replace her heart.” Janette loved playing competitive girls’ basketball at Ossian High School and in Granny Basketball until her 70s, which she was instrumental in starting.

Janette became engaged to Don in April 1955. Don purchased “Red Ryder’s Tavern” before their marriage. She was confirmed in the St Patrick’s Catholic Church July 1, 1955. Don and Janette were married at St Patrick’s Church July 25, 1955, on a Monday morning at 9 a.m., with an afternoon reception at her parents’ home and a dance that evening at Rainbow Gardens in Waterville.

They ran a family-centered tavern that sold ice cream and was known for its malts. Euchre card games and dances were popular, especially on St Patrick’s Day. Janette loved dancing with Don. In later years, she also enjoyed dancing with Gerry. Janette had a gift of Joy.

After they married, Don and Janette purchased a home in Waukon at 5th Avenue NE. Don’s mom and sisters, Catherine Ryder and Betty Ryder, lived with them, since Don’s dad had died earlier. In 1961, the family moved to 22 5th Avenue SW. Both were wonderful neighborhoods to raise their children with special moments every day drinking coffee with the neighbors and sharing life. Janette’s gift of hospitality blossomed! She loved using tablecloths, decorating the table, using special plates, sitting outside at the picnic table at her home or visiting the neighbors. In her later years, she loved working with her flowers around her home and gardening.

Don and Janette’s love brought forth ten children in eleven years and eight days. “God bless Barbara, Patty, Cathy, Joan, Charlene, Mary, Bill, Peggy, Tom and Donna” was one of the nightly prayers on their knees by the beds in the big bedroom. Janette read from the red-covered Catholic Children’s Bible with each child as near as they could be to her.

During the months special to the Blessed Virgin Mary, May and October, the family knelt in the living room with Don and Janette as they passed the bowl of rosaries around in the presence of the beautiful pictures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The rosary was prayed reverently as could be with a large family with small children and always a new baby in the midst. These eight daughters and two sons grew in love as each was cherished. They enjoyed boating on the Mississippi and going to the Ryder cabin in rural Lansing with the family and their friends.

Christmas brought Santa and the family singing songs. Janette and her older sister, LaVerna, when they were young children, decorated their own Christmas tree while her parents were out milking. Her children helped decorate the Christmas tree, which created pretty wild but happy times. Janette had the gift of patience. She was a member of the Saint Jude’s Study Club, which met in their homes praying the rosary and other prayers. She was also a 4-H leader.

Janette shared her love with many, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren with each one equally loved and important in Janette’s life. She attended many events proudly and was excited to be in each person’s life.

A house fire March 22, 1972, required the family to stay with her parents. In May 1972, the family returned home, after the upstairs was remodeled, filled with hope and excitement. Janette maintained her hope even when Don died from a heart attack at home June 1, 1972, with the oldest child then 15 years old and the youngest was four.

Don and Janette ran the tavern for 17 years. She enjoyed her Wednesday afternoon bowling league and tournaments. Janette raised her 10 children and with Betty, her sister-in-law, ran the tavern for 11 more years. They supported and cared deeply for each other and the family. She started funeral dinners at St. Patrick’s Church after her husband died, and started the Widows and Divorced Program, helping others going through these difficult transitions in their life. Her sister-in-law, Sister Mary Bosco, gave her the title “valiant woman.”

Janette had a conversion experience, ended the tavern business and opened her own “Janette’s Rainbow of Treasures” Christian bookstore for 13 years. Grandchildren remember her reading books to them. It was a gathering space for many people. Her daughter, Charlene, had a beauty shop where the dance floor of the tavern was previously.

In the 1970s, Janette was baptized in the Holy Spirit. She started weekly interfaith Bible studies, which still take place today. She was very active in seeing and meeting the needs of family, church, and community. She became a Lay Minister in the Catholic Church, Eucharistic Minister, Usher, President of Parish Council, planning the Interfaith Conferences, Allamakee County Fair Board, Archdiocesan Council of Women and went to their national conventions.

Janette started the teen softball league, when many of her children were teens. Along with Betty and many other volunteers, it began with one ball and one bat. She was also involved with the youth center at St. Patrick’s School and CCD.

She helped start the Christian Experience Weekend (CEW) in the 1980s. She liked praying with and for others. She attended the National Catholic Charismatic Conference and taught her love of Liturgical Dance, Praise and Worship, Silent Prayer and Journalling for many years in her home. She served on many other boards and participated in numerous community meetings; for example, afterschool programming and meeting the needs of the handicapped. Janette’s gifts of generosity and hospitality touched the hearts of many individuals.

She loved trips, both near and far, with family and friends. Her adventuresome spirit was demonstrated by traveling in a small camper with Don, a station wagon filled with kids, lots of boat rides, motorcycle rides with her brother, a pick-up with Gerry to Canada, train rides to Western United States, and in airplanes, with the furthest being to Italy. She enjoyed life!

She shared her story in many CEW, Aglow, and Community talks stating, “I was married for about 17 years, a widow about 17 years, and then married Gerald Blong November 2, 1990.” A dream of Janette’s was to have a 25th wedding anniversary, which came true. Gerry and Janette helped build an orphanage in Mexico for a number of years.

She cooked, baked, and fed many throughout her life. Her children and grandchildren’s favorites were fried chicken, pies, Christmas cookies, and homemade noodles. One year attending the Catholic School Soup Supper, she volunteered to make her homemade noodles the following year, and it continued. Around 60 years old, she had stated in her notes, “My mother can make the best pie crust in the world. Grandmothers, we need to keep learning and teaching.” She went to get another lesson to teach her children and grandchildren. She made desserts for BE Catered, helping her two daughters, Charlene and Mary.

She is survived by her children: Barbara (Wayne) Winters-Kelly, Patty (Steve) Scholtes, Cathy (Keith) Dahlstrom, Charlene (Jim) Baxter, Bill Ryder (Julie, special friend), Peggy (Curt) Reiser, Tom Ryder, and Donna (Rich) Kelly; two sons-in-law: Danny Lyons and Steve Engrav; her stepchildren: Bob (Darlene) Blong, Emily (Jon) Huinker and Kevin (Tracy) Blong; her 30 grandchildren and 10 step-grandchildren; many great-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren; her siblings: Delores “Lorrie” Beisker Cox and Allen (Amy) Monroe; her sisters-in-law: Patty Monroe, Angela Praska, Doris Barden, Collette Lind, and Marilyn Mracek; and her brother-in-law, Cletus Blong.

Janette was preceded in death by her parents, Reuben and June Monroe; her husbands, Donald “Red” Ryder in 1972 and Gerald Blong in 2017; two daughters, Joan Lyons and Mary Engrav in 2018; a son-in-law, Dennis Winters in 2009; her sister, LaVerna “Vernie” Peck; her brother, Jerry Monroe; and her sisters-in-law: Betty Ryder, Sister Mary Bosco Ryder, Edna Bronner, and Beatrice Clupper.

Casketbearers are Jared Winters, Corey Winters, Heath Winters, Brody Baxter, Eric Ryder, Zac Ryder, Donald Ryder, Nic Engrav, Ryan Engrav, Jeremy Engrav and Justin Lyons. Honorary casketbearers are Betty Larsen, Denise Hager, Chris Anthony, Laurie Manning, Kathy Fossum, Donna Snitker, Mary (Butchie) Mellick, Lynn O’Hara, Betty Hogan, Ann Byrnes, Peg Troendle, Mary Martin, Marge Lange, Kristi Hager, Margo Sweeney and Julie Snitker.

Source: Martin Grau Funeral Home database