Gladys Vanderschaaf
May 27, 1908 — January 9, 2013
Gladys Irene (Wikner) VanDerSchaaf, of Geneseo, IL formerly of Sioux Falls, SD, passed away at the age of 104 on Wednesday, January 9, 2013 at the Good Samaritan Village, Geneseo, IL. Funeral services will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 14th at Stackhouse-Moore Funeral Services, 225 E. Park St., Geneseo. Rev. Lou Zuck will officiate. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the services at the funeral home. Burial will be on Saturday, Jan. 19th in Hills of Rest Memorial Park, Sioux Falls, SD. Memorials may be made to East Side Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls, SD.
Gladys was born May 27, 1908 in Rock County, Minnesota on a farm near Sherman, Minnehaha County, South Dakota, the daughter of Otto and Hannah (Fallman) Wikner. The family moved to a farm in Pipestone County Minnesota. Gladys attended country school in both locations and high school in Pipestone, MN. Following the death of her father, she, her mother and youngest brother, Bob, moved to Sioux Falls, SD where she graduated from Nettleton Business College. For many years she was employed in Sioux Falls as a private secretary and accountant with Western Material Co. (Caterpillar), Queen Fire Insurance Co., North Central Investment Co. and Claude Hone Realty.
Gladys and her husband of 56 years, Merrill John VanDerSchaaf, whom she married on May 30, 1936, made their home and raised their family in Sioux Falls. They were active members and held various offices at Augustana Lutheran and East Side Lutheran churches in Sioux Falls and she was an associate member of Grace United Methodist Church in Geneseo, IL. Gladys had taught Sunday School and was a choir member for 63 years.
Grateful for having shared her life are three sons, Glen (Jeanne) VanDerSchaaf, Lancaster, PA, Paul (Janet) VanDerSchaaf, Geneseo and Dale (Candace) VanDerSchaaf, Lakewood, Co. Also surviving are seven grandchildren, Wendy (Mark) Einsweiler, Steve (Betsy) VanDerSchaaf, Hans (Jen) VanDerSchaaf, Kate VanDerSchaaf, Nicole (John) Almond, Catlin (Kyle) Tipton, and Tyler VanDerSchaaf, along with seven great grandchildren, four step grandchildren and four step great grandchildren. Her parents, husband, an infant great grandson, three brothers and two sisters preceded her in death.
Condolences may be expressed by visiting Gladys'' obituary at www.stackhousemoore.com