IN LOVING MEMORY OF

Lois V. Van

Lois V. Van Donselaar Profile Photo

Donselaar

Dec 5, 1924 — Aug 31, 2014

Obituary

Lois Van Donselaar, age 89, of Grinnell, died on Sunday, August 31, 2014, at St. Francis Manor in Grinnell. A celebration of her life will be held 1:00 p.m., Friday, September 5, 2014, at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell with the Rev. Dr. Phil Speas and Rev. John Epperson officiating. Interment will be at Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell. Visitation will be held from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Thursday at the Smith Funeral Home, and the family will be present to greet friends from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Memorials will be sent to Kentucky Mountain Bible College, mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, Iowa 50112. Lois Virginia (Huff) Van Donselaar was born the daughter of James Bertrum Huff and Wilhelmina (O'Neal) Huff on December 5, 1924, in Grinnell, Iowa. She was raised in Grinnell and graduated from Grinnell High School with the Class of 1942. Lois was united in marriage to Gordon Roy Van Donselaar on July 30, 1952, at the Northside Friends Church in Grinnell. The couple was blessed with three sons: John, Roger and James. Lois taught at country schools in the Malcom, Grant and Chester Townships from 1944 until 1956. In 1965, the Van Donselaar family built and operated Friendship Manor in Gr to provide the community and area residents with quality care for the elderly. Lois was the co-owner and co-administrator of Friendship Manor with her husband Gordon and devoted much of her life to provide excellent care to the residents until her retirement in 1987. Lois was known and will always be remembered for being a giving, loving and humble person. Her relationship with God was very important to her, and she ingrained the same values into her family members. She was an excellent cook and religiously made her trademark double-layer chocolate cake from scratch for each family member's birthday. She took great pride in providing a neat and clean home. She was also a very talented pianist who enjoyed playing the piano at weddings and funerals, at home for her family and at Friendship Manor for the residents. Lois is survived by her husband of 62 years, Gordon Van Donselaar of Grinnell; son, Roger Van Donselaar of Grinnell; 6 grandchildren; and 11 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; 2 sons, John and Jim; 3 sisters, Lillian McClure, Jane Harper and Helen Speas; and 5 brothers, Paul, Glenn, Roland, Lloyd and Robert Huff.
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