Gertrude Veenendaal

Gertrude Martha Laura (Degen) Veenendaal was born April 14, 1919 in a farm house near Birnamwood, WI. Her parents were Bertha Wihelmina (Krull) and August Bernhard Carl Degen. One of four children, she was preceded in death by her sister Marcella (Stan, deceased). She is survived by her sister Elnora (Dave, deceased) of LaCrosse, WI and brother Bernhard (Barb) of Green Valley, AZ.
As a teen she played the organ in Cross Lutheran Church (Burlington, WI) where her father was the pastor.
Gert graduated from Burlington High School (BHS) in 1937. She continued her education at Capital University, a small Lutheran school near Columbus, Ohio. There she majored in English and minored in Latin. She also loved the theater, participating in the thespian group at Capital.
After her graduation in 1941 she began teaching English in Loudonville, Ohio. It was during this time she met Earl Veenendaal. They were engaged when Earl was on furlough from Ft. Bragg and Gert was teaching in Loudonville. On Christmas Day, 1941 they were married by the Justice of the Peace at the courthouse in Bennettsville, SC.
Gert and Earl had three children. David (Nancy) of Sun Prairie, WI, Marcia of Marlton, NJ, and William (Laurie) of Madison, WI arrived during and shortly after WWII. Eventually they settled in Burlington, WI, built a house and raised a family.
While Earl taught math at the BHS, Gert was the homemaker for the family. In addition to being everything a mother should be, her children fondly remember her cooking. Both she and Earl actively served their faiths at Cross Lutheran Church. They volunteered for committees, and taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School.
In 1956 the family moved to Harper Woods, MI. Here too, they continued their service at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Grosse Pointe, MI. For a time Gertrude led the Martha Circle Bible Study group at the church,
Eventually, because of college expenses for the children, Gertrude headed back into the workplace. First she worked in a bookstore at a local department store, and then landed a job as an assistant to the AV librarian at Grosse Pointe High School; the same school Earl taught math. Her background as an English major served her well in both positions.
Retirement came in 1978, and in 1980 they moved to Sun Prairie, WI, near their two sons. Starting in 2004 Gertrude was wonderfully taken care of by the staff at the Sun Prairie Health Care center. Just 23 days short of their 65th wedding anniversary Earl died. By then dementia had taken over to the point Gert couldn't comprehend the death of her spouse; a blessing and a curse.
Gertrude loved literature and poetry, loved to read, and let her children get away with little when it came to grammar and manners. She was a faithful servant to the churches she attended, a lifelong Bible reader, and loving wife and mother. She had a life well lived, and will be missed.
If you wish to honor Gertrude with a memorial, please regularly donate to your local food pantries. Burial of cremains will take place at a later date.