Claassen, Gertrude (1923-2008)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2008 Oct 20 p. 21

Birth date: 1923 Oct 31

text of obituary:

GERTRUDE CLAASSEN

Gertrude Claassen, 84, of Beatrice, Neb., died Sept. 15, 2008. She was born Oct. 31, 1923, to Henry P. and Elizabeth (Thimm) Claassen in Beatrice.

On Feb. 2, 1945, she married Don Aron Claassen.

She was a member of Beatrice Mennonite Church, where she served as church secretary for many years. She also volunteered in many settings, including Ten Thousand Villages in Lincoln. She enjoyed being a homemaker, caring for her family, hosting guests in her home, doing homework and being creative in her kitchen.

Survivors include her husband, Don; two daughters, Barbara Kaufman and her husband, Dick, of Hutchinson, Kan., and Kathryn Colwell Hill and her husband, Hal, of Richmond, Va.; five grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews; and special friends Ted and Diane Summers and family.

She was preceded in death by two sisters, Frieda Claassen and Dorthy Goossen.

Funeral services were held at Beatrice Mennonite Church. Burial was in the Mennonite Cemetery of rural Beatrice.