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Della Mae Van Maanen

March 10, 1929 - April 20, 2015

Della M. Van Maanen, 86, of Ankeny passed away April 20, 2015.
Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m., Friday, April 24, 2015 at Memorial Services of Iowa funeral chapel. A visitation will be held 1 hour prior to the service.
Della was born March 10, 1929 to Wilson Clark and Carrie Verros Clark in Harvey, Iowa.
She met Pete Van Maanen, and they were married August 22, 1947. They were married 43 years until Pete’s passing in 1990. They spent many years farming together in several Iowa locations. Della helping to plant and harvest crops and care for the livestock.
Together, they were members of Oskaloosa Reformed Church, Prairie City Reformed Church, and after moving to Ankeny, they joined Bethany Reformed Church. Della’s friends at Bethany were a very important part of her life. It was always fun listening to her stories about Bethany retreats and the outings she went on with friends.
When they retired from farming, they moved to Ankeny, and Della went to work for Look magazine, and later Community State Bank. She shared many fond memories of her time working at the bank.
Della’s favorite past time was sewing. She always made many of her own clothes and clothes for her daughters. She loved to cross stitch and made many projects for family and friends, and made dolls and bears for her grandchildren.
In 1989, Della suffered a brain aneurism. Through her hardship, she seldom complained, and always had a happy, positive upbeat attitude. She was well loved by the nurses and staff at MillPond Community.
Della is survived by her 3 children, Karen (Michael) Sell of Bella Vista, Arkansas, Sandy Van Maanen of Ankeny, Iowa, and Bruce (Sherry) Van Maanen of Omaha, Nebraska; 6 grandchildren, Steven (Andrea) Archer, Michael (Sheila) Archer, Justin (Trista) Sell, Jeremy (Carla) Sell, Trudy (Cris) Averett, and Shannon (Mike)Koski; 9 great-grandchildren, Alex, Luke, Sydne, Gage, Monica, Meredith, Libby, Sammy, and Karly; 2 sisters, Verna Sytsma and Luetta (Don) Slagter; and a brother, LeRoy (Carolyn) Clark.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Pete, and two great-grandsons, Michael and William Sell.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to MillPond Retirement Community, or Bethany Reformed Church.