Gerald Lee Vanderwerf

Gerald Lee Vanderwerf was born on Sept. 15, 1938, to Peter and Grace Vanderwerf in Aplington, and he grew up on farms in the Aplington and Shell Rock areas. Like many in that era, he helped his parents with a variety of farm chores.

He started his schooling at a young age; Gerald was just four when he went to country school because the school needed one more student to remain open, but the vast majority of his education took place in Shell Rock, where he was a member of the Class of 1958.

After graduation, Gerald enlisted in the U.S. Navy, and he served as a gunner’s mate third class on the USS Branch, which spent time off the coast of Vietnam during the early 1960s. He was extremely proud to have served his country, and one of his favorite titles was “veteran.”

When he received his honorable discharge from the Navy, Gerald returned to Iowa and took a job with Schield Bantam as a machinist, and although the name of the company changed several times, he worked there from 1965 to 1996, when he retired, although “retirement” wasn’t a word that was part of Gerald’s vocabulary, for he also worked at GMT and Morris Landscaping for years after his so-called retirement.

Gerald married Mary Judish and they had three children — Gary, Mark, and Leslie. The couple later divorced.

He met the true love of his life, Dixie Savage, who “poured him a lot of coffee” while she was a waitress at the Red Fox Inn in Waverly. The couple began dating and were married on Oct. 21, 1989, and his family grew to include Dixie’s two daughters — Laurie and Lea Ann.

Gerald loved being a father, but he adored his title as grandpa; he had seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren and loved spending time with them and watching their sporting events. Dixie and he spent a lot of date nights — mostly Tuesdays and Fridays — watching the Nashua-Plainfield Huskies compete in athletic events.

Gerald and Dixie began their married life in Waverly but spent most of it in Nashua, where he was an active member of the United Methodist Church, where he served as a trustee, helped with funeral luncheons, and served on the church’s celebration committee. He and Dixie were also church custodians for a couple of years.

Gerald enjoyed trapshooting, hunting, and fishing, and he was a fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Chicago Cubs, and of course, the Nashua-Plainfield Huskies.

Gerald will be remembered as a proud veteran, a husband, father, and grandpa, and all those who knew Gerald will dearly miss him, but his faith tells those that loved and cared about him that he is in a better place today.

Gerald is survived by his wife, Dixie of Nashua, IA; two sons, Gary Vanderwerf of Charles City, IA and Mark Vanderwerf of Charles City, IA; one daughter, Leslie (Ben) Davis of California; 11 grandchildren, Kelsey Vanderwerf of Charles City, IA, Garrett Vanderwerf of Charles City, IA, Jordon Vanderwerf of Dallas, TX, Elena Vanderwerf of Des Moines, IA, Max Vanderwerf of Charles City, IA, Caschjen (Nelson) Atagi of Utah, Samantha (Rowdy) Adams of Utah, Tyler (Colleen) Shipper of Minneapolis, MN, Leland (Kylie) Schipper of Ankeny, IA, Eric Westenberger and Emily of Minneapolis, MN, Allie Westenberger of Madison, WI; 10 great-grandchildren with one on the way; one sister-in-law, Alvina Vanderwerf of Cedar Falls, IA; numerous nieces and nephews; and his special dog, Maggie.

He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Chet (Hattie) Vanderwerf, Marlyn (Gertie) Vanderwerf, and Wayne Vanderwerf; one sister, Evelyn (John) Krull.