Esther J. Vanden Hull, age 98, of Sheldon and formerly of Archer, passed away on Thursday, February 29, at Vista Prairie of Fieldcrest in Sheldon. Her services will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Thursday, March 7, at the Archer Reformed Church in Archer with Pastor Milt Sikkema officiating.
Burial will be held at the East Lawn Cemetery in Sheldon.
Visitation with family present will be from 6:00 – 8:00 P.M. on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at the Andringa Funeral Home in Sheldon, Iowa.
Arrangements are under the care of the Andringa Funeral Home in Sheldon.
Esther Jane Vanden Hull was born April 22, 1925, near Archer, Iowa, to Jacob and Kate (Wilkens) Den Beste. She grew up in rural Archer where she attended country school. She was united in marriage to John Vanden Hull, also of Archer, on October 1, 1948, at her parents’ home. They made their home in Archer where John and Esther began raising their children, which eventually totaled seven. Esther enjoyed the outdoors, gardening then canning and freezing large quantities of produce for her growing family. John was busy working and operating Garrett’s Motor and Supply with family members also in Archer.
In 1960 they began farming and shortly, thereafter, they moved to the farm near Archer. Esther enjoyed farm life and partnered with John by keeping the farm books and also the shop books for many years. Later in life John and Esther enjoyed wintering in Alamo, Texas for over twenty-five years. There, they took pleasure in park activities and surrounded themselves with their special winter friends that also included some relatives.
Together, John and Esther drove to many vacation destinations all over the country. After John passed away, Esther enjoyed riding along with her children to visit her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Esther enjoyed sewing and crocheting, working on puzzles, playing dominos, and putting together all manner of jigsaw puzzles.
She was a member of Archer Reformed Church and the Archer Reformed Church Women’s group. She loved her church and her church family.
Those left to cherish her memories are her children Carol De Boer of Hawarden, IA and her son Lance De Boer; Betty and Daniel Bogaard of Sun Lakes, AZ and their children Nicolas and Claire Bogaard, and John and Michele Bogaard; Jerry and Rhonda Vanden Hull of Archer and their children Amy and Brandon Mitchell, Jodi and Dan Kelley, and Kyle and Katie Vanden Hull; Glen and Barb Vanden Hull of Archer and their children Paul and Heidi Vanden Hull, and Katie and Jon Roed; Donald and Rhonda Vanden Hull of Archer and their children Michael and Angela Vanden Hull, Eric and Jennifer Vanden Hull, and Lisa and Ryan Linder; Dennis and Carmen Vanden Hull of Sheldon and their children David and Kristen Vanden Hull, Chad and Kayla Vanden Hull, Craig Vanden Hull, Alexa Vanden Hull and fiancé Thomas Nuese, and Drew Vanden Hull; Debra and Stephen Kollasch of Whittemore, IA and their children Anna Kate and Jacob Bush, Anthony Kollasch, and Zachary Kollasch. She is also survived by her 23 great-grandchildren, sister-in-law Lucille Van Zee, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, John, her parents, her sister Marie Kamstra, her brother Bernard Den Beste, and one son-in-law, Larry De Boer.
