Frances Sterler

IN MEMORY OF
FRANCES M. STERLER

BORN: November 17, 1911 ~ George, Iowa
PASSED AWAY: June 30, 2005 ~ Spirit Lake, Iowa

FUNERAL SERVICE
10:00 A.M. Monday, July 4, 2005
First Presbyterian Church, Ashton, Iowa
Rev. Dale Lint ~ officiating
Visitation will be after 2:00pm Sunday, July 3rd, with the family present from 6:30 – 8:00pm at the Vander Ploeg Funeral Home in Sheldon.

MUSIC
“In The Garden”
“How Long Has It Been”
Duet by: Rev. Dale and Bobbi Lint
CONGREGATIONAL HYMNS
No. 240 “Love Lifted Me”
No. 63 “The Old Rugged Cross”
Organist: Bobbi Lint

HONORARY CASKET BEARERS
Ryan Ennema Francine Verrips
CASKET BEARERS
Bill Sterler David Verrips
Mathew Ennema Wayne Sterler
Regina Johnson Darla Strait
Rhonda Olson Valoria Verrips

FINAL RESTING PLACE
Gilman Township Cemetery
Ashton, Iowa

Arrangements under the care of
Vander Ploeg Funeral Home ~ Sheldon, Iowa

After the graveside service, relatives and friends are invited to join the family in the fellowship hall of the church.


FRANCES M. STERLER
Frances Margaret Sterler, the daughter of Henry and Frances Margaret (Wentker) Degroot, was born November 17, 1911 on a farm near George, Iowa. As a child she moved with her parents to Ashton and then to Sheldon where she attended the Sheldon Middle School. Frances worked for her dad in the Ashton Hotel and babysat for a family. On December 12, 1928, she was united in marriage to John Sterler in Worthington, Minnesota. The young couple made their home on a farm west of Ashton, before moving into Ashton in 1969. She was preceded in death by her husband, John, on October 11, 1989 in Sheldon, Iowa. Frances remained at home until moving into Sheldon and eventually into the Christian Retirement Home in Sheldon. She passed away on Thursday, June 30, 2005, at the Lakeside Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake, Iowa reaching the age of 93 years, 7 months and 13 days.
She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Ashton, Iowa, and the Ashton American Legion Ladies Auxiliary. She enjoyed quilting, sewing, gardening and crossword puzzles. She was a good cook and she always had the family gatherings for the holidays or for birthdays.
Frances leaves to cherish her memory, 2 daughters and their spouses, Madonna (Verrips) and Lawrence Feyerabend of Sanborn, Iowa; Marilyn and John Rees of Okoboji, Iowa; 3 sons and their spouses, Roger and Joanne Sterler of Ashton, Iowa; Ronald and Phyllis Sterler of Lake Park, Iowa; Robert and Arlene Sterler of Sheldon, Iowa; 21 grandchildren, a host of great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren; several step grandchildren and step great-grandchildren; many nieces, nephews and a host of other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her step mother, Lola Degroot; two grandchildren, Ryan Ennema and Francine Verrips; a daughter-in-law, Dena (Haken) Sterler; a son-in-law; Arnold Verrips; 2 sisters and a brother.