Jane Marie Vanden Berg

Jane M. Vanden Berg, age 89, Clark, widow of Robert Vanden Berg, died in the Prairie Lakes Hospital at Watertown on Tuesday, March 20, 2012 with her daughters at her side. Funeral services will be held on Monday, March 26, 2012 at 1PM in the Furness Funeral Home Chapel at Clark with The Reverend Dayne Zachrison officiating. Burial will follow in the Rose Hill Cemetery at Clark. The pianist/soloist will be Wendy Christman. Honorary casketbearers will be granddaughters and the great-grandchildren. The active casketbearers will be Kirk Severson, Alan Hamre, Dick & Todd Donley, Joe Lakness and Nick Ferk. Visitation will be held on Sunday from 5-7PM at the Furness Funeral Home in Clark and 2 hours prior to services on Monday in the funeral home chapel. She was born Jane Marie Miller on March 19, 1923 at Noble, OK, the daughter of Ray and Maude (MacFarland) Miller. She was schooled in Noble graduating from high school there in 1941. Following her graduation she went to work in the Kaiser Shipyards, building ships for the fleet, in Vancouver, WA. She returned to Oklahoma in late 1942 and worked as a clerk typist for the U. S. Navy at the Naval Base in Norman, OK. It is there she met her future husband who was stationed there. Jane was a USO girl prior to her marriage, volunteering at the local base, dancing with and socializing with the sailors. On November 3, 1946 she was united in marriage to Robert Vanden Berg at her parents' home in Norman. They lived for a brief time at Alton, IA, with Robert's parents on the farm and then moved to a farm northwest of Clark and farmed along with his twin brother, Rodney and wife Ruth. After 5 years, Bob and Jane moved to the farm northeast of Willow Lake, living there until retiring and moving into Clark in 1997. Bob died on October 11 of 2011. Jane has continued living in her home in Clark until suffering a stroke a short time ago. While living at Willow Lake she was a member of the Presbyterian Church where she taught Sunday School and Bible School and participated in its women's groups and church choir. She also was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary at Willow Lake. Since being in Clark she was a member at the United Methodist Church. In her spare time on the farm she enjoyed gardening, canning, raising flowers, having a special love for the farm animals, especially the kittens. She was a gifted seamstress, sewing many of the clothes her children wore when they were younger, a very talented cook and baker and thoroughly enjoyed watching football on television and being an Oklahoma University Sooner fan! Jane also played the piano, by ear, for her husband Bob as he sang at many funerals in the Willow Lake area. Grateful for having shared in her life are her children, Ronald Vanden Berg of Clark, Linda (Nick) Ferk of Falls Church, VA, Ben Vanden Berg of Owanka, SD and Suzanne (Dick) Donley of Bryant; 4 grandchildren, Renee (Joe) Lakness, Todd Donley and Emily & Rebecca Ferk; 4 great-grandchildren, Alexandra, Miranda and Payton Lakness and Braxton Donley. She also leaves siblings, Charles Miller of Norman, OK, Elsie Baker of Woodlands, TX, Helen (Gene) Collette and Joyce Carle all of Noble, OK and a sister-in-law, Marguerite Miller of Fenton, LA. Preceding her in death were her parents, husband, siblings, Harold Miller, Frieda Jones & Sylvia Miller and brothers-in-law, Bob Baker and Wayne Carle. For further information, please visit www.furnessfuneralhome.com