Ardelle Veldhouse

Ardelle Leatrice Veldhouse, of Norcross and Herman, MN, departed this life on Saturday, October 29, 2005, at the family farm near Norcross. She was 80 years old. Ardelle was born August 15, 1925, in Hartland, MN. Soon thereafter, she and her parents, Fern (Thompson) and Harry Benson, moved to a farm near Kanawha, IA, allowing Ardelle to grow up among the cornfields of Iowa. Ardelle's most notable characteristic was her inner strength, which carried her family through difficult times. She was the rock upon which her family was built. A hard-working student, Ardelle found her favorite subject at school to be her future husband, Duane Veldhouse. The couple grew up together, and were married October 21, 1944, in Clarion, Iowa. Given the opportunity to attend teacher's college, Ardelle chose instead to start a family with Duane, eventually having six children. They were married for over 59 years before Duane passed away in 2004. Ardelle and Duane farmed together with Duane's family near Kanawha until 1950, when they moved to a farm near LuVerne, Iowa. They returned to Duane's family farm in 1952, where they stayed until 1962, moving at that time to a farm northwest of Norcross, MN near to where Ardelle's parents and sisters, Janice and Karen, lived. Ardelle became deeply involved in her new community, joining several clubs and making numerous friends. She was active in the Norcross United Methodist Church, Rebekah Lodge, Norcross Study Club, Ladies Aid and, her most cherished organization, the American Legion Auxiliary. While not a vocal person, Ardelle was a passionate supporter of Minnesota's DFL political party. Always an avid reader, she also loved to crochet and made many quilts over the years. When they retired from farming in 1987, Ardelle packed Duane up and moved to Herman, where she could continue her involvement in community organizations, joining the Herman United Methodist Church and offering a second home to all her grandchildren. She also became an avid baseball fan, following the Minnesota Twins and Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks Ardelle is survived by five children; daughter Deanna Henrichs of Blaine, MN., sons Dennis of Herman, Dwight (Jennie Brown) of Norcross, Donald (Arlene) of Yankton, SD, and Darrel (Deanna Amundson) of Moorhead, MN.; 10 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, two sisters, Janice (Arnold) Ennen of Herman, and Karen (Mike) Mehok of Minneapolis, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Duane, her parents and a son, Douglas. Although she is deeply missed, her and Duane's values live on in the family of which they were so proud. Visitation will be Tuesday, November 1, from 4-7 p.m. at the Ranney Funeral Chapel in Herman. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, November 2 at 11 a.m. at Faith United Methodist Church in Norcross with Rev. Mark Winther officiating. Graveside services will be held Thursday, November 3 at 10 a.m. at the Amsterdam Township Cemetery in Kanawha, IA. The Ranney Funeral Home of Wheaton, MN, is in charge of arrangements. The family requests, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation or the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. More information is available at www.ranneyfuneralhome.com.