Howard Calvin VanderSchaaf

Howard Calvin VanderSchaaf, 88, of Cottage Grove Place, died there Nov. 21, 2012, following a long illness. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, Nov, 26, 2012 at the Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories. Friends may call after noon on Monday at the Chapel. Burial: Lisbon Cemetery.

Survivors include two sons, Mark (Elizabeth M.) VanderSchaaf of St. Paul, Minn., and Neil (Ann) VanderSchaaf of Round Rock, Texas; a sister, Ada Fisher of Marion, Ind.; and three grandchildren, Brian VanderSchaaf of San Marcos, Texas, Matthew VanderSchaaf of Oklahoma City, Okla., and Kristen (Josh) Holritz of Athens, Ga. Also surviving are many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Elizabeth Jane “Freddie” VanderSchaaf; two brothers; and three sisters.

Howard was born Dec. 16, 1923 in Denver, Colo., the son of Reverend John J. and Ada M. VanderSchaaf. Growing up, he also lived in Springfield, S.D. and Alton, Iowa. He attended Northwestern and Iowa State colleges, where he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. Prior to finishing college he served in the Navy on a minesweeper in Japan during World War II. He married Elizabeth J. Frederick on July 20, 1947, in Lisbon, Iowa. Shortly before his marriage, he began working for Iowa-Illinois Gas and Electric Company in Cedar Rapids, where he served as an engineer and manager until his retirement in 1987.

Howard loved caring for his family’s five-acre property, restoring the family’s 1950 Ford, travel to the high points of each state, and serving as a choir member and Sunday school teacher at New Covenant Bible Church. He also enjoyed assisting his wife, Freddie, in her work on family history. Following retirement, he joined Freddie as a volunteer for St. Luke’s Hospital where they both worked until 2008.

Memorials may be directed to Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa.

Please leave a tribute or memory for the family on the website at www.cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.

Published Nov. 23, 2012 in The Gazette