Jeanette Grace Yoder

KALONA - Jeanette Grace Yoder was born March 8, 1925 in Shiocton, Wisconsin the daughter of George and Alice (Johnson) Miller. She graduated from Shiocton High School and Milwaukee State Teachers College. On June 22, 1945, she was united in marriage to Duane R. Yoder at the First Congregational Church in Shiocton. Jeanette has lived in the Kalona community since 1946, where she was a homemaker. She was a member of the East Union Mennonite Church and the Reach and Recovery Program. Jeanette and Duane were involved in the International Christian Youth Exchange and Kerstin Matsson from Sweden lived with them for a year. They enjoyed their time with the University of Iowa International Host Family program bringing Amer Lahamer into their family. Jeanette and Duane also were foster parents for three young girls during the time they participated in the Foster Care Program. She enjoyed spending time with her family, entertaining, reading and sewing. She was very proud of her Norwegian heritage. Jeanette died on Monday, September 7, 2015, at the Pleasantview Home in Kalona at the age of 90 years.
Jeanette is survived by a daughter Karen (Bruce) Harvey of Kalona; two sons Tom (Dori) Yoder of Kalona; Chuck (Jan) Yoder of Iowa City; four grandchildren Nicole Miller, Annika Gingerich, Jennifer Saner-Harvey, Brianna Yoder; two step grandsons Brandon Hanson, Zachary Hanson; fourteen great grandchildren; and honorary family members Iman Alatwee and her children Jennan, Ahmad, and Ayham Lahamer of Berea, Kentucky. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Duane in 2007, a grandson Robert Bruce Harvey, a brother Donald Miller, a sister Idabel Hanson and honorary family member Amer Lahmer.


Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 AM Thursday, September 10, 2015 at the East Union Mennonite Church in rural Kalona. Pastor Firman Gingerich and Pastor Joel Beachy will officiate. Burial will be in the East Union Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 2-7 PM on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 at the Yoder-Powell Funeral Home in Kalona. A memorial fund has been established for East Union Mennonite Church and Pleasantview Home.
Messages may be sent to the family at www.powellfuneralhomes.com