Gertrude Jeanette Veneman

Gertrude Jeanette Veneman passed away on May 6 at home surrounded by her family. Gertrude was the third child born to Henry and Jenny Vermeulen in Modesto, California. She loved history and after graduating from high school in 1944, Gertrude attended Modesto Junior College. Gertrude then lived and worked in San Francisco during WWII as a messenger and vividly remembered being there on V-day. After the war she married Henry Veneman who was returning from a stint in the Navy, and her childhood friend since age seven.

Gertrude is preceded in death by her parents and her siblings, Grace Valero and Dick Vermeulen and survived by her husband and two sisters, Jan Sherwood and Loretta Romeyn, and her six children: Thomas (Kate) Veneman, David (Babs) Veneman, Patricia Veneman, Joan Veneman, Daniel (Marianetta) Veneman and Robert (Sandy) Veneman. She is loved by them and thirteen grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

Gertrude was a beautiful woman with a competitive spirit who loved sports, and was a particularly avid tennis player. In addition to being a faithful mother who canned her own fruits and jams, Gertrude had an adventurous spirit and accompanied Henry on frequent flying trips as he piloted his airplanes all over the United States and Mexico. For many years Gertrude and Henry traveled to Mexico each winter for fishing trips in San Carlos with friends there. She was blessed with a strong faith and enjoyed the weekly fellowship of friends, services, and Bible study at Modesto Christian Reformed Church her entire life.

Following a private graveside service, Gertrude's life will be celebrated on Thursday, May 12, at 11:30 am at Modesto Christian Reformed Church, 2620 College Avenue, Modesto. Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers may be given to Gideon's Society.