Iris Herndon Deister

Iris passed away at home after surviving a severe stroke. Our Lord gave us six weeks with her after the stroke and she was able to sigh with pleasure when we brought her home from the rehab facility. We, her children, then joyfully cared for her at home and were able to express love and appreciation to her. We feel so much gratitude for all the love, teaching and modeling of Christian service in her life. She taught us to love the Lord our God with all of our hearts, soul and mind.

Iris is survived by two sisters, Wilma and Lela and a brother, Basil and a multitude of nieces and nephews and their children and their children's children. She is also survived by her husband, Delbert, four children, Laura Deister, Elaine Joachim and her spouse, Fred, Anita Bown and her spouse, Randy, and Duane Deister, 6 grandchildren, Jennyfer Austin and her spouse, Tom, Ariel Valencia and her spouse, Raa, Peter Joachim and his spouse, Shawna, Kathryn Joachim, Jamie Deister and Jody Deister, and 2 great grandchildren, Evren Valencia and Arion Valencia along with an extended church family.

Iris was born in St Johns, Kansas and grew up in Joes, Colorado. In the last few years of her life, she loved to tell about her life growing up in Joes. Her written memoir shares experiences that described a warm and close family life without the trappings of television or other media. The family played and laughed together, sang together, prayed together and worshiped the Lord Jesus together. In Joes, at the age of one, she lived in a one room sod house, then moved to an adobe block house on a foundation of rocks. Her family was very poor. In spite of this, her father refused work on the W.P.A. Program, because that was charity. Iris was Salutatorian of her high school class and received a two year scholarship for tuition to Greeley State Teacher's College. During her second year of college, her parents moved to a small acreage near Denver, were later bought out by the Rocky Mountain Arsenal and forced to move. The home in Denver they eventually bought was old and small in retrospect but such love dwelt there that the grandchildren never noticed. After college, Iris taught one year in a one room school house. She then experienced working for Stover's Candy causing her to hate chocolate for a time. Then she worked at the Arms plant during the war watching the shell casings pass by on the conveyor belt. She leaned on coffee to survive the monotony and the hours. She did well in a civil service job after leaving the Arms plant. Delbert met the family at church when he moved from Kansas to Denver in about 1943. Iris's hospitable parents included him regularly with other Sunday afternoon guests. The couple married in September 1946 after Delbert served three years in the U.S. Army Air Corp.

The family moved to San Jose, CA in 1954 with 3 young children. Mom tried to duplicate for her family the richness of relationship that she had experienced as a child. Though she was now living in a city and spent several years more in college to attain her BA and Masters Degree, followed by years of working as an elementary school teacher, she was faithful as a mom to love and guide each one of her children through the years and model the hospitality and ministry model passed down from her parents.

Late in the year of 1996, after celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary, she had a stroke that caused a huge decrease in her energy levels. She also couldn't speak and had left sided weakness. With love, support, good nutrition and determination, she fought her way back and lived with purpose for another 15 years. And we, her family, were allowed to know her in a deeper way, appreciating the gentleness and grace that she modeled during the adversities of these years. Though death has no sting for her, she is already missed sorely in this life.

Iris' interment will be November 3, 2011 at 10:45 AM at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery. There will be no service on that date. A celebration of her life will be held in December when her daughter and a granddaughter and their husbands will be present.

Arrangements under the direction of Willow Glen Funeral Home, San Jose, CA.