Gertraud "Gertie" R. Vanmeel

Gertraud "Gertie" VanMeel was born on February 16, 1929 to Hendrich and Anna Geroldi in Kerkrade Holland She was one of 18 children the couple raised in a small neighborhood about 1 mile from the German border. As a young girl Gertraud only finished the third grade in school because she was given the duty of taking care of her four younger siblings because the family was so large and the times so hard everyone else was working doing what they could to earn money. As she grew Gertraud worked cleaning rooms as a maid to help bring money in for the family. Times were hard in Holland but for a dime you could go to a dance which is where she met the love of her life Frank VanMeel. He asked her to dance, after their first dance she couldn't believe his gall at asking for the rest of the evenings dances. She says, "she agreed because he was a good dancer and there was no one else to dance with" but they were together ever since. The young couple dated two years until October 6th, 1948 when they were married in a small church at 7:30 am and the only one who attended was Gertraud's mother Anna who walked 3 miles and picked wild flowers for her bouquet. Their first home was an old wooden army bus that Frank added a small kitchen to with a wood stove, they lived in "their little home" five years saving all they could until Gertraud's pen pal, the sister of an American Soldier agreed to sponsor them to come the United States. They knew they could create a better life in the USA so in May 1955 they began their journey landing in New Jersey June 25th, 1955 where they boarded a train headed for Livingston Montana. Frank went to work in the Butte mines and Gertie stayed with their sponsors helping with cleaning and sewing. They worked hard and in 1967 moved the family to Anaconda where Gertie took in sewing and started a sewing school in her home, she had as many as 14 sewing machines and taught three classes a day that way she could be home to raise her children. She always had a warm breakfast ready, lunch for school in the bag, and a terrific dinner for the family each evening. Gertie was a great cook and filled everything she made with love, she made sure that you got more than enough, it was a joy for her to take such good care of the family. Through the years and 17 Grandchildren and 7 Great Grandchildren she became known as "Oma" to all. Her and "Opa" spent many years wintering in Mexico and Arizona and were always anxiously greeted by family with a warm welcome back home to Anaconda in the spring. Gertie passed away on Saturday, December 16th, 2017 in her apartment at Big Sky Senior Living in Butte. She was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years Frank, her daughter Debbie, granddaughter Carrie Anne, many of her siblings, and her mother and father. Gertie is survived by her children Marvin (Paula), Richard (Keleigh), and Michael (Terri). She is also survived by her grandchildren Bryan (Anita), Kristen (Scott Morgan), Brittany (Pete Lorello), Amber, Josh, Hailey, Kara (Michael Zingeléwicz), Cory, Katlin (Devin Tonkin), Kayla (Kevin Wagenfehr), Michael Joe (Amber), Alissa (Chris Robinson), Aaron, and Elijah VanMeel. Great grandchildren include Nevaeh and Johnny Sullivan, Natalie and Giovanni Lorello, William Robinson, Carrie Anne Morgan, and Aria Kuenzul. Visitation will begin at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at Holy Family Catholic Church followed by the Vigil at 6:30 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 21, 2017 at Holy Family Catholic Church. There will be one hour of visitation prior to the service.

Visitation

DEC 20. 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM (MST)

Holy Family Catholic Church 217 W. Pennsylvania Ave Anaconda, MT 59711

Vigil

DEC 20. 6:30 PM

Holy Family Catholic Church 217 W. Pennsylvania Ave.

Visitation

DEC 21. 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Holy Family Catholic Church 217 W. Pennsylvania Ave.

Mass of Christian Burial

DEC 21. 10:30 AM

Holy Family Catholic Church 217 W. Pennsylvania Ave.