Ardis Van Hamme

ARDIS VAN HAMME

Victor

Ardis Marie Van Hamme, 92, of Brooklyn, formerly of Victor, died Monday, April 21, 2014, at the Brooklyn Community Estates. A private family service will be held with burial in Calvary Cemetery in Victor. Smith Funeral Home in Victor is in charge of arrangements.

Memorials may be directed to the Ardis Marie Van Hamme Memorial Fund and sent in care of Sandy Arnold, P.O. Box 445, Victor, IA 52347.

Ardis was born Feb. 22, 1922, in Deep River, Iowa, to John and Vera (Cooperider) McKusker. She attended and graduated from school there. She then attended Teacher's College and worked as a rural school teacher for two years in Marengo. She proudly served in the

Army from 1943 to 1946.

On Oct. 1, 1946, she was united in marriage to Raymond Van Hamme in Victor. To this union six children were born, Linda, Sandra, Marie, Mary, Alice and John. The couple made their home in Victor.

Ardis was a giving and loving person. She always had a big garden and enjoyed tending to it. Her family will miss her homemade raisin bread. She enjoyed reading, doing word search puzzles and watching the Iowa Hawkeyes. Ardis loved spending time with her family. She was a member of St. Bridget's Catholic Church in Victor, the Victor American Legion and the Disabled American Veterans.

Those left to cherish her memory are her daughters, Sandra Arnold of Victor, Marie Louis of Iowa City, Mary (Ron) McDonald of Maquoketa and Alice (Tony) Schirmer of Vinton; her son, John (Donita) Van Hamme of Victor; five grandchildren; five stepgrandchildren; five great-grandchildren; 11 stepgreat-grandchildren; her sister, Lois Dietrich; and her brother, Bill McKusker, both of Marengo.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband in 2002; her daughter, Linda Van Hamme; her sister, Noreen Miller; two brothers, Jack and Carroll McKusker; and two infant granddaughters.