Jean L. DenHartog

Jean Louise McLean DenHartog, 95, of Clear Lake, died Thursday, March 24, 2022 at the Muse-Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City.  She previously resided at the Oakwood Care Center in Clear Lake.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday March 30, at 2 p.m. at the Clear Lake United Methodist Church, 508 2nd Ave. N., with the Rev. David Peterson officiating. Visitation will be held the same day, with family greeting guests at 1 p.m. Inurnment will be at the Clear Lake Cemetery following the service.  Memorials may be given to Hospice of North Iowa, or the Clear Lake United Methodist Church, in memory of Jean DenHartog.

  Jean was born on Nov. 1, 1926, the daughter of Wm. Clarke and Nell McLean of College Springs, Iowa, and youngest of five children.  She was raised on the family farm, graduating from high school in College Springs in 1944 and then graduating from Central College, Pella, Iowa in May 1948 with a Bachelor of Music degree.  Her fiancé, Raymond DenHartog, graduated the following month from the University of Iowa and they were married Aug. 14, 1948.  They were married for 62 years, before Ray’s passing in 2011.  They had three children, Glenda, Mike and Jerry.

  Jean took her first job in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, teaching music in the grade schools there.  She then taught music in Council Bluffs in 1949 and later music and English in the Des Moines area.  In 1958, the family moved to Clear Lake.  While raising her family, Jean worked part time as a substitute teacher at the junior and senior high school in a variety of subjects.  After her daughter started college, she went back to full time teaching in Mason City.  She taught vocal music for K-6th graders on a rotation of several grade schools in the Mason City school district.  She also taught herself to play guitar and gave lessons to students before and after school.

  Jean came from a musical family and music was always a huge part of her life.  She played piano at an early age, following in her older sister’s footsteps, and continued throughout her life.  Even at the age of 90, when she was living at Apple Valley Assisted Living, she would be asked to accompany the Sunday church service by the pastors who visited.  She was an excellent piano player and could play any music by sight.  She played piano at Knorr Lodge during the summer services for the Methodist Church Camp and filled in at the church in town if the organist was unavailable.  One of her greatest joys was sharing this talent with her four granddaughters.  They learned from her before going further with their piano training.  They loved coming to her house after school, playing songs and duets with her.  Several of her granddaughters went on to buy pianos of their own and are now teaching their children to play.  Jean also loved vocal music and had a beautiful soprano voice. She sang in the church choirs and even filled in directing the choir when needed.  She passed this talent on to her daughter.  She and Glenda especially loved to sing the Messiah together at Christmas while Jean played the piano accompaniment.  Jean was also in the bell choir at church and directed a children’s chorus.

  Jean was a vibrant, outgoing person with a beautiful soul both inside and out and she had a zest for life.  She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.  She was always active and loved her family, her friends and her God.  She and Ray were members of the First Congregational Church in the early years in Clear Lake, raising their family there.  Right before their daughter’s wedding, they became members of the United Methodist Church in Clear Lake where they belonged the rest of their lives.  Besides being in the choir, Jean was active in UMW, and various circles and committees over the years.  She also loved her Bible studies which she continued after she was unable to attend church. She had a very strong faith which gave her strength and comfort through her death.

  Jean also loved her social activities.  She was a past president of the PTA, and a member of P.E.O., and Progress Club.  She loved outings with her friends for lunch and shopping and also enjoyed entertaining and hosting dinners in her home.  Jean was an excellent cook and always enjoyed having family over for birthday and holiday celebrations.  She loved to bake cookies and everyone had their favorites which she made often. Some of her other interests included her Bridge Club, sewing and gardening.  She learned to sew from her mother and made many of her own clothes over the years, as well as her daughters’ through high school.  Although Ray was the vegetable gardener in the family, Jean loved her flower gardens and their backyard was the envy of the neighborhood.  During the summer months you would always find fresh cut flowers in vases on her tables.  One of her favorites was the tulip and over the years she and Ray would make trips to Pella for their annual Tulip Festival.

  Jean had a love of pets, raising several Siamese cats during the early years with her family and then later raising English bulldogs.  They acquired their first one from their son, Mike, and ended up owning three, one which had a record setting litter of 13 which was especially enjoyed by all of the grandchildren.  Jean was retired at the time, because with that many pups, it was a 24 hour job caring and feeding all of them, and she often would be found sleeping on the couch in the basement so she could tend to their feeding schedule every four hours.

  Travel was a big part of Jean and Ray’s life, with camping trips to the Black Hills, Badlands and National Parks out west.  As they got older they loved road trips throughout the midwest with Jean’s sister, Mary, and her friend, Phil, as well as their closest friends.  They made trips to Duluth and the North Shore, Madeline Island, Wis., and Door County, Wis.  After retirement they made several trips to Europe and Jean was invited as part of an alumni group from Central College, to sing with their choir on a tour of Eastern Europe.  They bought land in Hot Springs, Ark. and Prescott, Az. for their retirement, but when the time came they chose to stay close to family rather than relocate.

  Jean and Ray were very blessed to have their two sons and wives raise their families in Clear Lake most of their lives, with all of their children growing up and graduating from Clear Lake High School.  They especially loved attending sporting events, piano recitals, dance recitals and other activities that their grandchildren were involved in, and being close enough to attend birthday parties, confirmations, graduations and weddings.  Although their daughter lived her adult life in Minneapolis, Minn., after her retirement she moved back to Clear Lake to be with her mother after Ray’s passing.  They enjoyed daily visits when Jean was moved to Oakwood Care Center for the last four years of her life.  They quickly made up for lost time and developed a very close, loving bond until the day Jean passed.  Jean loved her daughter-in-laws as if they were her own daughters, and as she took her last breath, all of her children and spouses were with her showering her with love until she passed from this earth on her way to Heaven and the open arms of God.

  Jean is survived by her three children, Glenda DenHartog Evenrud and Jerry (Tammy) DenHartog, both of Clear Lake, and  Mike (Liz) DenHartog, of Lake Park, Iowa; eight grandchildren, Elise Chipman, Damon DenHartog, Neal DenHartog, Kelsey Marty, Rachael Baran, Ryan Willis, Dustin DenHartog and Katy Clapham; 15 great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and a brother-in-law, Ken Glewen, of Waupun, Wis.

  Jean was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Raymond DenHartog; her parents; parents-in-law; two brothers; two sisters; all of their spouses; a sister-in-law, and four nephews.

  Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, was in charge of arragnements.