Obituary of Sally Vander Leest

Services for Sally Vander Leest, age 63, of Spirit Lake, will be 10:30 Saturday, June 6, 2015 at Good News Community Church in Okoboji. Interment will be at Lakeview Gardens Cemetery in Spirit Lake. Visitation will begin at 3 pm Friday, June 5, 2015 with the family present from 5-7 pm at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Sally Ann (Frame) VanderLeest, 63, died unexpectedly Tuesday, May 26 at the Seton Hospital in Jasper, Alberta, Canada from a brain injury resulting from a fall. She was born October 5, 1951 in Omaha, Nebraska to William & Frances (Van Horne) Frame. She grew up in Council Bluffs, Iowa and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1969. She attended the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA where she earned a BS degree in chemistry and a BSN in nursing. Sally was united in marriage to David Michael VanderLeest on August 18, 1973 in Council Bluffs. They were blessed with a son, Steven Paul, who was born on August 15, 1979. Sally & Dave lived in several communities as Dave changed jobs from teaching school to managing a hardware store and then pastoring four congregations. They lived in Centerville, IA; Iowa City, IA; Holland, MI; Brookings, SD. Pekin, IL; Waterloo, IA; Leota, MN; Stout, IA and finally in Spirit Lake, IA since 2012. During those moves, Sally worked as a RN at Holland Hospital, Holland, MI in labor and delivery; at Pine Rest Christian Psychiatric Hospital, Grand Rapids, MI on the adolescent girls unit; at St. Francis Hospital, Peoria, IL in neonatal intensive care; at Allen Hospital, Waterloo, IA in the transitional nursery. While in Leota, MN she worked in home health care and served as a volunteer EMT First Responder. Sally was very active in each of the congregations that Dave served as pastor: Normandale Reformed Church, Pekin, IL; Grace Reformed Church, Waterloo, IA; Bethel Reformed Church, Leota, MN and the Reformed Church of Stout, Stout, IA. She sang in their choirs and provided leadership and served as a teacher in Sunday School, VBS and mid-week youth programs. She had a special interest in the "Young Children and Worship" programs that she helped start and coordinate in three of the congregations as a mid-week ministry. She also served as an "unofficial parish nurse" in each congregation, providing counsel, encouragement, education and referral as needed and was a volunteer nurse for Church Summer Camps. Sally served in a variety of leadership roles in RCWM (Reformed Church Women's Ministries) at the local and national levels. Sally was a "crafter" with interests in cross-stitch, beading, sewing, quilting, jewelry making and scrapbooking. She was a member of EGA (Embroiderer's Guild of America) in the Prairie Rose Chapter in Waterloo/Cedar Falls and in a stitching group called "Heart and Hand." Sally's health began to decline in January 2009 from liver failure; she had a successful liver transplant in August 2010. Her health improved but she continued to deal with the long term effects of diabetes. In the last few years she struggled with failing eye sight, loss of strength and mobility, a painful condition called Dercum's and declining kidney function. Since moving to Spirit Lake, after Dave retired from full-time ministry, Sally has been active as a member of the Good News Community Church of Okoboji. She was involved in the Prayer Team Ministry, the Missional Community "Step in Faith" and in a Huddle Group. She also volunteered at the Spirit Lake Elementary School, most recently working with Mrs. Nebelsick's 1st Grade Class that Aliza was in. Her greatest joy the past three years has been to spend time with her family; especially doing crafts with the grandkids, attending their programs, dance recitals & sporting events and babysitting as needed. In the past year Sally was able to enjoy traveling with Dave in their motorhome (Winnie); made a trip to the Grand Canyon and was enjoying a trip through the Canadian Rockies when she had the accidental fall that resulted in her death. She is survived by her husband Rev. David VanderLeest of Spirit Lake, IA; son and daughter-in-law Dr. Steven and Dr. Tarra VanderLeest and three grandchildren: Aliza Christine, Isabelle Anne and Lane Michael of Spirit Lake, IA; brother Bill & Gayle Frame of Calliope, Queensland, Australia; sister-in-laws Judy Frame of Smithville, MO and Dee Frame of Camdenton, MO. She is preceded in death by her parents William & Frances Frame; brothers Richard W. Frame and John Frame.