Jeanette Etta Wakeman

   Funeral Service for Jeanette Wakeman of Ireton, Iowa will be 3:00 p.m. Saturday, November 28, 2020 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Ireton, Iowa with Rev. Michael Boothby officiating. Burial will follow at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery. Public viewing with no family present and limited to 15 persons at a time will be from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday at the church. Masks are mandatory and social distancing will be followed at the church. The Porter Funeral Home is assisting the family.

   Jeanette Etta Wakeman was born October 24, 1946 to Fred William and Eva Ellen (Vande Pol) Zalme.  She passed away on November 21, 2020 from complications of the Covid-19 Virus.  She was the oldest of three children, with Duane Arthur and Charlotte Janis as her siblings.

   She married George Wakeman on October 24, 1963 at the United Methodist Church in Ireton where they later made their home.

   She drove school bus for the West Sioux School District for a number of years in the 1970’s, she then worked at K-Products sewing emblems on caps and apparel where she gained a large social circle of friends and often hosted FAC (Friday Afternoon Club) at her home after work.  When she was no longer able to sew she worked for Kempers’ Flower Shop and The Olde Factory in Sioux Center, Iowa.  It was at the Olde Factory that her love of flowers and decorating blossomed into her most rewarding career.  She was extremely proud of her design work and spoke of her experiences often.

   In the late 1980’s she and George added a large wrap around porch onto their home in Ireton.  Little did they know this porch would turn into a regular gathering place to host family and friends.  It was not unusual for them to host guests most evenings and weekends on the porch. 

   After she retired, she focused her efforts on her gardens, shopping, and decorating her and George’s home.  Jeanette was a very social and welcoming person that always had time for a chat on the porch with treats and beverages.  She was very proud of her gardens and the way she presented her home for the various seasons and holidays.  She had a knack for finding normal items and combining them with other everyday items to make them look like treasures.

   She is survived by her three children, George Wakeman III, Sioux City, IA, Muriel Jean, “Jeannie” (Joel) Hagen, Phoenix, AZ, Renae (Mike) Hansen, McCook Lake, SD; her grandchildren, George Wakeman IV and Charles Wakeman, Omaha, NE, Henry Wakeman, California, and William Wakeman, Omaha, NE, Jay Hagen, Phoenix, AZ and Ryan Hagen, Lexington Park, Maryland, Hillary Hansen, Ames, IA, Hope (Joe) Winge, Wallingford, IA, Hunter (Selina) Hansen, Council Bluffs, IA, and Adam Hansen, McCook Lake, SD; sister-in-law, Diane Zalme; brother-in-law, Loren Ferguson; and several nieces and nephews.

   Jeanette was preceded in death by her parents; her husband George of 52 years in July of 2015; brother, Duane Zalme in March of 2020 and sister, Charlotte Ferguson in October of 2014.

   Her family wishes to thank her friends and neighbors for their care and well being for Jeanette the past few years, her home health care nurse, LaDonna, and the staff at Hawarden Regional Healthcare Hospital and Hillcrest Health Care Services for their care and compassion shown to Jeanette and her family.

   Memorials may be directed to Alzheimer’s Association.