Vanita Jane Shank was born on September 28, 1930, in Quarry, Iowa, the daughter of Stephen and Leola (Daugherty) Shank. She grew up in Quarry before moving to a farm two miles north of Haverhill at the age of eleven. She graduated from the Van Cleve High School in 1949. On July 17, 1951, she was united to the love of her life, Darryll P. “Dewey” Dewey. The two were blessed with three children and they enjoyed sixty-two years of marriage before “Dewey” passed away on March 1, 2013. Vanita had been employed in the cafeteria at the Anson and Miller Schools. She then accepted employment at the Marshalltown Medical & Surgical Center in the laundry department and had worked there for 20 years before retiring at the age of 77. She enjoyed collecting wind chimes and milk glass. She loved sewing, interior decorating and spray paint anything she could. Most of all she dearly loved her family. Vanita was one of the kindest, most generous and fair person you would ever meet. Her greatest joy was to sit on her deck at 4:00 and drink a cold Old Mil’ Blue with family and friends that stopped by to chat.

Left to cherish her memory are her children: Lissa (Rocky) Monk and Mike (Jill) Dewey; her grandchildren: Joe, Nick (Wendy), Mitch (Jen), Lacey (Bobby), Katie (Lance), Brandon (Jessie), Quinton (Sam), Autumn (Zack) and Alexis (Joe), and 15 great grandchildren.

In eternal life, Vanita has been reunited with her parents, her husband, “Dewey,” her daughter, Laurie Sinnwell, her great grandson, Simon Dewey, her siblings, Stephen and Shirley Shank and Elaine and Ace Kail and nephews, Doug Dewey and Danny Kail.

Vanita is now gravel traveling with the love of her life, Dewey. She will be missed terribly by all who knew her. Chugalug.