Cover photo for Lambertus 'Bert' Gnade Jr.'s Obituary
Lambertus 'Bert' Gnade Jr. Profile Photo
2014 Lambertus 2014

Lambertus 'Bert' Gnade Jr.

January 5, 2014 — January 5, 2014

IN LOVING MEMORY OF
LAMBERTUS “BERT” GNADE


BORN
March 5, 1919
Midland Park, New Jersey

PASSED AWAY
January 5, 2014
Sanborn, Iowa

Age
94 years 10 months


FUNERAL SERVICE
11:00 A.M. Saturday, January 11, 2014
First Presbyterian Church; Paullina, Iowa
Rev. Gregg Johnson ~ Officiating.

Visitation will be after 4 P.M. Friday, January 10, 2014 with the family present from 5 to 7 P.M. Friday at the Eldridge Family Funeral Home in Paullina.

MUSIC
“Draw Me Nearer” sung by: Marj Feltman

CONGREGATIONAL HYMNS
“How Great Thou Art”
“Holy, Holy, Holy”
Pianist: Jana Veltkamp
Organist: Kay Grosvenor

CASKET BEARERS
John Platt David Paulsen
Joaquin Munoz Jeff Gnade
Joel Gnade Nick Paulsen

FINAL RESTING PLACE
Prairie View Cemetery
Paullina, Iowa
At a later date

After today’s service relative and friends are invited
to join the family in the fellowship hall of the church.

Arrangements under the care of the
Eldridge Family Funeral Home; Paullina, Iowa

LAMBERTUS “BERT” GNADE JR.

Lambertus (Bert) Gnade Jr. 94, born in Midland Park, New Jersey on March 5, 1919 to Lambertus Sr. and Winifred (Sybersma) Gnade, has gone to be with his Lord Jesus Christ.
He lost his mother at age 2 during the 1921 flu epidemic. Raised during the Depression by his dad and step mom Gertrude Memmelaar. His schooling included public and private schools where he learned memory work and graduated at 14 with an 8th grade education, but accumulated a PhD in life’s lessons. He became an apprentice carpenter in 1933, taught by his father. He enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and served W.W. II as a CB, Construction Battalion, making floating docks in Iceland, landings and shelters in Okinawa, Japan also ship to shore operations in the Pacific. He was schooled in underwater explosives for clearing harbors. After the war, he continued his career as a housing and industrial general contractor and later a building inspector for Brick, N.J. His grandfather was the first contractor to put in a cement street in North Jersey. Bert built the first skateboard park in New Jersey. Other entities and businesses included installing swimming pools, owner of Midtown Dinette and Brick Oil Company. After retirement he was President of Laurelton Gardens, a senior development, for 14 years. He was a volunteer fireman for Co#1 for 19 years in Hawthorne, N.J. Interests included his inventions (Scandinavian Sauna, various games), writing poetry, fishing, hunting, camping, singing, traveling, lover of gadgets, coin and stamp collecting, watching boxing, gardening (sharing tomatoes), making vegetable soup, crab cakes, brownies, enjoying Omaha steaks, and still recently at 92, golfing. He thought witch hazel, cod liver oil and oatmeal supreme fixed everything. He woke his children on school mornings by playing Sousa Marches as loud as Mom would let him. He married Louette (Behnke) in 1942 on February 14th, having celebrated 71 years of marriage. He and Louette raised their family in Hawthorn, N.J. and were both very involved in community and church activities, moving later to Brick, N.J. and continuing in Kiwanis, Masons, Shriners, Tall Cedars, Elks and other civic organizations. They were members of Rea Avenue Reformed Church in Hawthorne, Osbornville Baptist of Brick, First Presbyterian of Paullina and friend of Sanborn Presbyterian. They loved traveling and spent many winters at the Davis House in Sebastain, Florida. They moved to Paullina, Iowa in 2005 where Bert enjoyed telling stories and rhymes about his life and having coffee with friends in Paullina, also enjoying blueberry pancakes with ice cream at Jay’s in Sanborn. After Louette moved to Prairie View in Sanborn, Bert seldom missed a day without joining her for dinner. He was an extraordinary caregiver, a hugger, an optimistic man, resilient, imaginative, resourceful and loving husband, father, grandparent, uncle and friend.
His legacy is his faith in Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sin and life everlasting. Bert’s own words for his memorial, “Give your soul to the Lord Jesus Christ and repent.” Left to cherish his memory, his wife Louette, his children: daughter, Carol and her husband, David Platt; daughter-in-law, Jean Gnade all of Paullina; son, Steven Gnade of Pt. Pleasant, New Jersey; eight grandchildren, Traci (David) Paulsen, John (Jamie) Platt, Steven (Anthony) Mulvey Reyes, Nicole (Shawn) Simons, Joel (Theresa) Gnade, Jill (Joaquin Munoz) Gnade, Jeff (Suzie) Gnade, Jana Pillsworth (Dustin Wood); thirteen great-grandchildren, Nicholas, Madison, McKenna, Colton, Daxton, Diana, Sarah, Josh, Zachery, Kayla, Jacob, Jessica, Lily; nieces and nephews; sisters, Dorothy (John) Van DeWeert, Antoinette (Herman) Steenstra, Elaine (Jim) Boot, Ruth Ann (Pete) Warnet, Marie (Lambert) Klopman; sister-in-law, Elise (Jack) Behnke and many other friends and relatives.
His son, Jim, preceded him in death in 2010; also brothers, William and Mike; sisters, Bertha, Minnie and Evelyn; brothers-in-law, John Warnet, John Van DeWeert Herman Steenstra, William Sanderson, Henry Vandenberg; and babies, Mary Lynn Platt and Jesse Gnade.

In Thee

O’ night of fear and deep despair,
O’ night that has no end,
The chill of death hangs in the air,
That nothing else transcends.

O’ mystery of life and breath,
Of love and laughter gay,
That in one sullen stroke of fate,
Can end life’s hopeful stay.

The night is long and full of thoughts,
Of how and what to say,
To thank the ones you love so much,
For the time you had to stay.

To say “I love you” sounds too small,
For all that you have given,
You’ve made the time I’ve spent on earth,
Feel more like spent in heaven.

The only light of hope and joy,
For me to leave behind,
Is that your love and faithfulness,
Has made this moment mine.

O’ God of love and mercy,
Who offers peace to all,
In moments of this deep despair,
Please hear my simple call.

O’ night of fear and deep despair,
I’m asking for thy Grace,
Forgive me for my unfilled life,
Lord, grant me some small space.

By: Bert Gnade
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