Fairy Jean (Van Cleave) Laursen, 84, of Gilbert, Arizona passed away September 23, 2020, of Alzheimers at her home.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Thursday, October 1, 2020 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Jefferson with Pastor Dennis Martens officiating. Organist for the service will be Becky Kinne and special vocalist will be Jean’s great-grandchildren. Casket bearers will be Craig Van Cleave, Larry VanCleave, Kenny Russell, Roger Hall, Steven Jonas, Justin Weller, Michael Walker, and Philip Jacobs. Burial will be in the Scranton Township Cemetery.
Friends may call at the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Scranton from 5 – 7 P.M. on Wednesday. The casket will be moved to Trinity Lutheran Church in Jefferson at 9:30 A.M. on Thursday where visitation will resume until 10:15 A.M.
Those in attendance at Jean’s service are asked to abide by Covid – 19 social distancing guidelines and face masks are recommended at the funeral home and at the church.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Scranton and online condolences may be left for the family at www.dahnandwoodhouse.com
Jean, as she was known to most, was born January 23, 1936 during a blizzard, outside of Yale, Iowa. She was the daughter of William Van Cleave and Fonnie (Clark) Van Cleave. She graduated from Bayard High School in 1954. The love of her life was Ivan Laursen and they were married in Scranton, Iowa on June 26, 1954, at the First Lutheran Church. She helped Ivan with farming north of Scranton until 1969, when the family moved to Arizona. All six of their children graduated from Gilbert High School. Jean worked for the school system in the cafeteria for 38 years. She was known for her exceptional baked goods and her friendly smile.
While Jean was raising her family, attending sporting and musical events her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were involved in, she was also quite active in her church. She served on the church council, directed the Children’s Choir and still had time to sit at the dinner table with her family after fixing supper. In 1986, Jean and Ivan went on their dream vacation to Norway, Denmark, and Germany. At the age of 82, Jean went to meet her friend Minnie Mouse at Disney Land. She had a collection of Minnie Mouse in her bedroom until the time of her death. Jean was a strong supporter of the Phoenix Mercury Women’s Basketball Team and had season tickets for many years. She also supported the Women’s Basketball team of Central Arizona Community College in Coolidge , where her grandson, Andrew Laursen, is an assistant coach.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Ivan; son Chris; great-granddaughter Alexa Jacobs; great-grandson Brently Walker; sisters Sharon Ayers and Melva Conz; brothers Paul Van Cleave, Reid Van Cleave, Lloyd Van Cleave and Harold Van Cleave. Surviving Jean are her sons, Wayne Laursen of Scranton, Iowa, Bruce (Veronica) Laursen of Chandler, Arizona, daughters Rina (Don) McCool of Bayard, Iowa, Linda (Keith) Jonas of Stuart, Iowa, Zola (Tony Palomo) Laursen of Gilbert, Arizona, and Foreign Exchange Student, Son, Luis (Lucy) Arce of Switzerland.
Jean’s role as a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother will live on in the memories she created with the following grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Dannell (Justin) Weller, Macenzie and Jaxsen; Tyler (Gissele) Laursen, Megan Kroupa, Brandon Kroupa, Renae (Brian) Sondgeroth, Skylar & Zoey; Michael (Cassie) Walker, Paige, Josie and Kylie; Melissa (Mike) Barrett, Autumn, Lillian and Walker; Jessica (Ian) Jacobs, Austyn, Philip and Aleayah; Genna (Kyle) Williams, Steven Jonas, Zayden and Aubree; Andy Anton, Vanessa Jones (Bobby) Jackson, Xavier, Ravyn, Kathleen, Shane, David, Adriana and Tre; Cameron Howard, Nephi Howard, Jordan Howard; Grayson, Stella, Penelope and Henry; Andrew (Nicole) Laursen, and Nicholas Laursen, Zachary Palomo, and Andrea, David, Valeria and Alejandro Arce. Many friends and family live on to remember Jean and her gentle ways.
Jean set a great example of what it takes to be a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her generosity was infamous and she taught all those she met to love and cherish each day as it comes.