Mary Ellen Van Horn, age 84, of rural Glidden passed away on May 30, 2022 at Mercy One Medical Center in Des Moines.
Funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 11, 2022 at Peace Lutheran Church in Glidden, with Pastor Mike Salati of Bethel Baptist Church of Carroll officiating. Music will be provided by John Van Horn. Casket bearers will be Jim Gorby, Mike Michaelson, Rebecca Luetje, Jarred Luetje, Cody Michaelson, and Noah Michaelson. Jacob Luetje will be an honorary pallbearer.
Burial will be in Merle Hay Memorial Cemetery near Glidden. After the burial, a luncheon will be provided at the City Park, 325 E 3rd Street (6 blocks south of the Dairy Mart) in Glidden.
Visitation will be held at the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Glidden from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday. The casket will be moved to Peace Lutheran at 9:30 a.m on Saturday where visitation will resume until 10:15 a.m.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Glidden, Online condolences may be left for the family at www.dahnandwoodhouse.com
Mary was born in Huntington, WA, the daughter of Dorsey and Martha Ellen (Hayton) Eagleston, on April 28, 1938. She attended the Baptist Church in Huntington and had two grandfathers who were Baptist ministers.
After graduation from Fairview High School in Procterville, OH, Mary worked at several jobs until she married Larry Gorby. She had two children from that marriage, Jim and Deborah.
After she and Larry Gorby divorced, she married Bennett Michaelson, a career Navy serviceman. The couple lived in various locations, following Bennett from base to base across the United States. In addition to four stepchildren from Bennett’s previous marriage — Elizabeth, Bennett Jr. (Marty), Tom and Tina –, they also added a son, Michael. After 20 years of Navy service, Bennett retired from the Navy and got a job in Guthrie Center and later moved to Glidden. Bennett died of cancer in 1992.
After decades outside the workforce, Mary took a job at Glidden Grocery and later became a teller at First National Bank in Glidden. Mary was very popular with bank customers and her co-workers. Mary retired from the bank in 2001 due to health reasons. On November 15, 2002, she married Bob Van Horn, who she met while working at the bank.
Mary enjoyed life on the farm and took several hunting trips with Bob, including trips to Alaska, the Aleutian Islands and Africa to name just a few. In fact, Mary acquired several of her own hunting trophies, which are currently on display in the museum on the farm.
Mary enjoyed being a member of Bethel Baptist Church in Carroll. She enjoyed the great sermons and beautiful gospel music. Mary and Bob attended Sunday School there as well.
Mary’s health had deteriorated, and she was receiving dialysis three times a week at St. Anthony Hospital in Carroll. The nurses there were exceptionally pleasant and kind to Mary.
Mary and her husband Bob had a loving and supportive marriage. Mary loved her children and grandchildren. Mary’s daughter, Deborah Luetje, worked at American Home Shield and lived in a farmhouse just a mile north of Bob and Mary. Mary and Deborah were very close and spoke daily. Deborah died unexpectantly on October 5, 2021. Mary took the passing of her daughter very hard.
Mary is survived by her husband, Bob Van Horn, of Glidden, her sons Jim Gorby (Sheri Winker) of Lake View and Michael (Jolie) Michaelson of Greely, CO, sisters Jenny Benson (Jim) of Huntington, WV and Barbara Moore of Frazier’s Bottom, WV, a brother Kenneth Eagleston (Sharon) of Charleston, WV, fifteen grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her parents, her daughter Deborah Luetje, her previous husbands Larry Gorby and Bennett Michaelson, brothers Donald Eagleston and Harold Lee Eagleston, and brother-in-law Lionel (Barbara) Moore.
