Gertrude "Betty" Elizabeth Thurston

Gertrude Elizabeth Thurston, 90, died peacefully at Calvin Community on July 28, 2019. Betty, as she was always called, was born Dec. 17, 1928, in Milwaukee, Wis., to John Robert and Gertrude Harriet (Mallon) Stauss, the third of their seven children.

The Stauss family was a large one and always close. Through their yearly gathering at “The Stauss Cousins’ Picnic,” held around the anniversary of Betty’s grandparents’ wedding anniversary and within a short radius of their home, the extended family stayed in touch and remained grounded to their Wisconsin roots.

Betty met Oliver Thurston when he was visiting a World War II Army buddy who lived next door to her aunt, and they were married in January 1948. Oliver worked for the Rock Island Railroad, where he got his start as a telegrapher in southwest Kansas, and where they began their married life.

They had four children, Joanne, Mark, Judy, who died shortly after birth, and Michael.
As Oliver worked his way up the ladder at the Rock Island, promotions came rapidly, and required a move. By the time of Oliver’s death in 1990, they had moved 18 times and lived in seven different states, some of them multiple times. The frequent moves dictated that Betty’s life and career centered around her husband and children.

Betty enjoyed playing bridge and golfing, and for a short time sold Avon and Tupperware, but her main loves were her family, her Catholic faith, and food. She had an excellent memory and was often the one called on to offer details about her extended Thurston, Stauss, and Mallon families. She attended daily Mass for as long as she was able, and she loved food, especially when it came to Wisconsin cheeses and meats. She also loved cardinals, taking great delight in watching the birds, and she often wore shirts and sweaters with cardinal designs.

After Oliver’s death, Betty returned to Iowa in 1993, living in Urbandale for 31 years, until her health began to decline and she moved to Walnut Ridge in Clive, where she met new friends and had loving caregivers. As her health continued to decline, she moved to Calvin Community, where she lived 16 days, surrounded nearly the entire time by family and friends.

Betty is survived by her daughter, Joanne (Steve) Boeckman, of West Des Moines; her son, Mark (Johnna) Thurston, of Tulsa; grandchildren, Eric (Christy) Boeckman, Elise (Josh) Janicek, Adrienne (Neel) Choksi, and Colleen (Tom Page) Thurston; six great grandchildren and two step-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Oliver, infant daughter Judy Christine, and son Michael John.

A visitation will be held from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 31, followed by a Mass at St. Pius Catholic Church, 3663 66th St., Urbandale, Iowa. A burial service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at Resurrection Cemetery, Lenexa, Kansas.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the DMARC Food Pantry, www.dmarcunited.org.

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