 | Obituary
Glady V. Minten, age 89, of Little Chute, passed away peacefully in the arms of her family on Wednesday, December 1, 2021. Glady was born on November 10, 1932 in Little Chute, daughter of the late John and Hattie (Van Elzen) Driessen.
Glady lived her life with simple grace. She was a lifelong resident of Little Chute. On November 28, 1953 she married Erv Minten at St John Nepomucene Catholic Church. Her Dutch heritage of hard work, faith in God and desire to give of herself remained strong throughout her life. She made a warm, modest home with her husband and six children and had enough love to share with longterm foster children where they all blended together as family. Her home was full of commotion and natural conflict and she managed to teach respect and love for one another. She administered a household on an average, humble family salary and provided everything needed as she budgeted, sewed and prepared food to reduce costs.
She had a love for creating and recreating things. She loved fabric shopping for her many sewing projects from four little girls matching coats and hats to wedding and bridesmaid dresses. Resale shops were also a treasure where she would paint, antique, strip and stain and upholster her undertaking. As young parents, Glady and Erv started a cottage project at White Potato Lake with a live-in boathouse and outhouse and later hand built a cottage with two additions to accommodate their growing family. She prepared and served large family holiday and Sunday dinners of bountiful food and personal attention without apparent effort with no reservation required. Her cottage provided an open invitation to all where she organized a full house with the same easy and welcoming manner.
Glady coped with the pain of Erv’s early death at age 57 with the same faith and fortitude that she exhibited in her daily life. Her children and grandchildren were drawn to her understanding and insight and she provided opportunities for them to all be together. She valued everyone and had a genuine interest in the lives and hearts of the people she knew, providing generous time to listen and appreciate one another. She leaves behind a legacy of 86 children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren with promises of more to come.
Glady’s love went beyond her family. She cherished her friends and neighbors and welcomed everyone into her life. She laughed easily and was always a good sport, often making fun of herself. Glady was an avid reader of books and newspapers and loved to converse about world affairs. She was a lifelong learner and researched and traveled to places of interest in Washington DC, New York, San Francisco, Alaska, Russia, Poland, England, Holland, Germany, Austria, Italy and France. She participated in a mission trip to Honduras. She was generous with her time and talents, and a true disciple of her faith of giving and sharing. As a lifelong member of St John Catholic Church, she served her parish community as a catechist, social justice and befriender ministry. For many years she was actively involved in providing meals at the homeless shelter and meals on wheels.
Glady is survived by her children, Connie (Jeff) Elrick, Tina (Kurt) Kloehn, Joy (Mike) Reynebeau, Chris (Ann) Minten and Jenny Minten; a daughter-in-law, Lori Minten (special friend Mike Piontek), and bonus foster son, Eugene “Geno” Pingel and foster daughters, Jean, Tammy and Kelly. She is also survived by grandchildren; Ryan (Vicki) Minten, Heather (Josh) Nolan, Ally (Adam) Van Dyn Hoven, Dana (Adam) Kilgas, Jessica (Ben) Schultz, Sara (Nick) Pingel, Casey (Sarah) Kloehn, Sadie (Chris) Hunsberger, Taylor (Amy) Kloehn, Annie (David) Schepp, Rachel (Kyle) Galloway, Matt (Cassie) Reynebeau, Erin (Eric) Hoffman, Clair (Cale) Verstegen, Ashley Minten (fiancé Tyler Mogensen), Tyler (Kayla) Minten, Zach (Deanna) Pingel and Logan Pingel (special friend Julia Peterson); and 39 great-grandchildren. Glady is further survived by a brother, Gerald (Audrey) Driessen, a sister, Gloria Nienhaus and a brother-in-law, Art Look.
She was preceded in death by her husband Ervan, her son, Brad Minten, a sister and brother-in-law Rosalie (Don) Vanden Heuvel and a brother-in-law, Richard Nienhaus. Also previously departed is Erv’s family, his parents Frank and Anna Minten, and siblings Marvin Minten, Alvin Minten, Peg Look, Ron (Joann) Minten, and Joe (Carol) Minten.
The Mass of Resurrection will be held at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church (411 Vandenbroek St., Little Chute) with Fr. Ron Belitz officiating. Visitation will be at the church from 3:00 p.m. until the time of the Mass. Burial will be in St. John Cemetery.
The family would like to extend a sincere thank you to the Staff and Caregivers at Country Villa Assisted Living in Freedom. Words cannot express our extreme gratefulness for the compassion and dignity that was provided to Glady while in your care. We regret that we can’t thank you all personally as we shared so much time and mutual concern together. We pray for you, as healthcare workers, as you work tirelessly to help others. We also want to thank Heartland Hospice for your support and assistance with Glady’s end journey and St Nicholas Catholic Church in Freedom for sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with the residents of Country Villa.
A memorial is being established in Glady’s honor |
1932 - 2021 (89 years)
