Vincent E. Vanderah, 92, of Ankeny, passed away on Monday, June 11, 2012 at Mercy Hospice in Johnston. Vince was born October 17, 1919 in Haverhill, Iowa to Henry and Josephine Vanderah. He was the seventh of ten children. Vince grew up working on the family farm, playing baseball for the town team and graduated from Van Cleve High School in 1937. He later graduated from Marshalltown Jr. College in 1940, was inducted into the US Army in April 1942 and received his commission in the field artillery at Fort Sill, OK. During WWII he served in Normandy, northern France, the Ardennes, and the Rhineland and Central European campaigns. At the...
Vincent E. Vanderah, 92, of Ankeny, passed away on Monday, June 11, 2012 at Mercy Hospice in Johnston. Vince was born October 17, 1919 in Haverhill, Iowa to Henry and Josephine Vanderah. He was the seventh of ten children. Vince grew up working on the family farm, playing baseball for the town team and graduated from Van Cleve High School in 1937. He later graduated from Marshalltown Jr. College in 1940, was inducted into the US Army in April 1942 and received his commission in the field artillery at Fort Sill, OK. During WWII he served in Normandy, northern France, the Ardennes, and the Rhineland and Central European campaigns. At the close of the war he was in command of Headquarters Battery, 578th Field Artillery Battalion. For his military efforts he was awarded the Bronze Star. After his discharge from the Army, Vince continued serving his country for more than thirty years in the Iowa National Guard, achieving the rank of Brigadier General.
Arriving home from the war he married Marian Esther Jansen on April 24, 1946 in Haverhill. He resumed his job with the Social Security Board, moving to Ankeny in 1947, working for the IRS until his retirement. He then obtained his Real Estate Broker's License and operated Vanderah Real Estate and Tax Service. Vince enjoyed operating a small farm, was a regular patron of the Bear's Restaurant and known as 'The General' by the regular breakfast crowd at the Ankeny Café. He was always known to wear a suit coat and tie and earned the respect and admiration of many, many people.
Vince was generous with his time, devoting it to several organizations. He was a founding member of Our Lady's Immaculate Heart Catholic Parish in Ankeny and was active in the Knights of Columbus, the Fourth Degree Knights, Past Grand Knight, and the St. Vincent DePaul Society. He was a past Commander of the Albaugh-McGovern American Legion Post 42 in Ankeny. He served as Chapter 148 President of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) and as President of the Iowa Federation of Chapters of NARFE.
Vince was preceded in death by his wife Esther on April 24, 2002, and is survived by their children, Patricia (Ivan) Parker, Philip (Nancy) Vanderah, Joseph Vanderah and Steven (Lori) Vanderah; sister, Norma (Frank) Polley; nine grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. Preceding him in death were his brothers, Alvin, Victor, Henry, Arthur, Clair and sisters, Henrietta Goodman, Marie Wilberding and Verena Knoll.
Visitation will be 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., with a 5:00 p.m. rosary, Thursday, June 14 with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m., Friday, June 15, 2012 both at Our Lady's Immaculate Heart Catholic Church in Ankeny. Burial with military honors will follow at Ankeny Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that memorial contributions be made to Mercy Hospice or Bishop Drumm Retirement Center, both in Johnston, Iowa.