Obituary for Madelon "Tootie" Seuntjens
Madelon “Tootie” Seuntjens, age 86, of Danbury, Iowa, passed away on Sunday, January 7, 2017, at the Maple Heights Nursing Home of Mapleton, Iowa.
A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, January 12, 2018 at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Danbury, Iowa. Father Richard D. Ball will officiate; with Committal Services following in the Danbury Catholic Cemetery, of Danbury, Iowa. A visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with a Rosary at 4:00 p.m. and a Vigil Service at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, January 11, 2018 at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Danbury, Iowa. The Armstrong - Van Houten Funeral Home of Danbury and Mapleton, Iowa is in charge of the funeral arrangements. Condolences may be sent online www.armstrongfuneral.com.
Madelon D’Ette “Tootie” (Sexton) Seuntjens died January 7, 2018 in Mapleton Iowa. She was born on March 24, 1931 to Leslie and Gretta (Henry) Sexton.
Tootie graduated from St. Patrick’s Academy in Danbury in 1948. She attended Briar Cliff College for one year and obtained her RN degree from St. Joseph Mercy School of Nursing in Sioux City in 1952.
Tootie married Clair Seuntjens on February 6, 1954. She worked at St. Joseph Hospital, for Dr. Louis Harrington and Morningside Manor Nursing Home in Ida Grove. When Clair and Tootie moved to the farm north of Danbury, her priorities changed and she became a housewife. They moved to the farm southeast of Danbury in 1964, which was home for the next thirty years.
Tootie was an instrumental part of a “famous” group that started out as the Danbury Ding-a-lings and progressed to Nuns-on-the-Run. They started out on the stage at Danbury Corn Days and preformed hundreds of shows and raised nearly $100,000. They donated all of their proceeds to local organizations and worthy causes. Tootie was the original “Mother Superior”.
Tootie was active in the St. Mary’s Rosary Society and enjoyed the local Red Hat Society. She never met a person she didn’t like, but liked some better than others! She loved to play bridge and euchre. She organized several out of state bus trips for local women.
Tootie and Clair were fortunate to winter in Palm Desert, California for 35 years. They loved to travel with both family and friends. They often traveled for Clair’s army reunions and visited Washington DC, Boston, Niagara Falls, several trips to Florida and Las Vegas and even enjoyed a cruise. They attended the Indianapolis 500 and the 1982 Rose Bowl game in Pasadena (Washington vs. Iowa). In 1998 she fulfilled her lifelong dream of traveling to Ireland with family and friends.
Tootie’s greatest joy was being “on the go”, whether it was attending her children’s or grandchildren’s activities, shopping, playing cards, or going on ANY excursion. Tootie developed the motto “Life is short. Take the trip. Buy the shoes. Eat the cake.”
Family members left to cherish Tootie’s memories are: three daughters: Liz (Tom) Vermeersch of Council Bluffs, Heidi (Ron) Reed of Norwalk, Jill (Gary) Sailer of Overland Park, KS; three sons: Kurt (Cindy) of Danbury, Carey (Pete) of Dunlap, and Nathan (Barney) (Jen) of Denison; a son-in-law, Grant Kruse and his wife, Cindy of West Des Moines, 22 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren; two brothers: Stan (Danbury) and Jon (Pasadena, CA).
Tootie is preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Clair, their daughter Susan, two infant daughters Mary Jane and Kathleen and son John, her parents Leslie and Gretta and brother Tom (Buzz).
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A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, January 12, 2018 at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Danbury, Iowa. Father Richard D. Ball will officiate; with Committal Services following in the Danbury Catholic Cemetery, of Danbury, Iowa. A visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with a Rosary at 4:00 p.m. and a Vigil Service at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, January 11, 2018 at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Danbury, Iowa. The Armstrong - Van Houten Funeral Home of Danbury and Mapleton, Iowa is in charge of the funeral arrangements. Condolences may be sent online www.armstrongfuneral.com.
Madelon D’Ette “Tootie” (Sexton) Seuntjens died January 7, 2018 in Mapleton Iowa. She was born on March 24, 1931 to Leslie and Gretta (Henry) Sexton.
Tootie graduated from St. Patrick’s Academy in Danbury in 1948. She attended Briar Cliff College for one year and obtained her RN degree from St. Joseph Mercy School of Nursing in Sioux City in 1952.
Tootie married Clair Seuntjens on February 6, 1954. She worked at St. Joseph Hospital, for Dr. Louis Harrington and Morningside Manor Nursing Home in Ida Grove. When Clair and Tootie moved to the farm north of Danbury, her priorities changed and she became a housewife. They moved to the farm southeast of Danbury in 1964, which was home for the next thirty years.
Tootie was an instrumental part of a “famous” group that started out as the Danbury Ding-a-lings and progressed to Nuns-on-the-Run. They started out on the stage at Danbury Corn Days and preformed hundreds of shows and raised nearly $100,000. They donated all of their proceeds to local organizations and worthy causes. Tootie was the original “Mother Superior”.
Tootie was active in the St. Mary’s Rosary Society and enjoyed the local Red Hat Society. She never met a person she didn’t like, but liked some better than others! She loved to play bridge and euchre. She organized several out of state bus trips for local women.
Tootie and Clair were fortunate to winter in Palm Desert, California for 35 years. They loved to travel with both family and friends. They often traveled for Clair’s army reunions and visited Washington DC, Boston, Niagara Falls, several trips to Florida and Las Vegas and even enjoyed a cruise. They attended the Indianapolis 500 and the 1982 Rose Bowl game in Pasadena (Washington vs. Iowa). In 1998 she fulfilled her lifelong dream of traveling to Ireland with family and friends.
Tootie’s greatest joy was being “on the go”, whether it was attending her children’s or grandchildren’s activities, shopping, playing cards, or going on ANY excursion. Tootie developed the motto “Life is short. Take the trip. Buy the shoes. Eat the cake.”
Family members left to cherish Tootie’s memories are: three daughters: Liz (Tom) Vermeersch of Council Bluffs, Heidi (Ron) Reed of Norwalk, Jill (Gary) Sailer of Overland Park, KS; three sons: Kurt (Cindy) of Danbury, Carey (Pete) of Dunlap, and Nathan (Barney) (Jen) of Denison; a son-in-law, Grant Kruse and his wife, Cindy of West Des Moines, 22 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren; two brothers: Stan (Danbury) and Jon (Pasadena, CA).
Tootie is preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Clair, their daughter Susan, two infant daughters Mary Jane and Kathleen and son John, her parents Leslie and Gretta and brother Tom (Buzz).
Previous Events
Visitation
Thursday
11
Jan
4:00 PM
- 7:00 PM
St. Mary's Catholic Church-Danbury
604 Peach Street
Danbury, IA 51019
Rosary 4:00 p.m. Vigil Service 7:00 p.m.
Funeral Service
Friday
12
Jan
10:30 AM
St. Mary's Catholic Church-Danbury
604 Peach Street
Danbury, IA 51019
Cemetery Details
Location
Danbury Catholic Cemetery
Danbury, IA 51019
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