Died: Thu., Sep. 18, 2014
Visitation5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Sun., Sep. 21, 2014
Location: Fielding Funeral Home
Funeral Service10:30 AM Mon., Sep. 22, 2014
Location: Fielding Funeral Home
Neva Pearl (Holder) Duer (98) went to be with her Lord and Savior on September 18, 2014. She was born to Pearl (Collver) Holder and George Thomas Holder, on October 29, 1915. She joined sisters Ethel and Edith. A couple of years later she got a little brother, Thomas Holder. Her mother died when Neva was only three. She remembers saying, “Mama sleeping”. Her Dad never remarried so with the help of his sisters raised four kids. Neva worked hard all her life. She only finished eighth grade. She did mention that she along with her sister Ethel got 100 on a spelling test and won a prize. As children they never had much. I remember her saying one year she got an ever sharp pencil for Christmas. She worked at the county farm for a time when she was growing up. She met Chester William Duer at an activity in either Chariton or Russell. They married on February 17, 1934. They had five children: Bill, Geneva,Tom, Nancy and Patty. Neva accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior one Saturday night when she went to church with her mother-in-law, Anna Head. Later, she and Bill were baptized by immersion at the First Baptist Church in Russell, Iowa, where she is still a member. Neva worked hard. In some papers found that she had written a short history of all the places she lived at were too many even for an accountant to keep track. In 1946, they bought a farm north of Melrose, Iowa. While living on the farm, part of her duties were to milk several cows twice a day, as well as during harvest time, shruck two loads of corn a day. She also had a huge garden, so canned a lot to provide food for the family. She worked for a while in Russell candling eggs. Later she worked at the Russell Sale Barn for thirty years as a cook. She made a lot of pies and homemade noodles there. She retired from there when she was 75. Besides working at the sale barn, she cleaned houses, wall papered for people and cared for her sister, Ethel, and her brother, Thomas, who both lived at Southgate Apartments in Chariton. One of her hobbies was making quilts. In the early years she would make patch work quilts by sewing pieces together and then tying them. The last several years she has used two full pieces of material, tied them and hemmed them. She did many for the church, missionaries, and for the last several years has made and donated over 1,000 such quilts to the Alpha Women’s Center in the Des Moines and Ankeny locations. She even did almost 120 since she moved to the care facility of which sixty have been kept for future generations. She lived on the farm for sixty-two years. Later she moved to Russell, Iowa to be near her church. Nearly three years ago she moved to Ankeny, Iowa to live with her daughter Patty until eight months ago when she moved to Trinity Center at Luther Park, Des Moines, Iowa, where she was able to finely rest on September 18, 2014, when she went home to heaven. Her last move and permanent home with her Savior! Neva had a great love for children. She would always light up when a little child would come to see her. Even the other day she had been sleeping when she was told that there was a little one to see her (one of her great-great granddaughters). She woke right away. Later that same week she didn’t realize that four of her great-great grandchildren had come to see her. Neva was preceded in death by her parents, siblings, her husband, and son-in-law, Lindell Bequette. She has left quite a legacy. Neva is survived by her children, Bill (Carol) Duer of Melrose, Iowa; Geneva Baquette of Monahans, Texas; Tom (Sally) Duer of Runnells, Iowa; Nancy Moore of Des Moines, Iowa; and Patty Duer of Ankeny, Iowa. She is also survived by her grandchildren Doug Duer, Linda Friestad, Lauri (Wrandy) Polo, Michelle (Todde) Folkerts, Kirk (Lori) Duer, Scott (Michelle) Duer, John (Julie) Duer, Betty (Pat) Howell, Tina (Bruce) Amos, Lisa (Tim) Croushorn, and her step-grandchildren Dennis (Pauline) Bequette and Christiana Bequette. As of the time of her home going, she has had 26 great grandchildren and 8 great-great grandchildren with one more (for now) on the way. Family has always been very important to Neva . She loves us all the same! Memorials may be given to the First Baptist Church in Russell, Iowa.
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