Ethyl Helen (Walker) VandeBerg, 102, was born March 26, 1914, to Bert and Louise Walker in Owen, Wisc. She joined a 3-year-old sister, Violet, at the farm. She passed away at home Sept. 7, 2016.
Ethyl attended a rural, eight grade school and graduated from high school in Granton, Wisc. From the age of 8, when she was recovering from a ruptured appendix, she wanted to be a nurse. However, 1932 was the Great Depression time, and the easiest thing to do was to go the county normal school for a year and teach in the rural schools of the county.
At 19, she began teaching 50 children in eight grades near home. She often said that she learned more that first year than the children did.
She married Loyd VandeBerg and went to Chicago where he taught sailors at Navy Pier how to weld. During World War II, Ethyl worked as a file clerk and switchboard operator at a factory until Loyd entered the U.S. Air Force and she was able to follow him to air bases in Texas and Louisiana.
After the war they attended classes at Stout State University in Menomonie, Wisc. In 1947, Loyd accepted a position at Eastern Washington State College and they moved to Cheney. Ethyl completed her degree at Eastern and taught at Plaza, Wash. for two years. She later taught home economics at Eastern and kindergarten at the campus school.
She also earned a master's of education degree from the University of Missouri. She taught kindergarten at Sprague, Wash. until 1958 when her daughter, Janie, was adopted. She returned to kindergarten teaching in 1968, first at Betz Elementary and then at Salnave School in Cheney and retired in 1980.
Although Loyd remained a big part of her life they divorced in 1981. She continued to watch over him until his death in 2001. Ethyl was a 50-plus year member of the Cheney United Methodist Church and was consistently active in the church, retiring at the age of 97. She was also a longtime member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood and the Order of Eastern Star.
Throughout her life, Ethyl had many grand adventures, including driving halfway across the U.S. when she was 87, and trips with her daughter to Europe and the U.S.
During the last few years of her life, she enjoyed knitting afghans for the church bazaar, playing with her "grand-puppy," Maggie, listening to audio books and playing "Solitaire" and "Angry Birds" on her iPad.
She was preceded in death by her former husband, Loyd, her parents and two sisters. She is survived by daughters Janie VandeBerg and Becky Reilly, her "grand-puppy," as well as many nieces, nephews, great nieces/nephews, great-great nieces/nephews, etc.
A memorial service will be held at the United Methodist Church of Cheney at 10 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 24. Memorial contributions may be made to the United Methodist Church of Cheney. Cheney Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Visit Ethyl's online guestbook at cheneyfuneral.com.
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