Oct. 27, 1928 - Jan. 15, 2007
PRINSBURG -- Gladys Elaine Groen, 78, of Prinsburg, died Monday at Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar, of congestive heart failure.
The service will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Emden Christian Reformed Church in Renville. Burial will be at the church cemetery.
Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Tri-County Funeral Home in Prinsburg and for one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday.
She was born Oct. 27, 1928, in Willmar to Jerry and Jeanette (Roelofs) Apol. She grew up in the Prinsburg area and attended District 102 and Central Minnesota Christian School in Prinsburg. She graduated from Clara City High School in 1946 and attended normal teachers training in Montevideo for one year. She taught school for four years.
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She married John Groen on July 25, 1950, in Prinsburg. They lived and farmed in Ericson Township until 1996, when they moved into Prinsburg. She worked at RenVilla Nursing Home for 24 years. She moved to Alterra Sterling House in Willmar and the Prinsburg Assisted Living Center.
She was a member of Emden Christian Reformed Church, where she taught Sunday school, sang in the church choir and small groups, was a volunteer for Crossroads Prison Ministries, and held offices in mission society and ladies aid.
She is survived by her children: Curtis (and Judy) Groen of Renville, Larry (and Patricia) Groen of Prinsburg, Ron (and Cherie) Groen of Racine, Wis., Debra (and Tim) Ouwinga of Orange City, Iowa, Susan (and Bryan) DeGroot of Prinsburg; 16 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and three siblings: Dallas (and Gladys) Apol of Sioux Center, Iowa, Marilyn (and Junior) Nieuwenhuis of Prinsburg, and Ardys Zondervan of Prinsburg.
She was preceded in death by her husband in 2001; and twin granddaughters.
