Violet Jean Vanness

As you danced in the light with joy, love lifted you. As you brushed against this world so gently, you lifted us. Violet (Vi) Van Ness departed this world on February 15, 2009 in the home of her daughter Shelley Fox, San Antonio, Texas, surrounded by of her loving family members. Violet Jean Allen was born in Haileybury, Ontario, Canada on May 18, 1922 to Annabella Marie Theriault-Allen and Thomas Stuart Allen. She graduated from French Catholic high school in 1939 and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1941 for the duration of the war. During her service she was stationed in Brandon Manitoba and Gander Air Station, Newfoundland Canada. It was at Gander where she met Bruce O. Van Ness, of Lexington, Virginia. They married on December 23, 1943. She was discharged honorably from the RCAF, and traveled with Bruce throughout his military career. They were stationed in the states of Oklahoma, Georgia, Maine, and Alaska.. They also spent five years in Great Britain. Wherever they went Violet relished the culture and made lifelong friendships. Upon Bruce's retirement in 1960 they made their home in Bruce's home town of Lexington, Virginia, on Grey Ledge Acres. In 1963 they moved to Minot, North Dakota where they lived in Eastwood Park. After a 59 year marriage, Bruce passed in 2003. In 2007 Violet moved to San Antonio, Texas. Violet was a compassionate, selfless gentle woman who loved her family unconditionally and held her friendships dear to her. She was an excellent seamstress, an antique collector, loved raising and arranging flowers, and like to dabble in oil painting, ceramics and stained glass art work. She was an avid bingo player in her younger years Violet enjoyed many years watching all of her daughters play softball and was always the teams number one fan. Violet was preceded in death by her Mother and Father, husband Bruce, and son in law Lucien (Luke) Rock, whom she spent hours with conversing in French. Violet was a longtime member of the First Presbyterian Church, Minot, where she was involved in the ladies circles for many years. Those who will miss her deeply and were honored to have shared her life: daughters Ashley Van Ness, Bothell, WA., Veronica Klosterman-Rock, Minot, ND, Shelley Fox (Don) San Antonio, TX, Allison Van Ness-Reiswig, (Jody) Minot, ND. Grandchildren: Bruce Smetana (Alyssa), Brian Smetana, both Missoula, MT. Dana Wastjer (Jenny) Bothell, WA, Laurel Klosterman (De Etta Stevens) Stillwater, MN, Paul Klosterman, Minneapolis, MN, Ashley Rinehart (Tim) Safford, AZ, Vannessa Barta (Michael) El Paso, TX, Jonathan Fox, San Antonio, TX, Shannon Reiswig, Houston, TX, Jody Thorpe, Elizabeth and Annie Pons, Minot, ND and their father Skip. Great Grandchildren Sharla, Addie, Colton, Brooke, and Brady Smetana, Amber, Kaila and T.J. Rinehart, Davis and Grace Violet Wastjer and Craig Martin. Funeral: Friday, February 20, 2009 at First Presbyterian Church, Minot, ND at 11 a.m. Burial: Rosehill Memorial Park, Minot, ND Visitation: Thursday, from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Thompson-Larson Funeral Home, Minot. To sign the guestbook go to: http://www.thompsonlarson.com/obituaries/van%20ness%20violet.html

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