Cathrine De Vries

CATHRINE EMMA DE VRIES was born to Cornelius and Bertha (Heil) Baas on April 23, 1934 in Melvin, Iowa. With sister Ethel, they moved to Woodstock, Minnesota, in 1944 and became members of the Christian Reformed Church in Pipestone. On September 22, 1950, she married Wilmer De Vries and together they farmed the family farm until moving to Pipestone. There, Cathrine supported her husband’s business ventures, most famously organizing the John Deere Days and Farmer’s Center.

An accomplished pianist/organist by age 16, Cathrine began playing for church services, holidays, weddings, funerals and other special occasions. Cathrine was a go-getter and always on the move. She enjoyed crafts, bowling, gardening and cooking, surprising her family with new dishes regularly – and no plant could escape her green thumb! She loved birds, especially hummingbirds, cardinals, martens and wrens and had a small collection of figurines including sparrows from Dr. Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral.

At age 75, Cathrine became a Good Samaritan Nursing Home volunteer, and at age 80, became the volunteer coordinator. Her light shone brightly while helping at Good Sam. She would spend most of her weekdays there, and would play piano for their Sunday Services until she retired in 2017. Her health began to decline, so in 2019 she moved into Sunrise Senior Home in Jasper, before relocating to Ridgeview in Pipestone in 2020. In February 2022 she entered the care of the Pipestone Hospice House and passed away there on Monday, September 26, 2022 at the age of 88.

Cathrine will be lovingly remembered by family as a woman of grace, light, love, joy, song and laughter.

She is survived by her daughter, Diane (Alan) Korte of Pipestone; two grandchildren, Sandra (Roy Heuven van Staereling) Van Ruler of the Netherlands, and David (Kelly) Van Ruler of Arizona; five great-grandchildren, Colton (Taryn) Stanek, Brianna (Joshua) Stanek-Dolieslager, Mary-Diane (Adrian) Aguayo, Autumn Van Ruler and Gabriel Van Ruler; one great-great-grandson, Flynn Stanek; and one brother, Marlin (Evelyn) Baas of Morris, Minnesota.

Preceded in death by her husband, Wilmer De Vries; infant granddaughter, Valerie Van Ruler; baby great-grandson, Aren Van Ruler; her parents, Cornie and Bertha Baas; one infant sister, BettyAnn; and one sister, Ethel Cramer.