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Herman Gerken (1819-1875)
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| Oliva (Gerken) Janssen was a daughter of William and Carolina (Wuebbelt) Gerken. Oliva was a first cousin to my grandfather, Ewald Gerken. Oliva's father William was a brother to Henry Gerken, my great-grandfather. T.L. | ||||
William and Oliva (Gerken) Janssen
Oliva Constance Gerken was born on July 7, 1901, at the family homestead east of Dyersville, Iowa, the last of six children born to William and Carolina (Wuebbelt) Gerken. Her siblings were Bill, Laura, Oscar, Thecla, and Ludwig. Oliva also had seven half-brothers and sisters, Addie, John, Frank, Henry, Leo, Rudy, and Molly, who were children of William Gerken and his first wife, Elizabeth Sudmeier, who died in 1888. The name given her at birth was Carolina Olivia Constantia Gerken.
Oliva Gerken married William P. Janssen on June 3, 1931 [March 3?], at St. Francis Xavier Church in Dyersville, Iowa, with her brother Rudolph Gerken, bishop of Amarillo, officiating the wedding. William Janssen, who was called "Shorty," was born on May 13, 1899.
Shorty and Olive farmed at Umbarger, Texas, where they were members of St. Mary's Catholic Church. Oliva was a member of St. Mary's Altar Society and the Catholic Daughters of America. Shorty was a member of the Knights of Columbus and sold their insurance for years.
William and Oliva Janssen had two children, Mary Frances Janssen and James J. Janssen, whom they adopted.
Mrs. Oliva (Gerken) Janssen dies.
Mrs. Oliva "Olive" Janssen, 74, a resident of Umbarger, Texas, died Thursday, August 22, 1975, at St. Anthony's Hospital in Amarillo, Texas. Friends and relatives called Sunday, August 25, and Monday, August 26, at 7:30 p.m. at the Schooler-Gordon Chapel in Canyon for a congregational prayer service and rosary.
The funeral mass was read at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, August 27, at St. Mary's Catholic Church at Umbarger. The Reverend Jack Gist, pastor of St. Ann's Catholic Church at Canyon, officiated at all three services. Burial was in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Umbarger. Pallbearers were Howard Gerken, Paul Gerken, Mark Gerken, Ed Gerken, John Wieck, and Carl Kleuskens.
Mrs. Janssen was survived by her husband, William P. Janssen; a son, Jimmy J. Janssen of rural Amarillo, Texas; a daughter, Mrs. Darrell Hersley of Idaho Falls, Idaho; nine grandchildren; a brother, Oscar E. Gerken of Dyersville, Ia.; and two sisters, Mrs. Molly Willenborg and Mrs. Thecla Bruggeman, both of Dyersville, Ia.
Attending the funeral of Mrs. Janssen were Mr. and Mrs. Oscar E. Gerken, Mrs. Thecla Bruggeman, Mrs. Vincent Bockenstedt, and Mr. and Mrs. Elmer V. Willenborg.
William P. Janssen dies.
William P. "Shorty" Janssen died on August 21, 1985.
Children of William and Oliva (Gerken) Janssen:
- Mary Frances Janssen. Mary Janssen married Darrell Hersley. Darrell Hersley was born on February 9, 1935. Darrell and Mary Hersley lived at Idaho Falls, Idaho, and they had five children. At the time of Mary's brother Jimmy's death in 2003, Mary was listed as living in Oregon.
Darrell Hersley was killed in a construction accident in April 1984.
- James J. Janssen was born on April 11, 1937, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and was an adopted son of William and Oliva (Gerken) Janssen. James, who was called "Jimmy," attended high school in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was a veteran of the Army. After returning home from the Army, he farmed around Canyon and Umbarger for many years. He moved to Florida and then to Georgia around 1982.
Jimmy Janssen married Mary Ann Irlbeck. Mary Ann Irlbeck was born on August 14, 1937, in Canyon, Texas, daughter of Frederick and Gertrude (Lutmer) Irlbeck. She graduated from Canyon High School in 1957. She was a 25-year employee of TCA Cable and a member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Amarillo.
Jimmy and Mary Ann Jansen had four children: Bobby Janssen, Pat Janssen, Chuck Janssen, and JoAnn Janssen.Mary Ann Janssen, 62, of Amarillo, Texas, died Monday, January 31, 2000. Funeral services were at 2 p.m., Friday, February 4, in St. Joseph's Catholic Church with Monsignor Raymond Crosier as celebrant. Burial was in Memory Gardens Cemetery.
Mrs. Janssen was survived by a daughter, JoAnn Janssen of Amarillo, Texas; two sons, Bobby Janssen of Wildorado, Texas, and Chuck Janssen of Amarillo, Texas; a sister, Charlotte McDaniel of Canyon, Texas; four brothers, Jim Irlbeck, Gilbert Irlbeck, Larry Irlbeck, and Ray Irlbeck, all of Canyon, Texas; a special friend, Carl Bryan of Happy; and eight grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a son, Pat Janssen, in 1986.Jimmy Janssen, 65, of Canyon, Texas, died Thursday, February 27, 2003. Services were at 2 p.m., Monday, March 3, in Brooks Funeral Directors Chapel, with the Rev. Phu Phan, pastor of St. Ann's Catholic Church, officiating. Burial was in Memory Gardens Cemetery.
Mr. Janssen was survived by a daughter, Jo Ann Janssen of Amarillo, Texas; two sons, Bobby Janssen of Vega, Texas, and Chuck Janssen of Amarillo, Texas; a sister, Mary Hersley of Oregon; seven grandchildren, Jason, Brad, Kyla, James, Brittney, Jennifer and Christopher Janssen; and a great-grandson, Austin Janssen. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Ann Janssen, in 2000; and a son, Pat Janssen, in 1986.
Sources for Jimmy and Mary Ann Jansen's obituaries:
Potter Co. TX - Obits from the Amarillo newspapers 2 March 2003, at http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tx/potter/obits/2003/030203.txt
Potter Co. TX - Obits from Amarillo Online Newspapers 2 Feb 2000 at http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tx/potter/obits/2000/02feb00.txt
Sources include, primarily, the obituary for Oliva (Gerken) Janssen from the Dyersville Commercial and A Family Tree of the William Gerken Family, updated by Sister Margaret Gerken in 1986.
Click here for the Gerken family history contents page.
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