Jeanne Helen Glienke

Jeanne Helen Glienke, age 79, of Alta, Iowa died March 16, 2023 at Methodist Manor in Storm Lake. Funeral services will take place Monday, March 20, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. at St. John Lutheran Church – Hanover in rural Alta, Iowa. Burial will be in the St. John Lutheran Cemetery. Visitation will be held Sunday, March 19, 2023 from 3-5:00 p.m. at the CHURCH. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Alta is in charge of the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Orphan Grain Train or the Good Shepherd Hour of Sioux City Iowa. God took the greatest care when He created Jeanne Helen Berry Glienke because He knew the world needed a very special person. Jeanne was born on October 21, 1943 to Charles and Doris Berry in Cherokee, Iowa. She was baptized on March 31, 1946 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Cherokee, Iowa and confirmed her faith on April 24, 1966 at St John’s Lutheran Church, Hanover. God knew that Martin would need a helpmate to bring him joy and walk beside him step by step, so God made Jeanne. She was born a city girl, having grown up in Cherokee, Iowa, but it wasn’t long before Martin saw her across the room while playing pool with his buddies and shortly after made her a farmer’s wife on August 14, 1966. “She was beautiful,” he recalls when he thinks back to that day. They were meant for each other. Martin and Jeanne placed Christ at the center of their lives and marriage. God walked beside them as they walked hand in hand up and down the rows in the fields. God knew Rick, Dan, Susie, and Ann would need a mother who not only loved to bring sweet treats to the table but to fill their ears with the love of Jesus that would be passed down from generation to generation, so God made Jeanne. No matter how late in the evening, during harvest season Jeanne packed the kids and the cooler and as a family they sat on the tailgate to eat supper together. Her calling as a farm wife and mother never dulled her impact on her friendships or the community. She created a life for all, decorated and accented with her personal flair. God knew the Glienke farmhouse would need a host to make many family meals and to add extra leaves in the table as the family never stopped growing, so God made Jeanne. Because of Jeanne, holidays became filled with crafting, cooking, and an overabundance of love in the farmhouse where she gained her favorite title of ‘grandma.’ God knew He needed someone to boldly speak with a love for people that went beyond those in her circle, so God made Jeanne. Many people became family and she gathered friends to play bridge, or create new stories through quilting. She loved tending her colorful gardens, taking special care of her geraniums, and placing numerous American flags among the blooms. God needed a faithful, servant-hearted woman to love His flock and hold tight to the Word of God, so God made Jeanne. Not a day goes by that we don’t thank the Lord for creating Jeanne. As we look at the love for Jesus that we, our own children and grandchildren have, we know it all began with our mom who loved the Lord. We can only pray that when our time comes to see her once again, our Bibles will be just as worn as mom’s. Jeanne is welcomed into the waiting arms of Jesus and her parents, Charles and Doris (McDeid) Berry. On earth, her life is celebrated by her husband, Martin Glienke; sister: Sandy & Allen Scharf; children: Rick & Shelley Glienke, Dan & Kimberly Glienke, Susie & Jim Kolterman, and Ann & Art Gustafson; grandchildren: Tyler Glienke, Chris Glienke, Alex Gustafson, Emma (Kolterman) & Cody Tiesman, Amelia Gustafson, Elise (Kolterman) & Caleb Iler, Charles & Ashley Kolterman, Aaron & Trinity Gustafson, Henry Kolterman, Philip & Makenzie Kolterman, Nathan Kolterman; and great-grandchildren: Cooper Tiesman, Tobias Kolterman and Baby Tiesman, expected September.

Jeanne Helen Glienke

October 21, 1943 - March 16, 2023