Deborah “Deb” Vonnahme Pedersen, 60, of Dunlap, Illinois and formerly of Arcadia, passed away on Sunday, March 9, 2014 at her home.
Mass of the Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 14, 2014 at St. John’s Catholic Church in Arcadia. The Celebrant will be Fr. Gary Snyder. Music will be by Darlene Leiting and the St. John’s Choir. Lector for the funeral mass will be Ron Eich. Gift Bearers will be Deb’s nieces. Casket Bearers will be: John Guthrie, Scott Bothun, Michael Benham, Mark Vonnahme, Mike Renze, and Dennis Vonnahme. Burial will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cemetery.
Friends may call at the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll after 4:30 p.m. on Thursday where there will be a rosary at 5 p.m. and a Christian Wake Service at 7 p.m.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll and online condolences may be left for Deb’s family at www.sharpfuneral.com.
Memorials may be left at the funeral home or the church for Kuemper Catholic Schools or St. John’s Parish in Arcadia.
Deborah was born on April 30, 1953, in Carroll, Iowa, the daughter of Erwin and Rita (Behrens) Vonnahme. She married Robert F. Pedersen on August 4, 1973, at St. John’s Catholic Church in Arcadia, Iowa.
Deb graduated from the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa, with a B.A. in 1975 and an M.A. in 1982. She directed theatre and taught secondary speech and English in the Waterloo and West Des Moines, Iowa, School Districts until the family’s move to the Peoria area in 1991.
She was an avid gardener, reader, writer, genealogist, supporter of the arts, and traveler having traveled to all 50 states plus numerous foreign countries. She spent many hours in the Dunlap/Peoria area serving on various boards and committees for her church, the Dunlap School District, and WTVP as an on-air host. She also was a member of various philanthropic groups, including P.E.O. Chapter FQ. Her greatest joy was spending time with family and friends.
She was a member of St. Jude Catholic Church where she served as a lector, Eucharistic Minister, and former president of the Women of St. Jude.
Survivors include her husband, Bob Pedersen of Dunlap, IL; her children: Dr. Katrina S. (Travis Wilson) Pedersen of Rochester, Minn., and Dr. Robert D. Pedersen of New York, NY; grandson, Henry F. Wilson; four siblings, Dr. Robert H. (Janice) Vonnahme of Manning, Iowa, John H. (Kathy) Vonnahme of Adel, Iowa, Jane (John) Guthrie of San Ramon, Calif., and Connie (Ernie) DeLost of San Diego, Calif.; sisters-in-law, Judy Hunter Vonnahme of Des Moines, Iowa and Susan Pedersen (David) Hopkins of Nicholasville, Ky.; seven nieces; three nephews; and numerous great-nephews and nieces, plus aunts, uncles, and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and youngest brother, Daniel A. Vonnhame.
