Elizabeth Vanderploeg

Elizabeth Vanderploeg, age 73 of Monroe, passed away on Sunday, February 24, 2019 at her home. Memorial services will be held on Saturday, March 2, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Newton. The family will greet friends from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Coburn Funeral Home in Monroe on Friday, March 1, 2019. Memorials may be directed to the Monroe Fire Department or Alzheimer's Association. Condolences may be left for the family at www.coburnfuneralhomes.com Elizabeth Russell Greenslade Vanderploeg was born on October 28, 1945 to Thomas Bordman Greenslade and Mary Esther MacWilliam Greenslade in New York City. Beth grew up on Staten Island, New York and graduated from Curtis High School in 1963. Beth attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and graduated in 1967 with a Home Economics degree. While at Cornell, Beth met the love of her life, Ruard Arthur Vanderploeg, Jr. They married on April 20, 1968 in Gambier, Ohio. Two months later, they joined the Peace Corp and served for two years in India. They taught for two years at Scattergood Friends School in West Branch, Iowa, where they w...[more]

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omed their first child, Jennifer. In 1973, Ruard and Beth began farming the Vanderploeg family farm near Reasoner, Iowa. They had two more daughters, Sarah and Katherine. Beth took great joy in cooking, making candy, gardening and raising flowers. She started Everlasting Flowers to sell dried flowers and was one of the early vendors at the Des Moines Farmers Market, selling flowers and pies. Beth was a Camp Fire leader and never missed any of her children's activities. She sang in the choir at St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Newton and worked for many years in the floral department of the Newton HyVee. Her family remembers her devotion to her family, her irreverent sense of humor and her eternal optimism. Beth is survived by her husband of nearly 51 years, Ruard; her daughters Jennifer (Lance) Hewitt of O'Fallon, Illinois; Sarah Vanderploeg of Des Moines; Kate McElderry of Lenexa, Kansas; her grandchildren Adrienne and Alexander Hewitt, Olivia Vanderploeg, Ethan and Eva McElderry; her brother Dr. Thomas (Sonia) Greenslade of Gambier, Ohio; her nephews Thomas Greenslade of Naughtingham, Ohio and Russell (Regina) Greenslade of Colombus, Ohio.