Anna Vanbatavia

ANNA VANBATAVIA was born on November 4, 1942 to John and Henrietta (Smeins) Brommer. When Anna was an infant, her father John was killed in a car accident. Anna was then adopted by Chris DeGroot, who married Henrietta and raised Anna as his own. She spent her childhood in Luverne and was very active with her friends growing up, playing ball with the neighborhood kids, watching scary movies, and swimming. As she got older music became a very important part of her life. She played tenor drum in band while in high school and worked one of her favorite jobs, a car hop at A&W Drive in. She also cleaned the Rock County Bank. She graduated from Luverne High School in 1960 and immediately started working part time for the Rock County Bank as a teller, where she remained until her retirement in 2007. Anna married Virgil VanBatavia on November 2, 1962, but the couple later divorced. Anna took great pride in her work at the bank, where she worked nearly every position. She moved from part time to full time in 1971, working as a security loan officer, then a consumer loan officer, and eventually rose to the position of consumer mortgage lender vice president. After retirement in 2007, Anna worked part time for Manitou Carpets and remained very active in the community. On Thursday, March 10, 2022 Anna died peacefully surrounded by her family at the Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota at the age of 79 years, four months and six days.

Anna was a member of American Reformed Church for many years, serving as first grade Sunday school teacher for much of that time. Her love of music brought her many opportunities to serve, from the Tri-State Band Committee from 1986-2013, then as People’s Choice Judge from 2014-2017, and as a Parade Marshall in 2009. Anna was also an active member of the Luverne Chamber of Commerce and the Rock County Bankers Association. She participated in bowling league for many years and really enjoyed long rides in her convertible. But the most important thing to “Grandma Anna” was her family. She supported her grandchildren and greatgrandchildren by going to all of their events and spending as much time with them as she could. She is remembered for her many, many sayings, including: “love you more!” “slicker than snot on a glass doorknob,” “good stuff Maynard,” “colder than a well diggers ‘gizzard’!” and “day late and a dollar short!” Her quick wit, sense of humor, goofy pranks, and special, contagious laugh will be deeply missed by all who knew her. Anna was never afraid to talk to people and had a special gift at bringing out the best in those around her. She loved dressing up as the good witch for Halloween and baking hundreds of cupcakes to deliver them around town to the nursing homes, businesses, hospice cottage, and more. Anna also loved animals, especially her cats Toby and Muffy, who rocked her world. She could never go anywhere after work until she had stopped at home to let her cats out to play and make sure they felt loved. So loved they were served three course meals out of glass china dishes every day.

Anna is survived by her daughters Tammy (Tom) Johnson of Hardwick, Minnesota, and Debbie Pantekoek of Pipestone, Minnesota; 7 grandchildren Lyndsie (Brandon) Deragisch, Brandie (Justin) Hulstein, Kaila Hamann, Emilee (Nate) Haraldson, Nic (Melanie) Johnson, Torri (Austin) Raatz, and Jamie (Mason) Pantekoek; 6 great-grandchildren Kynslee Hulstein, Calyn Hulstein, Kamille Kooi, Kaenen Kooi, Gracie Deragisch, and Beckham Deragisch, as well as her cats Muffy and Toby and so many friends. Anna was preceded in death by her parents Chris and Henrietta DeGroot, her biological father John Brommer, and her brother Lloyd DeGroot.