Pearl VerMeulen

1931 - 2025

Pearl VerMeulen

Apr 6, 1931 - Oct 17, 2025

Pearl VerMeulen (née Peratrovich) 94, of Crown Point, IN, died peacefully at home on October 17. She was a member of St. Matthias Catholic Church in Crown Point.

Born in Klawock, Alaska in 1931, she was the youngest child of the late Nick Peratrovich and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Walter. She belonged to the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, of the Gaanax.adi clan, Kóox Hít (Marten House).

She is survived by daughters Linda (Merv) Barenie of Crown Point, IN, and Laura VerMeulen (Kirby Stanton) of Lacey, WA; seven grandchildren, all in Indiana: Lorrainne (Rick) Hageman of Chesterton; Claire Barenie of Crown Point; Danielle Barenie of Griffith, Natalie (Brad) Kreiger of Valparaiso, Donald (Thåo) Barenie and Mervyn (Kelly) Barenie of Merrillville, and Anthony (Mallorie) Barenie of Crown Point; and 4 great-granddaughters: Ada, Jennifer, Eloise, and Sophia.

In addition to her parents, Pearl is preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, Dan J. VerMeulen; her sisters Betty Olson, Margaret Karls, Nellie West, and Alice Levine; and her brothers Joe Peratrovich, Wilson Peratrovich, and Alex Peratrovich.

Pearl's many stories of growing up in Klawock included berry picking, playing basketball, seeing movies at her uncle Robert's theater, and listening to the town band. A survivor of the residential schools, she attended Wrangell Institute in Wrangell, AK; Mt. Edgecumbe Indian Boarding School in Sitka, AK; and ultimately graduated from Ketchikan High School in Ketchikan, AK. As a teenager, she spent summers working in the local salmon cannery.

Following graduation, she joined her sisters Margaret and Nellie in Seattle, WA, where she worked at Swedish Hospital. While in Seattle, she met and married Dan J. VerMeulen, who was stationed at McChord Air force Base in Tacoma, WA. Together, they lived in Wiesbaden Germany for 3 years before returning to the U.S. to start a family.

Pearl was an active mother and grandmother, involving her daughters in music and volunteering as a parent chaperone for the Crown Point marching band in the 1970s. She bowled in a league for many years, enjoyed gardening, sewing, perusing garage sales, and most of all attending every band concert, baseball game, and softball game in which her grandchildren played. She cherished the gifts of traditional Alaskan foods sent from her brother after she moved to Indiana.

Friends are invited to visit with the family on Thursday, November 6, 2025 at St. Matthias Catholic Church, 101 W Burrell Dr., Crown Point, IN 46307 from 10:00 am until the Memorial Mass at 11:00 am.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Dunes Hospice LLC.