Valeta (Jacobson) Ostrander

Valeta Darlene Jacobson Ostrander with son Mark, daughter Amy, sister Janet, and brother-in-law Don at her side, died Monday, January 23, 2023 at her home after a long illness. Private family burial will be at Northlawn Cemetery in Iowa Falls at a later date. Born October 27, 1946 in Iowa Falls, Val was the second daughter of four girls in the Vernon and Iva (Brown) Jacobson family. She attended and graduated from Iowa Falls High School in 1965. As a young woman, she pursued a nursing career, first obtaining her LPN degree in 1971 and then later, returning and graduating from Des Moines Mercy School of Nursing in 1989 as a RN. She loved working on the OB/GYN floor at Des Moines General and on 8 North at Mercy Hospital. Val truly loved caring for people and found the greatest of friends through nursing. Val lived a simple life, grounded in her faith, spiced by her incredible wit, and fueled by her children and grandchildren. You could always count on her to be slightly inappropriate when she thought she could catch you off-guard. Val loved to cook with her homemade chicken and noodles being her specialty. As her children grew, she picked back up her passions of reading, gardening, and crafting. Throughout her life, there were few things that were consistent. She was always busy at 11:00 am when “Young and the Restless” was on and conversations were short when there was a football game on. Most people have a favorite team, but Val had a favorite sport. For five months of the year, she had dates with her favorite quarterbacks most nights of the week. Left to share loving memories are son Mark (Talene) Ostrander of Colorado Springs, CO; daughter Amy (David) Croll, grandchildren Katelyn and Ben Croll of Urbandale, Iowa: sisters Janet (Don) Wall of Des Moines, Sharon Smith, Hutto, TX, and several nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, her sister Kathryn (Jacobson) Andersen of Hampton, IA, and brother-in-law Allen Smith of Marion, IA. Memorial contributions can be made in Val’s name to Friends of Johnston Public Library, 6700 Merle Hay Road, Johnston IA 50131 or Urbandale Friends of the Park, c/o Urbandale Parks and Recreation, 3600 86th Street, Urbandale, IA 50322.

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Valeta (Jacobson) Ostrander

October 27, 1946 - January 23, 2023