Jean Van Atta Obituary

J. Leandra “Jean” Van Atta, cherished daughter, wife, mother and friend peacefully entered eternal rest on November 24, 2023 at age 96. Family will greet friends at Iles Dunn’s Chapel, 2121 Grand Avenue in Des Moines on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, from 1 to 2 p.m., followed by a memorial service at 2 p.m. A private interment will occur afterwards at Glendale Cemetery.

She was born February 15, 1927 in Wilno, Poland to Waldemar and Janina Moeller Von Moellerstein, who nicknamed their only child, Lusia (pronounced “Loosha”). In her later years, she recalled a happy childhood in a loving extended family before their lives were torn apart in September 1939 as World War II began in Poland. The city of Wilno was transferred to Lithuania, which was soon absorbed into the Soviet Union, and the city became known as Vilnius. Today, it is still Vilnius, but is the capital of the independent country of Lithuania. In 1939, twelve-year-old Lusia adapted, learning the Lithuanian language and culture. Her artist father adapted as well, working on a public works project to redo signage from Polish to Lithuanian.

Circumstances forced Lusia and her parents to leave Vilnius in 1941, eventually ending up in Linz, Austria. After the war ended in 1945, they decided to stay in Austria and rebuild their lives. Lusia resumed high school and graduated in 1948. She studied music at the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz, earning a performance certificate in voice and piano.

Austria was bustling with post-World War II economic reconstruction efforts. Lusia readily found work as a translator and also worked in a commissary set up by the U.S. and British Allied Forces. She was fluent in Polish, English, German and Russian. In October 1948, she met James M. “Jim” Van Atta at a friend’s birthday party, noticing his sweet smile. A native Iowan, Jim worked in the U.S. federal civil service as part of the European Recovery Program, better known as the Marshall Plan. In her expanding work and social circles, Lusia then went by the name Jane, an Anglicized version of her formal birth name, Janina. But after hearing Jim remark that he preferred the name Jean, she agreed to being called Jean and the rest is history.

Jim and Jean married on June 24, 1950 in Austria, before coming to the United States and settling in Des Moines. Jim began his career in the insurance industry while Jean took bookkeeping and business classes. She landed a job at Dial Financial, working there for several years until the couple started a family in West Des Moines.

Jim and Jean had four children: Matthew, Mark, Anne, and Julie. In an unimaginable twist of fate, Jim died suddenly in September 1964. Jean then became a young widow and raised her children as a single parent. With a family to support, Jean gained employment in banking operations at Iowa Des Moines National Bank, later known as Norwest Bancorporation, and eventually becoming part of Wells Fargo.

Jean was active in Des Moines’ musical culture for several decades. She was one of the organists at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in West Des Moines from the 1950’s through the early 1970’s. She sang in several church choirs over the decades and was a featured soloist. She enjoyed singing in the bank’s choral group, the Skyliners. She was a longtime member of the Drake University Community Chorus. One of her favorite performances each holiday season was Handel’s Messiah. Jean also sang in the Des Moines Choral Society and was thrilled to have the opportunity to perform with the Society and the Des Moines Symphony in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which was featured in the inaugural concert of then-new Des Moines Civic Center in 1979.

Jean retired from Wells Fargo in 1986 and shifted to caring for her elderly mother until Janina passed away in 1994. Jean’s parents instilled in her compassion for all God’s creatures which inspired her involvement with animal rescue, especially homeless cats. Her most satisfying rescue was a young, abandoned mother cat with four tiny month-old kittens. While she intended to foster and eventually find homes for the kittens, she fell in love with them and kept the whole family. She extended her love of animals to her backyard by feeding the birds, squirrels and even the raccoons. When her grandchildren visited, they enjoyed helping with these tasks in the backyard. Most important to her were her children and grandchildren, whom she joyfully greeted with open arms and relished hearing updates of their lives.

Jean is survived by three of her children: Matthew, Anne, and Julie (Victor) as well as three granddaughters: Camille, Carissa, and Amanda. Jean was preceded in death by her parents, Waldemar and Janina Moeller Von Moellerstein; her in-laws, Harry W. and Tulip Ann Van Atta; her husband, James M. Van Atta; and her son, Mark J. Van Atta.

This remarkable lady will be missed by all who knew her. She was an ardent humanitarian and animal lover. Jean’s legacy is courage, stability and order, kindness, compassion, resiliency, resourcefulness and steadfast love. She had a keen sense of humor and retained her wit and wisdom through her last days. Playing cards, doing word and jigsaw puzzles, nibbling on lemon cookies while watching the birds and reminiscing with family and friends were some of her favorite pastimes in recent years. She is forever loved and will always be remembered in our hearts.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa or your favorite animal charity.

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