Obituary of Linda Gayle Van Dellen

On Sunday, April 7, 2024, just before 3:30 pm, Linda Gayle (Jones) Van Dellen (age 80) of Champlin, Minnesota passed away peacefully in her sleep surrounded by her family and went to live with Jesus. She was born to parents, Robert Eunice Jones and Thressa Pauline (Gann) Jones on December 16, 1943, in their country home near Verona, Missouri. She was the tenth of twelve siblings. She graduated from public high school in Verona. In 1962 she married Henry Van Dellen who had recently relocated with his family from near Crookston, Minnesota. Although they had been divorced for a number of years, they maintained a friendly relationship and he was with her on the final days. Together they had four children, seventeen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, most of whom were with her on her final days. Their children and spouses are, Henry Todd Van Dellen and wife, Dana; Alan Van Dellen and wife, Shelly; Julie Barksdale and husband, Bob; and Sandy Sorensen and husband, Eric. She is preceded in death by her parents, by two brothers who died in infancy, and by her siblings and spouses, Virginia and Gene Naylor, Robert Minford Jones, Wilda Maxine Edwards and husband Bob, Jimmy Jones and wife Fon, and brothers-in-law Bert Nunamaker, Ralph Ham and Ken Kilgore. She is survived by Henry, her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and siblings Ora Alice Nunamaker, Donna Ham, Robert Lee Jones and wife Donna Kay, Kay Kilgore and Johnny Jones and wife Lois. She loved and was loved by her sisters and brothers, and many nieces and nephews and their children and grandchildren and kept in touch with most of them.

Christian, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, poet, caregiver, piano player, teacher and peacemaker are some of the many words that describe her. Above all else, she was a selfless and faithful sower of Jesus Christ's abundant Love and Grace in the world. She loved, cared for and taught children her entire life. In addition to her own children and grandchildren she taught at the North Dakota School for the Blind in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She started a twenty-year career as a teacher's aide working with special needs children at Ramsey Elementary School in Ramsey, Minnesota at age 52. In addition, she cared for many special needs kids outside of school over the years. Instead of limitations, she recognized the beauty and humanity in all of her students. Through words and example lived on a daily basis, she taught us to Love each other and above all to Love the Lord Jesus Christ and accept the free gift of grace that God gave to the world in John 3:16.

Services will be held in the Chapel at Living Word Christian Center, 9201 75th Avenue North, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota 55428 (763) 315-7000 on Wednesday, April 17th. Visitation will start at 11:00 a.m. The celebration of life service will start at 12:00 p.m. and will be live-streamed for those who cannot attend in person. The livestream link is: Service for Linda Van Dellen. A luncheon will be held at the church from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Cards can be mailed to her home at 8548 South Pond Trail, Champlin, Minnesota 55316-3778. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that those who wish to honor her may make a donation to Human Life Alliance, 1614 93rd Lane NE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55449 (651) 484-1040 www.humanlife.org in memory of her or, better still, just love God and love your neighbors as yourselves.