Jean (Bauer) Vander Laan was born on June 16, 1926, at her parents' farm 4 miles west of Pollock, SD.  She left home in 1942 with her friends to work as a waitress, first in Aberdeen, SD and then Ortonville, MN.  She moved to South St. Paul, MN where she married, raised her children, and worked as a meatpacker at Armour and Co. for 28 years. She moved back to Pollock following her marriage to James Vander Laan on March 28, 1986. Following Jim's death, she moved to Bismarck, ND where she lived until she died on September 18, 2018.  She passed peacefully in her sleep at CHI St. Alexius Hospital following a short illness.

She enjoyed playing games, conversation and sharing laughs with friends and family, including Jim's childrens' families, Don, and Joyce Tisdall, Randy, and Kim Vander Laan and Milo Vander Laan; as well as her niece, Paulette (Bauer) and Scott Hague and their daughter Janie, in Bismarck.

Jean was preceded in death by her husband, James, her parents, Peter and Wilhelmina (Salzer) Bauer, her infant brothers, Emil, William, and Edwin, brothers John, Fredrick, William, and Peter, and her sisters Magdalena and Emma.

She is survived by her sister Kathryn Vander Vorste, daughter Nancy (Madison) and Larry Kopacek and their children and grandchildren, and son Hal and his wife Kim Shillingstad, and their children; along with many nieces and nephews and their families.

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, September 22, 2018, at Pollock Lutheran Church, Pollock, SD.
Visitation will be held from 1:00-2:00 pm, also at Pollock Lutheran Church.
Burial will follow at Gale Cemetery, south of Pollock, SD.

Please visit www.myersfh.com to sign the online guest book.

Memorials may be sent to the following:

CHI St. Alexius Health Foundation in support of Transitional Care Unit (TCU)

CHI St. Alexis Foundation

PO Box 5510

Bismarck, ND 58506-5510

Or

Pollock Lutheran Church

318 Oahe St

Pollock, SD 57648