Vera Gerstenberg
Age - 87
October 21, 2023
Vera Mae (Wilkinson) Gerstenberg, 87, of Port Neches, Texas, passed away peacefully at her home on October 1, 2023. A leap year baby, Vera was born on February 29, 1936, to Robert and Avis Wilkinson in Pineville, Louisiana, and was the oldest of five children. Vera graduated from Davenport High School in Davenport, Iowa. Following both of their first marriages, Vera met Kenneth Charles Gerstenberg in 1964 while working at Gulf States Utilities in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and married later that year. Vera and Ken had a total of five children: Dennis Charles, David Lee, Mark Alan, Helena Elizabeth, and K. Paul. In 1970, Vera and Ken relocated to Beaumont, Texas, and then in 1986 upon Ken's retirement, they moved to Belton in the Texas Hill Country and built their own home on the Gerstenberg family farm. In 2019, shortly following Ken's death, Vera returned to southeast Texas to live with her youngest son and his family. Vera was primarily a stay-at-home mom while raising her children. She volunteered in hospitality and missions for her local church in both Beaumont and Temple and participated in numerous bible studies. For many years, she assisted several families in the Belton/Temple area with childcare and household support. Though never attending college, Vera loved to learn and was an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction throughout her adult life. She was passionate about politics and served as an election judge while living in Beaumont. Vera was predeceased by her husband, Kenneth Charles Gerstenberg, her parents, Robert Henry and Avis Vera Williams Wilkinson, her sister, Lillie Lourena Brady, her brother, Joseph Glenn Wilkinson, and her grandson, Jonathan Mark Gerstenberg. She is survived by her sister, Bobbie Sue Fortin, brother, Robert Wilkinson, children, Mark Alan Gerstenberg, Helena Elizabeth Gerstenberg Clark, and K. Paul Gerstenberg, twelve grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Services will be held at Ridgewood Church in Port Arthur, Texas on October 28, 2023, at 3:00 p. m. , and in Belton, Texas, on April 7, 2024. In lieu of flowers and because of Vera's heart for world missions, the family requests donations be made to Youth With a Mission (YWAM), a gospel mission organization, through whom her granddaughter, Natalie Gerstenberg, is currently serving. For donations go to https://ywamkona. my. site. com/staff/s/donate?id=6904 To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Vera Mae (Wilkinson) Gerstenberg, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store. There are no gallery images. #recaptcha-container label {display: none}Upload a PhotoLabel: *Image: *Gallery:Obituary Photos Required Confirmation: Upload Gallery ImageShow more
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