Cleda Vesta Brockus' Obituary
Cleda Vesta (Vanderpool) Brockus, aged 80 of Moulton, Iowa passed away February 27, 2010 at Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina while surrounded by her family. She had been on an extended visit to the home of her daughter, Rachel A. Miller. Cleda was born the daughter of Benjamin and Rachel (Siler) Vanderpool on August 1, 1929 on Brown's Creek in mountainous Whitley County, Kentucky, near Williamsburg. Her father was a coal miner and farmer. She graduated from Rockholds High School, Cumberland College, and Eastern Kentucky State College, all in Kentucky. She later obtained a Master's Degree from Northeast Missouri State University in Kirksville, Missouri. Cleda taught for seven years in rural Kentucky's one- and two-room schools including Goldbug and Gap o'Ridge.On September 8, 1953, Cleda married the love of her life, Gerald Bryce Brockus at the home of Rev. Ben Siler near Williamsburg, Kentucky. After a brief honeymoon in the Cumberland Falls and Cumberland Gap areas, the newly married couple returned to Gerald's family home near Moulton, Iowa. They engaged in farming row crops, milking cows, raising beef cows, laying hens, hogs and a huge garden, as well as rearing five children. Cleda later returned to teaching, serving the Moulton-Udell Community Schools, where she dedicated her efforts to special needs children for 40 years. After Gerald was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1974, Cleda and children continued operation of their dairy farm until son Frank assumed sole responsibility.She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her three sisters: Polly Bryant, Estell Fry and Cerena Monhollen; four brothers: Lee, Cleo, Daniel, and Benjamin (Bennie) Vanderpool.Cleda is survived by: three daughters, Elizabeth Smith and her husband Steve of Plano, Texas, Rachel Miller and her husband Gary of Lake Wylie, South Carolina and Deborah Zugg and her husband Stan of Mystic, Iowa; two sons, Gerald Brockus and Frank Brockus both of Moulton, Iowa; six grandsons, Justin White and his wife Donna of Frisco, Texas, Scott, Caleb and Aaron Smith of Plano, Texas, Kurtis Miller and his wife Aynnie of Charlotte, North Carolina and Kenneth Miller of Charleston, South Carolina; five granddaughters, Kelli White of Dallas, Texas, Virginia (Zugg) Deutmeyer and her husband Matt of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Stephanie (Zugg) Gale and her husband Mike of New Hope, Minnesota and Michelle and Jessica Zugg of Coralville, Iowa; one brother, Cecil Vanderpool of Lorrain, Ohio. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.Funeral service will be held on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 10 AM at the Moulton Christian Church in Moulton, Iowa with Reverends Reg Higginbottom and Kay Singley officiating. Burial will follow at the Sunset View Cemetery north of Moulton. Visitation will be held on Friday, March 5, 2010 from 1 PM till 8 pm at the Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Moulton with the family present from 6 PM till 8 PM at the funeral home.In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to the Moulton-Udell School Foundation and can be left at the funeral home. The To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Cleda Vesta Brockus please visit our Sympathy Store.
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