Obituaries

On December 6, 2023, Vera Grimes, age 102, passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Newark, California.

Vera was born in Vernon Center, Minnesota to Nicholas and Veronica Thul on June 9, 1921. She was the eldest of seven siblings. Being the eldest child meant Vera often had chores to help with, but she still had time for fun. One of the great joys of her childhood was wintertime. It was then the ponds and lakes would freeze, and Vera could do what she loved most: ice skate!

When she was still young, Vera and her family moved to Ghent, a small town in Minnesota. It was there that she met Kenny Grimes. Although initially she would yell at Ken to keep off her grass, over time Vera became enamored of him, his red car, and his love of airplanes. More than anything, she longed to share Ken’s experience of soaring the skies in a biplane.

As a young adult, Vera had two jobs during the Great Depression. The first was in 1939 for the local phone company, where she worked as a telephone operator. She literally connected the town folks with each other while at her switchboard. After leaving the phone company, Vera worked as a bookkeeper, and it was during this stint that she learned how to manage finances.

Vera married Ken on May 18, 1942. It was the midst of WWII, and soon after they wed, Ken enlisted in the Coast Guard. Subsequently, Ken and Vera moved to Boston, near where Ken was deployed to protect the Eastern Shoreline, the Atlantic and, later, Northern Africa. After the war, Ken enlisted in the Naval Reserve, and they returned to Minnesota.

Ken and Vera’s first four children were born in Minnesota. In the early 1950’s they packed up the family and headed to California, eventually settling in Newark in 1958. In California, they continued to grow their family to eight children. Vera dedicated four decades of her life to bearing and raising her children. She generously gave to her family, whom she considered the most important facet of her life.

Vera loved to play the organ, read books (especially mysteries), and garden. She always looked forward to viewing televised sports, most especially football, baseball, and figure skating. After their children were grown, Ken and Vera traveled the U.S. together. He did the driving, she planned the itinerary, and they both treasured the memories of those trips.

Vera’s loving son, Nick, cared for her at the end of her life. This allowed Vera to remain in her beloved home until her death. She continued to enjoy visits and phone calls with her family and friends until her final days. Even then, she regaled all with stories of the past, and she regularly spiced up any conversation with her saucy sense of humor. What a grand woman she was! We miss her greatly.

Vera is preceded in death by her husband Ken, her grandson Kenny, and her siblings Marcy Doyle, Nicholas (Dale) Thul, Kathryn (Kay) Resner, Margaret Kimball, and Vincent Thul. Her brother Edmund (Dean) Thul passed away at age 100, shortly after Vera’s death. She is survived by her children Mike, Elizabeth, Steve, Daniel (Nikki), Barbara, Susan (Mark), Nick, and Christopher (Kathleen); her grandchildren Paulette (Casey), Michelle (Tim), Katie (Justin), Matt (Lynne), Wendy (Doug), Julia (Bryon), Laurie (Kent), Christie, Theresa, Michael, David, Cody, and Travis; and her great-grandchildren Brittany (Cevin), Chelsea (Paul), Nicholas, Cody, Eric, Ashland, Cameron, Logan, Riley, Grace, Amberlyn, Broden, Adnan, Zirk, Sagan, Alex, and Jasmine.

Vera will be buried in the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, California, along with her husband, Kenneth, on May 15, 2024. They will rest peacefully next to each other again after 78 years of marriage.