Jean A. “Gert” (Maiers) Van Deusen of Bellevue, Iowa, passed away peacefully on January 20, 2026, at Mill Valley Care Center, surrounded by care and compassion. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, January 24th at 11:00 am at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bellevue, with burial to follow in the Parish Cemetery. Visitation will be held prior to the Mass from 9:00–10:30 am at Hachmann-Mier Funeral Home in Bellevue.

Gert was born on September 14, 1932, in Bankston, Iowa, the daughter of Fred and Marie (Greiner) Maiers. She graduated from St. Joseph High School in Bellevue in 1950, where she was an accomplished 6-on-6 girls basketball player and proudly helped win the area championship in 1949. After high school, she attended the American Institute of Commerce in Davenport before moving to Hammond, Indiana, where her sense of adventure led her to enlist in the United States Air Force in 1954.

While serving in the Air Force, Gert continued her love of basketball by playing on recreational teams and enjoyed traveling to different bases. On November 19, 1955, she married Clarence “Van” Van Deusen at Sacred Heart Church in Newburgh, New York. She was honorably discharged in 1956 as an Airman Second Class. During Van’s military career, the family lived at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, in Grand Heights, Japan, and Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, NY, before returning home to Bellevue in 1969.

After settling back in Bellevue, Gert worked for 23 years at Jaeger Hardware in Dubuque as Office Manager. Never one to stop learning, she attended the University of Dubuque while working full-time and earned a degree in Business Management and Accounting, something she was very proud of.

Gert was a lifelong sports enthusiast who often attended Marquette High School games and loved following her favorite teams and players online. She cheered faithfully for the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Pittsburgh Steelers and had a special fondness for Kyle Schwarber and Anthony Rizzo. Her love of NASCAR ran so deep that in her 70s she celebrated her favorite driver, Matt Kenseth, by getting a black-and-yellow checkered flag tattoo – proving she never lost her spunk. She also made an annual tradition of attending the Iowa State High School Basketball Tournament in Des Moines.

In addition to basketball trips, Gert loved visiting the Iowa State Fair each year and was always ready to pack a bag for a new adventure. She especially enjoyed trips to Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Las Vegas, and Tama with cousins and friends, as well as visits and trips with her friends in Red Hats. At home, she was happiest playing Bingo, cards (especially 500), or a competitive game of Yahtzee.

Gert is survived by her daughter Susan (Mike) Davids of Princeton, Iowa; her grandson Justin Davids; her granddaughter Kitty (Devin) McSparin; her beloved great-granddaughters Gabriella Serrano and Lena McSparin, all of Davenport, Iowa, and her stepson Richard Van Deusen of Heber, Arizona. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; her in-laws, Corliss and Kathryn Van Deusen; her son, Michael Van Deusen; brothers Fred and James Maiers and sister Grace Maiers; and her stepchildren Thomas Van Deusen and Shari Knotts.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Rick “Hoot” and Beth Michels for their many years of help, friendship, and support. They also wish to thank the staff at Mill Valley Care Center and St. Croix Hospice for their exceptional care, kindness, and compassion shown to Gert and her family.

Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.hachmannfuneralhome.com