Deanna F. (Gustafson) Barnds

Deanna F. Barnds, 85, of Davenport, Iowa, died peacefully on September 2, 2023, at Ridgecrest Village in Davenport.

     Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 9, 2023 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport, with a reception following the service. Deanna’s family invites attendees to wear joyful colors or clothing or jewelry that features butterflies, which she loved. A private family inurnment at Fridhem Lutheran Church in Funk, Nebraska, will be held at a future date.

      In lieu of flowers, Deanna’s family encourages memorials to be made to Augustana College, St. Paul Lutheran Church, or the Alzheimer’s Association.

     Deanna Fae was born on February 13, 1938, in Funk, Nebraska, to Richard and Glenda (Bottom) Gustafson. After graduating from Axtel (Nebraska) High School, Deanna attended Luther Junior College and Augustana College, from which she graduated in 1959. Deanna began her teaching career in Ogallala, Nebraska. It was there that she was encouraged by friends to attend St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where a young rector had been installed. It was there that she met her husband, the Reverend William Joseph “W.J.” Barnds, whom she married at Fridhem Lutheran Church on June 30, 1964. Deanna surprised everyone but the organist and sang a solo at her own wedding.

     Together, W.J. and Deanna faithfully served the members of St. Paul’s in Ogallala; St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Gering, Nebraska; St. Mary’s in the Highlands Episcopal Church in Cold Spring, New York; Grace Episcopal Church in Galesburg, Illinois; and finally, Preemption Episcopal Church in Preemption, Illinois, where W.J. was a supply priest. Together they had two children, Glenda and W. Kent, and had celebrated 51 years of marriage at the time of W.J.’s death in 2015.

     Deanna was involved in many volunteer organizations throughout her life and was especially proud of her lifelong membership in the PEO and AAUW. She had a great love of music, a trait which she passed down to her two children. Deanna’s lovely alto voice added beauty to choirs such as the Luther Junior College Choir, the Augustana College Choir, Platte Valley Musical Arts Choir, Valley Voices and Galesburg Community Chorus. She and W.J. were season ticket holders of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, and the Nova Singers. Deanna was a gifted seamstress, hostess and cook; she always seemed to have something delicious that could easily be pulled out of the freezer at a moment’s notice for unexpected guests, and she practiced hospitality, kindness, and grace wherever she went.

     In Gering, Deanna was a long-tenured judge at speech meets; portrayed Dr. Georgia Arbuckle Fix, a pioneering physician in Nebraska; presented an annual Christmas program combining her voice and a collection of Madonna and Child Christmas cards; and delivered Meals on Wheels for decades. She also worked as a legal secretary and for the Platte Valley Library System.

     Deanna was never daunted by a challenge, whether it was serving as a last-minute substitute organist; driving through a blizzard to get W.J. to a church event; covering a brick with fabric for her mother-in-law (she knew better than to ask questions); or making a wedding veil for a panicked niece on her wedding day, she embraced every challenge with good humor, a spirit of adventure, and a positive outlook.

     Deanna is survived by daughter Glenda (Craig) Harlan of Dunlap, Illinois, and son W. Kent (Jennie) Barnds of Davenport, Iowa; five loving grandchildren: Christina (Trace) Stegmaier and Andrea Harlan and fiancé Adam DeToni, all of Peoria, Illinois, and Martha, Sophie, and W. Benjamin Barnds of Davenport; two sisters-in-law; four nieces; and countless dear and loving friends throughout the country. Deanna was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and brother, Delwin K. Gustafson.

     The family would like to thank the staff at Ridgecrest Village—especially those in memory care—and Genesis Hospice for their exceptional care, kindness, and compassion in Deanna’s final years.

     Online condolences may be shared with the family at wheelanpressly.com.