Denise Jetter

Denise Jetter, age 60, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on November 10, 2024,after a 20-year battle with metastatic breast cancer. She was born January 19, 1964, to Bob and Kay (Snyder) Jetter in Denison, IA. As a child and teen, Denise was always on the move. Sitting still was not an option for her. She was active and competitive through her childhood and into her high school years, playing volleyball, softball, basketball and track. She was just as passionate and competitive during adolescence as she was as an adult. She also enjoyed music and played the saxophone and was a majorette in the marching band. As a family, Denise and her brother Jeff did a lot of traveling around the country with their parents, creating memories to last a lifetime. I don’t think any of us will be surprised to learn that as a child, Denise was always talking. Her parents would often pay her to be quiet during trips in the car. But that never lasted long. Denise talked fondly about spending time with her many cousins growing up and all the fun they had. She met and married Randy Kinder in 1985, they were married for 31 years. They made their home in Fergus Falls, MN. During their time together they enjoyed time at the lake cabin, rides on the Harley, socializing with friends and supporting their children in everything they did. Denise and Randy had two children, Courtney and Derek. She was born to be a mother and loved her kids fiercely. That love transformed into a 27-year career as a daycare provider. She loved and cared for those families as if they were her own. We continue to hear of the impactshe made on all her families over the years. She will always be known as “Neecy”. While she was not watching kids, she filled her earlier years with activities like playing softball and volleyball, always followed by happy hour with the team at the Sandpiper, The Old Place or Tomacelli’s. She was involved in the community through her kids’ activities, volunteering her time and wisdom wherever needed. She spent a lot of time at the rink and socializing with the hockey community. The stories we have heard from these times are as numerous as they are hilarious. You couldn’t help but laugh around her. What got her most fired up were her Vikings. She bled PURPLE. She planned her schedule around those Vikings, and you better not try and talk to her during the games. Bible Study is the only thing that took precedence over her Vikings. This ties into her faith being the biggest part of what made Denise who she was and lived to be: a child of God put on this Earth to spread His word and show others His goodness. Her faith got her through every struggle or hardship she encountered. It allowed her to embrace these trails, seek His refuge and “Let Go and Let God.” Her knowledge and trust in God’s plan gave her immense peace. Rather than feeling defeated, she embraced the struggles that came with a chronic disease, and life in general, and so willingly gave it to God. No matter what she was going through, it turned into positivity, seeing the bigger plan in every trial. Over the years, she led and participated in different church and grief groups sharing her perspective and His word. She not only shared her faith at church but everywhere she went. It wasn’t uncommon for her to befriend a stranger or talk the ear off her chemo nurses and share her faith and joy with them, planting little seeds everywhere she went. She could quote scripture relevant to whatever someone was dealing with. Her faith was also shared with others in a weekly Facebook post turned devotional: Happy Hump Day. Through this she gave real life, relatable stories, providing hope to those who followed. This helped so many to see God in their own lives and discover their own faith. She will never know the impact it made on people. Another part of her faith that was so important to her was giving back to her community through volunteering and her "homeless bags” and tithing. Through occasional financial difficulties she always made sure to help support the organizations that meant the most to her. Denise adored her children so much so that in 2018 she followed Richard and Courtney to the Omaha/Council Bluffs area where Derek and Kaitlin were already living. Denise was an incredible mother and best friend to her children and their spouses. It didn’t matter what you were going through, she was always there to listen, never judge and offer the best advice. Her personality and faith allowed her to provide comfort to her children through every stage in their lives. After purchasing “the farm” near Underwood, IA, she continued to do childcare, only this time for her grandkids. While this brought her a head full of gray hair, it also gave her the greatest amount of joy we could ever offer. With each additional kid that was born she embraced the chaos that comes with raising young children, and created so many fun, memorable experiences for them such as the holiday parties, celebrating birthdays, zoo trips, pool days, sporting events, nature camps, library time and picnics. As with her children, she taught her grandchildren life lessons through hard work on the farm and speaking about her faith with them every day. There was never a shortage of adventures (or snacks) at Grandma Neecy’s house. Another big part of her life the past six years was being a part of the Omaha Junior Lancers hockey. She was the loudest fan and loved every boy that went through the program. She was the team grandma. When walking into the rink it would take her over thirty minutes to get to her seat because she would need to check in with almost every parent she went by, talking about the boys, but also catching up on all the family members and activities they were doing or places they traveled to. She was best known at the games for the cheers she would start and energy she would spark. There was no such thing as defeat if Denise had a say in it. She loved talking about the games after and giving Coach Kinder her input whether he liked it or not. Denise led a simple but joyful life. She never needed anything special in life to make her happy. She provided her own happiness and peace through her faith and family. She loved her little acreage at “the farm” and enjoyed sitting in the sunshine with a good book or her devotionals, making sure her lawn looked immaculate, feeding and watching her birds, various farm chores and throwing the chuck-it ball for her dog, Phoenix. Phoenix was her baby and brought her  much joy and happiness. We can all agree that Denise was a remarkable woman, truly one of a kind. She will be missed immensely by those who knew and loved her. She was preceded in death by her maternal and paternal grandparents. Denise is survived by her children, Courtney (Richard) Johnson and Derek (Kaitlin) Kinder; parents, Bob and Kay Jetter; grandchildren, Creighton, Charlie, Crosby, Brooks, Cyrus, Cohen, and Murphy; brother, Jeff (Julie) Jetter and her niece and nephews, Ashley (Dustin) Clair, Chris (Kathryn) Jetter, Michael Jetter (Spencer Hering). Service will be held at 11am on Saturday, November 23, 2024, at City Light Church in Council Bluffs, IA. 

Memorials can be mailed to:  Derek Kinder  24172 205th St Crescent, IA 51526

The family will direct memorials.