Frieda W. Derrossett
1913 – 2007

Frieda Wilhelmina (Gebhards) Derrossett was born to John and Ada (Hinrichs) Gebhards on January 14, 1913 in the German farming community of Langdon near Rock Port, Missouri. She was the 8th of ten children and often helped her father and older brothers in the fields. To all her relatives, Frieda was known as “Fritzy”-a name given to her by her brother Bill.

Frieda attended school in the Langdon District. As a young woman, she loved to dance and attended many social dances in the area. At one such dance, she met her future husband Glen R.E. Derrossett. Because Glen was too shy, he had a friend ask her to dance for him. Frieda accepted, a romance blossomed, and they were married April 20, 1935.

On March 25, 1952, Marion Glen Derrossett, their only child was born. In later years, Frieda played a very active role in the lives of her son Marion, his wife Camilla, and her two grandchildren Alexis and Andrew.

Frieda was also active in the Rock Port First Lutheran Church, a church that Glen helped to build. She volunteered countless hours at the Rock Port Nutrition Center. She and Glen always had a large vegetable garden, and she loved canning her home-grown fruits and vegetables. Her passion, however, was making quilts. She insisted her beautiful quilts weren’t just to be admired–they were to be given as gifts, and used, as well. Frieda also loved rides in the country and playing cards with her very social Gebhards family. She maintained close relationships for her siblings and her many nieces and nephews. In later years, she enjoyed dressing up for Halloweens many times as a gun slinger.

Glen worked as a carpenter in the Rock Port area and Frieda worked in the toy and fabric department of Places for 17 years. After Glen’s death in 1988, Frieda remained in the Rock Port community until selling her home in September 2006. She has lived full-time with her son and his family in Parkville, Missouri since then, attending the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church.

Frieda was quiet, private, very level-headed, and practical. Her daughter-in-law Camilla never heard her say anything negative about anyone. Her memory was phenomenal, even to the very end of her life. She was a great resource for both Rock Port history and family history. She could tell you the exact date that her granddaughter Alexis had her first baby shot and could recall the smallest details from recent and long past family milestones. Besides her mental acuity, Frieda’s physical condition was also sound. She enjoyed helping out with household chores and managed stairs until very recently.

Because of her mental and physical agility, Frieda experienced a beautiful, natural death. Frieda passed away quietly and painlessly in her son’s home in Parkville, on December 12, 2007, enveloped in the sweet refrain of music, with her son and daughter-in-law by her side, at the age of 94 years. In her room, she felt the close presence of loved ones long gone. She knew she was dying and had time, and thankfully, the presence of mind to prepare. Frieda was at peace with herself, those around her, and her world in general. She had said her goodbyes, thank-yous, and was ready to go. She simply surrendered, and gently, delicately effortlessly–let go.

Frieda is preceded in death by her husband Glen and her brothers and sisters- Herb Gebhards, Anna Ingram, Ben Gebhards, Margaret Gebhards, Reka Erdman, Rosa Andermann, Bill Gebhards, Lula Walters, and Matie Sutter. She is survived by her son Marion and wife Camilla of Parkville, Missouri, her granddaughter Alexis of East Lansing, Michigan, and grandson Andrew of Warrensburg, Missouri.

Services:
11:00 am, Tuesday, December 18, 2007
First Lutheran Church, Rock Port
Burial:  Hunter Cemetery, Rock Port
The family will receive friends Tuesday 10:00 am – 10:45 am at the Church.
In Lieu of flowers the family requests memorials be directed to the First Lutheran Church, Hunter Cemetery, Rock Port Nutrition Center, or Saint Luke’s Hospice, Kansas City, Missouri.

Services directed by Minter Funeral Chapel, Rock Port.