Marcella Jane Gerritson

South Sioux City, NE: Marcella Jane Gerritson, 86, of South Sioux City, Nebraska, passed away Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at the Mitchell House in Sioux City, Iowa. A funeral service will be held Tuesday, July 14, at 11:00 AM at Porter Funeral Home in Inwood, Iowa with Pastor Patti Meyer officiating. The service will be recorded and available for viewing afterwards at https://www.porterfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/marcella-gerritson. Visitation with the family present will be held prior to the service from 10:00-11:00 AM at Porter Funeral Home. A committal service will be held Wednesday, July 15, at 2:30 PM at the Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, South Dakota with Pastor Sharla McCaskell officiating.

   Marcella Jane (Bobeldyk) Gerritson was born in Rock Valley, Iowa, on November 15, 1939, to John M. and Tillie Bobeldyk. She went to school in Inwood, Iowa and graduated in 1957. On July 15, 1958, she married Thomas F. Gerritson. Tom was enlisted in the USAF, and they were stationed and lived in Lincoln, Nebraska (Lincoln AFB), Cheyenne, Wyoming (F.E. Warren AFB), Guam (Anderson AFB), and Rapid City, South Dakota (Ellsworth AFB). They were blessed with three children, Vicky, Allen, and James.

   Through her married life she was able to be a stay-at-home mom. Her passion in life was sewing, quilting, crocheting, and crafting. She was a huge Elvis fan and was able to see him when he came to Rapid City. Marcella collected anything Elvis. For fun she rode on the back of Tom’s Harley as they went riding in the Black Hills. Tom and Marcella enjoyed Camping with family and friends. Following Tom’s death in 2005, she continued to live in Rapid City until 2024 when she moved to South Sioux City, Nebraska to be closer to Vicky.

   In the last 20 years she crocheted over 10,000 (this is a very close guess) kitchen scrubbies. She was known as the “Scrubbie Lady”. She loved that everyone liked her scrubbies and would say have a scrubtacular day!

   When she heard she was terminal with cancer, she said she was ready to see Tom and that she lived a good life!

   Marcella is survived by her daughter, Vicky (Mark) Johnson of South Sioux City, Nebraska; son, James Gerritson of Seaback, Washington; six grandchildren, Melissa (Lee) Tortorice, Thomas (Jessica) Gerritson, Marcella Gerritson, Randall Gerritson, Suzanna Colman, and Robert (Rachel) Johnson; and nine great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Ora Bobeldyk, Bev Zorink, Diana Wentworth, Kathy Moody, and Coralee Knoblock; and brothers-in-law, Jack Gerritsen, Bill Gerritsen, and Mike Gerritsen.

   She was preceded in death by parents, John M. and Tillie Bobeldyk; husband, Thomas F. Gerritson; son, Allen L. Gerritson; brother, Jerry Bobeldyk; parents-in-law, John and Gretta Gerritsen; and brother-in-law, Kenny Garretson.