Memorial services for DeAnna “Banana” McPherson, 69, of Jefferson were held December 23, 2021, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Jefferson. Private interment will be at Dawson Twp. Cemetery, Paton.
On August 15, 1952, an event occurred that was so significant, some experts would later claim that the earth stopped spinning on its axis for exactly one nanosecond. While this phenomenon has baffled scientists for decades, the McPherson siblings have always known the cause. It happened at the exact moment their sister, DeAnna Kay, was born. DeAnna, probably better known as Banana, was born in Jefferson to Lawrence (Red) and June McPherson. She was the seventh of 11 children which included Bob, Ted, Cheryl, Ronnie, Mikey, Steve, Michael, Cindy, Peggy, and Gary.
DeAnna enjoyed playing sports, but unfortunately, none were offered for girls in Jefferson in those days. But that didn’t stop DeAnna; it simply meant that if she wanted to play sports, she would have to compete against her brothers and other boys. Now you would think that competing against boys would be a little intimidating for a girl, but not to DeAnna. Regardless of whether the game was football, basketball, baseball, or whatever, she gave no quarter and asked for none. She cheered for any team her family played for, she loved Notre Dame, and she really loved Iowa State.
DeAnna graduated from Jefferson Community High School in the spring of 1970. She attended Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge and received her degree in Administration and Secretarial Services. She then lived in Des Moines and Tucson, AZ, then back to Des Moines.
After deciding she wanted to do something other than secretarial work, she moved back to Jefferson where she worked at Super Value Grocery and McAtee Tire. DeAnna then worked at General Electric in Carroll for 13 years before going to work for the Iowa DOT as an inspector.
DeAnna continued to play sports as an adult (although the term adult is used rather loosely here). She played on a co-ed softball team in Jefferson while also playing for a team in Perry. She decided to just play for the Jefferson team when her team in Perry traded her for what DeAnna claimed to be a very good bottle of whiskey! DeAnna coached the girls’ Senior League in Jefferson and was the All-Star Coach three of the four years she coached. She had many stories of her years coaching but one of her favorites was when one of her girls showed up for a game wearing two-left shoes on her feet!
While DeAnna had no children of her own, she was the favorite aunt to ‘tons’ of nieces/nephews and great-nieces/nephews. In addition, she befriended many children through the years. She was a stranger to no one at Long Term Care and she considered many of them family.
In 1995 she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s but continued to work until 2001 when she received a disability retirement.
While her love of golf greatly outdistanced her ability to play the game, DeAnna loved being on the golf course playing with family or friends. She even shot a hole in one…although no one was there to witness it. Whether she was telling the truth is between her and God now! Despite having Parkinson’s, she continued playing golf until the disease, in one of its many cruelties, even took that away from her.
When a person passes, people claim that the person is in a better place. With all our heart, we hope that’s true. She is now in the loving arms of our family who’ve gone ahead of us, and she’s with Bob and Tom on a golf course…them giving her a hard time, as usual. And Heaven help the poor fool who tries to tell her she can’t play!
DeAnna was preceded in death by her parents Lawrence (Red) and June McPherson; brothers Bob, Ronnie, Mikey, and Gary; brother-in-law Tom Blackburn; and great nephew Cody Cooklin.
Survivors include her brothers and sisters Ted (Vicky) McPherson of Marion, Cheryl Blackburn of Stilesville, IN, Steve (Pat) McPherson of Perry, Mike (Kris) McPherson of and Cindy (Dave) Baugh of Jefferson, and Peggy (Troy) Straight of Ogden; sister-in-law Leona McPherson of Tucson, AZ; her aunt Belledean Dowd of Venture, CA; many nieces and nephews, other relatives and many friends.
The family was assisted by Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home, Jefferson.
