Esther Ruth (VanDerMallie) Deffner
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 8A - October 20, 2010
Esther Ruth Deffner, 79,
Grand Junction, died Oct. 17,
2010, at Hospice Care Center.
Services are pending with Callahan-
Edfast Mortuary.
Mrs. Deffner was a retired
account clerk for a telephone
company.
Survivors include one son,
Mitchell Dean Heisler of Minneapolis;
two daughters, Brenda
Jean Leister of Grand Junction
and Yana Dee O’Brien of Rochester,
N.Y.; one sister, Evelyn
Leenhouts of Rochester; four
grandchildren; fi ve great-grandchildren;
and two great-greatgrandchildren.
Memorial contributions to
Hospice & Palliative Care of
Western Colorado, 3090B N. 12th
St., Grand Junction 81506.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3C - October 24, 2010
Esther Ruth Deffner of Grand
Junction, Colorado went to be
with our Lord on Sunday, October
17, 2010. She was 79 years
old.
She was born in Rochester, New
York to Jacob and Edna Van-
DerMallie on December 16, 1930.
Esther worked in the accounting
department at the telephone company
in Rochester, New York. Later in life, after her children were
grown, she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where she worked at the
telephone company until she retired. She then returned to New
York. Her last three years were in Grand Junction with her daughter,
Brenda Leisten.
Esther enjoyed cooking and having family over for meals. Her deceased
husband was a chef and they would prepare meals and entertain
family together.
She was a member of many organizations whose purpose was the
protection and rescue of both wildlife and domestic animals. She
had great compassion for all animals and was very committed to
helping them.
As a child, Esther attended a Pentecostal Church in Rochester,
New York where her father was a Deacon. She would regularly send
note cards to her children and would include a few words from the
Bible in each card.
Esther is survived by her sister, Evelyn Leenhouts; three children,
Brenda Leisten, Yana O’Brien, and Mitchell Heisler. She is also
survived by four grandchildren, Robert Leisten, Kelly O’Brien,
Kevin O’Brien and Kerry O’Brien; five great grandchildren, Krystal
Kroft, Jessica Leisten, Kimberly Leisten, Robby Leisten and Jolie
O’Brien, and two great great grandchildren, Maeson Kroft and
Ameleah Kroft.
A memorial service will be held at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary, 2515
Patterson Road, Grand Junction on Friday, October 29th at 1:00
p.m.
Grand Junction Free Press page 13 - October 22, 2010
