Velma Jane “Janie” (Bintrim) Cleland
Velma Jane “Janie” (Bintrim) Cleland, 93, of Harmony, Lancaster Township, passed away Sunday at Passavant Retirement Community in Zelienople.
Born Oct. 8, 1922, in Harmony, Lancaster Township, she was the daughter of the late Ira Henderson and Pearl Rosina (Druschel) Bintrim.
Velma was born the second of 10 children on her family's working farm in Lancaster Township. At the age of 12, she moved in with a family in Zelienople where she served as their maid, nanny and cook to attend high school.
At the age of 16, she proudly earned her high school diploma from Zelienople High School. After graduation, during the day she worked for the News Record in Zelienople, where she ran the entire office, and in the evenings and weekends she was a waitress at the Hotel Kaufman on Main Street in Zelienople.
This hard work ethic gave Velma the inner strength that sustained her appreciation for the simpler things in life. She was a longtime member of St. Peter's Reformed Church in Zelienople.
After marrying the love of her life, David, Velma proudly took on the role of a devoted and supportive wife to a man in the service. David and Velma were stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio for many years, and during that time, she hosted many dinner parties and attended many balls as an officer's wife.
During that time, Velma raised their three children and selflessly dedicated herself to their every need. After David's retirement from the Air Force, they relocated back to Lancaster Township, where they built a home on 61 acres.
During her free time, Velma enjoyed vegetable and flower gardening. She especially enjoyed canning the fruits of her labor and admiring the birds, deer and other wildlife that visited their property. Velma also enjoyed painting, sewing and hosting family get-togethers at their Lancaster Township farm. She often volunteered at the gift shop at Passavant Retirement Community and volunteered at the annual Dankfest in Harmony.
Velma will be remembered for many attributes, but she will be most revered as a woman, who genuinely loved everyone, especially her entire family. The twinkle in her eyes and her infectious smile may be gone from sight, but they will be forever cherished by all.
She leaves behind to cherish her memory, her adoring husband of 65 years, Dr. David Ira Cleland, who she married May 27, 1950; her two loving children, Jennifer Leigh Cleland of Harmony and Matthew Brent Cleland of Tucson, Ariz.; her daughter-in-law and widow of her late son, David, Susan Margaret Maczon Cleland Suarez and her husband, Serge Suarez, and their two children, Alexandra and Zachary Suarez, all of Princeton, N.J.; her two dear sisters, Emma Lou Knauff and Dorothy Brandenburg, both residents of Passavant Retirement Community in Zelienople; her three sisters-in-law, Laura Bintrim, Dianne Ganss and Bonnie Bintrim; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family members; and special caregivers, Sonia Green and Shelly Peterson.
In addition to her parents, Velma was preceded in death by her beloved son, Capt. David Ira Cleland Jr., who passed away in 1979; and her seven brothers, Jack H. Bintrim, Darrell L. Bintrim, Robert L. Bintrim, Wendell R. Bintrim, Raymond C. Bintrim, Ronald “Gene” Bintrim and Donald D. Bintrim.
CLELAND — The family of Velma Jane “Janie” (Bintrim) Cleland, who died Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016, will welcome friends from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Boylan Funeral Home, 324 E. Grandview Ave., Zelienople.A funeral ceremony will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Peter's Reformed Church, 320 E. Grandview Ave., Zelienople, with the Rev. Peggy Suhr-Barkley and the Rev. James R. Bertoti, co-officiating.Friends are asked to please meet at the church.She will be laid to rest with an honorary Dove release at Portersville Bible Church Cemetery.Expressions of sympathy may be shared with Velma's family at www.boylanfuneralservices.com.
