Sharon (Castell) Van Baale

   Sharon Van Baale, 76, of Newton, died Wednesday, June 3, 2026. A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m., Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory in Newton. The family will greet friends from 12-1 p.m., Wednesday, June 10, at the funeral home.  Memorials in Sharon’s name can be left at the funeral home. (Please make checks payable to Mark Van Baale.)

   Sharon, the daughter of Harold and Helen (Turney) Castell, was born December 31, 1949, in Newton. She graduated from Newton High School in 1968. Sharon was united in marriage with Gary Van Baale on April 23, 1971, in Newton.  She had worked at The Maytag Company for a few years before she and Gary moved to Oklahoma, where she worked as a professor’s assistant at the University of Oklahoma. A few years later, they moved back to Newton, where she was a stay-at-home mom while her kids were growing up.  In 1998, Sharon went to work at Berg Elementary/Middle School, retiring as the head cook in 2015.  She had also been an aerobics instructor at The Fitness Forum for several years.  Sharon enjoyed going to garage sales and thrift shops.  She was a woman of strong faith. She brought joy to others with her big heart and the smile that was always on her face.  Most important to Sharon was spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.

   Those left to honor Sharon’s memory include her husband, Gary of Newton; her children, Mark (Shari) Van Baale of Olathe, KS and Shannon Van Baale of Newton; her grandchildren: Austin, Kayla, Severen, and Keane; her brothers, Mike (Joyce) Castell of Colfax and Steven (JoAnne) Castell of Marshalltown; her stepsiblings; and many nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her mother and stepfather, Helen and Harold Bell; her father and stepmother, Harold and Rita Castell; and her sister, Debbie Chamberlain.

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