Obituary

Kathryn (Kay) Gehan Owen

Kathryn (Kay) Gehan Owen, 91, of Providence, RI died Thursday, January 9, 2009 after complications arising from surgery in Arlington, VA where she’d been visiting her son and family during the holidays.

Kay was born September 1, 1917 in Wessington Springs, SD. Her parents were John and Caro (Sedgwick) Gehan. She grew up in Sioux City, IA, attended Central High School and Morningside College. She graduated from George Washington University. Kay visited many times at the Gehan ranch in western Jerauld County and with her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. J.L. Sedgwick in Wessington Springs.

After WWII, she and her husband moved to Providence, RI. She was very active for decades and up to the time of her death in community service and education all through Southeastern New England.

She was preceded in death by her oldest son, Dwight H. Owen Jr. who was killed in Vietnam in 1967 and her husband, Dwight Owen Sr. in 1981.

She is survived by two sons: John R. Owen (Treacy) and their two sons of New Rocelle, NY and Robert W. (Beth) Owen and their two daughters; her cousin, Berniece Sedgwick Odson of Sioux Falls, SD.

A celebration service of her life was held at Central Congregational Church Saturday, January 17 at 11:00 a.m.

OBITUARY

KYLE WOLTER

Kyle Lynn Wolter, 46, Wessington Springs, SD, died Saturday, January 31, 2009 at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls.

Funeral services will be 10:30 am Wednesday at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Wessington Springs with the Rev. Dan Edzards officiating. Burial will be in Prospect Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6-8:00 pm Tuesday with a prayer service at 7:30 pm at the church in Wessington Springs. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Bittner Funeral Chapel.

He was born November 21, 1962 in Wessington Springs to Milton and Shirley (Swenson) Wolter. He attended grade school at Lane and graduated from Wessington Springs High School in 1981. He then attended Lake Area Vo-Tech in Watertown. On June 13, 1998 he married Jamie Bender. To Kyle, family was most important. He loved spending as much time as possible doing activities with his wife and kids. He was active in his church and enjoyed farming, ranching, taking special pride in his cattle and A-Iing cows for his neighbors. He also enjoyed music, playing guitar, sporting activities, hunting and the great outdoors.

He is survived by his wife Jamie, his four children, Logan, Landon, Kaden and Kindra all of Wessington Springs; his mother and father, Shirley and Milton Wolter of Woonsocket; his mother and father-in-law, Janice and Dave Bender of Wessington Springs; three brothers, Stuart Wolter and Joel Wolter of Woonsocket, Lowell Wolter of Wessington Springs; two sisters-in-law, Barb Wolter of Perry, IA; Jennifer Thompson and husband Ryan of Tea; one brother-in-law, Jared Bender and fiancée Bridget Bultsma of Estes Park, CO; four nephews and five nieces.

He was preceded in death by his maternal and paternal grandparents and a brother, Perry.

 

OBITUARY

John Johnson

John M. Johnson, 83, White Lake, SD, died Thursday, January 22, 2009 at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls.

Funeral services were Saturday at the United Methodist Church in White Lake. Burial was in the White Lake Cemetery.

He was born April 8, 1925 in Aurora County, to Axel and Esther Johnson. He grew up on the farm and received his schooling from the rural Patton School. He served in the US Army during WWII. He farmed his entire life until retiring and moved to White Lake in 1989. On January 5, 1945 he married Carolyne Malinda Knigge.

He is survived by his children, Nancy Wiebe and husband Ted of Burns, KS; Gayle Krumvieda and husband Russ of White Lake; Jim Johnson of Worthington, MN; Leon Johnson and wife Bonnie of Sioux Falls; David Johnson of Mitchell and Mike Johnson and wife Peggy of Mitchell; eighteen grandchildren and thirty one great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife in January 2001, six brothers, Elmer, Glen, Milburn, Clifford, Claire and Gordy, three sisters, Linnea Swanson, Ethel Schenk and Doris Johnson, a daughter-in-law, Joan Thompson Johnson and a granddaughter, Jolene Wiebe.

 

 

Obituary

Robert C. Whitlock

Robert C. Whitlock, 91, of Kalama, WA died December 19, 2008 at the Hospice Care Center.

He was born August 22, 1917 on a farm in rural Wessington Springs. He married Theone Mead on September 18, 1938. They were happily married for 70 years.

He served his country as an Army combat engineer during World War II. In the service, he found a love for guns, and he became an excellent marksman.

Robert retired from Weyerhaeuser Co. as a heavy equipment mechanic.

He was very kind and respectful to everyone he met. He had an awesome sense of humor and loved cats.

Robert was preceded in death by his mother, stepmother, father and brother.

Survivors include his wife, Theone of Kalama; two daughters, Dixie Best and Violet Welsh, both of Kalama; his granddaughters: Charlotte Slagle, Lynnette Barnwell, Sheila Leak and Brenda Duby; three sisters, Mary Wenzel, Wessington Springs, and Mayme and Mignon; a sister-in-law, Carol Christensen of Huron; and many great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.

 

 

 

OBITUARY

IVAN BARTELS

Ivan Bartels, 89, Mitchell, died Wednesday, January 7, 2009, at Avera Queen Of Peace Hospital in Mitchell. Funeral services were Monday, January 12, 2009, 10:30 AM at the First United Methodist Church in Mitchell. Burial was in Graceland Cemetery in Mitchell.

Ivan J. Bartels was born on December 9, 1919 on a farm near Wolsey, South Dakota to Albert and Alvina (Neelen) Bartels. He attended rural schools in the area and graduated from Alpena High School in the class of 1938. Ivan was confirmed in the American Lutheran Church in Huron, SD. He attended Wessington Springs Junior College, and received a teaching certificate in 1940. He later attended Dakota Wesleyan University.

He taught at the (rural) Miller Country School. He moved to Inglewood, California in 1942 to build B-25 Bombers for North American Aviation. From 1942 to 1944 he worked for the California Flyers School as a Hydraulics instructor. He married Doris Schwabauer on July 26, 1942 in Inglewood, California.

Ivan returned to South Dakota briefly to help his parents on the farm He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1944, serving until 1945, serving on an aircraft carrier and at Norfolk, Va. He worked as a salesman in the Habicht & Habicht Department Store in Wessington Springs from 1946 to 1948. He and Doris then served as Jerauld County Treasurer from 1948 to 1958. Ivan was then employed by Sears, J.C. Penny, and Methodist Hospital in 1959 and 1960. He then became the Treasurer of the South Dakota Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, where he remained until his retirement in 1985.

He was a loyal Kiwanian for many years, and took pride in his Perfect Attendance record of over 55 years. In addition to membership, he held every office there was in his Kiwanis Clubs over the years. He was an active member of the United Methodist Church, and served on the church board at various times. He served on the Wesley Acres Board of Directors for 11 years. In 1986, Dakota Wesleyan University named Ivan as “Outstanding Citizen”.

In 2000 Ivan and Doris moved from their home to Countryside Living Retirement Community, where they made many wonderful friends over the years. Ivan, with his ever-present digital camera, was the “unofficial” photographer for nearly every occasion at Countryside Living.

Ivan is survived by his son, Keith (Glynn) Bartels, Mitchell; his daughter, Lilas (Larry) Robinson of Glenwood Springs, Colorado; four granddaughters: Kristin (Bryon) Mobley, Amy Robinson, Whitney Bartels, and Laura (Peter) Bradshaw, all in Colorado; three Great-Grandchildren: Jeremy and Emily Bradshaw and Taylor Claire Mobley; four sisters-in-law: Georgia Wyma, Prescott, AZ; Virginia and John Kelly, St. Paul, MN; Norma Shultz, Denver, CO; and Maxine Schwabauer, Denver, CO; and many nieces and nephews. Ivan was preceded in death by his wife, Doris, in 2006, his parents, and several brothers-in-law.

 

 

 

OBITUARY

SHIRLEY DOTY

Shirley Mae Doty, 76, of Fort Dodge, died Wednesday, ]anuary 7, 2009, at Trinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge.

Services were on Saturday, January 10, at the Gunderson Funeral Chapel in Fort Dodge with the Rev. Stephen Bibb officiating. Interment was in North Lawn Cemetery.

Shirley is survived by her husband ]ohn; her children, Bob (jan) Doty, Monroe, Iowa, and their children, Michael, ]ason and Shawn; Steve Doty, Taintor, Iowa, and his children Shallom and Shannon; Randy (Barb) Doty, Wessington Springs, South Dakota, and their children, Amanda, Abby and Ashley; Dana (Cindy) Doty, Hull, Iowa, and their children Chris, Heidi and Andy; Gene Doty, Kirbyville, Missouri; and Linda (]ames) Bruce, Redfield, South Dakota; and their children, Shandi, Sierra, Briston and Brandon; seven great-grandchildren and four sisters, Beverly Mogler, Fort Dodge; ]an Fry, Omaha; Ethel Klepper, West Bend; and Donna Nilles, Fort Dodge; many nieces and nephews and a dear friend and part of the family Sis Cannon.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Shirley Mae Krug, the daughter of Vern and LaVon (Kampen) Krug, was born October 7, 1932, in West Bend, Iowa. Shirley graduated from West Bend High School in 1950. On November 12, 1950, Shirley was united in marriage to ]ohn Henry Doty at the West Bend Methodist Church. Shirley was a homemaker.

Shirley enjoyed traveling, crafts, playing bingo and cards, sewing and camping. She enjoyed taking care of plants and collecting plates. Most of all, Shirley treasured the time she was able to spend with all her family.

 

 

 

Obituary

Don Blow, 77, of Danville and formerly of New London, IA died Saturday, December 20, 2008 at the New London Nursing & Rehab Center.

Mr. Blow was born December 18, 1931 in Forestburg, SD, the son of James Arthur and Mae Elizabeth Eaton Blow. On February 18, 1952 he married Marian Eileen Longcor in Burlington. She died October 7, 1997. He attended school in Artesian, SD and attended Iowa State University brick laying school. He was of the Christian faith. Mr. Blow was a farmer but a brick layer by trade. He began his apprenticeship in 1956 with Hoshek Masonry. He worked for Lewis Blow Masonry and later was business agent for Brick Layers Local 10 in Burlington. He retired from John Blow Masonry in New London.

He was a member of the Brick Layers Union Local 10 in Burlington, and a New London Pioneers 4-H Leader. He was instrumental in getting businesses to attend 4-H auctions. Mr. Blow, along with Jerry Lehman and Kenny Shelledy, started the summer tradition of selling sweet corn in the New London City Park. He enjoyed hunting pheasant, turkey, and raccoon. He enjoyed coffee at Caseys, Ford cars and trucks, and he loved to kid people. He was very proud of teaching his trade to young people.

He is survived by three sons, Jim (Barb) Blow of West Burlington, John (Nancy) Blow of Tipton, and Steven (Dana) Blow of New London; one daughter, Sherry (Rod) Hope of New London; one brother, Lewis Blow of Burlington; three sisters, Betsy Stulken of Wessington Springs; Hazel (Robert) Suedes of Casper, WY; and Jeanette Farmer of Austin, TX; 10 grandchildren and four great grandchildren; a special friend, Eileen Spahn Schmit of Mitchell, SD. he was preceded in death by his parents, wife, and three sisters.