Monthly Archives: July 2020

Margaret Louise Vavra, 105, formerly of Winner, died at Avantara Nursing Home in Armour on Wednesday, July 8, 2020.

Funeral service was held Saturday, July 11, 2020 at 1 p.m. at Koehn Bros. Funeral Home in Armour with burial following in Winner City Cemetery.

Margaret Louise Klemann was born on March 17, 1915, on a ranch 7 miles southeast of Springview, Neb., to Charles and Elvira Gardner Klemann. Marg was the middle child of the family with William being the oldest and Violet being the youngest. The family moved to Anoka, Ne. and Wewela, SD. before settling down in Colome.

Marg learned early how to work and sew as her aunt taught her how to sew at the age of 7 and she learned how to cook from her mom. Marg was able to attend all 12 years of school in Colome and graduated in 1933. She spent the next 4 years working for numerous families taking care of children, housework, and doing all sorts of sewing and cooking along the way to earn enough money to go to college.

Her busiest job was working with a family that had 14 children. Marg attended Southern State Normal Teachers College in Springfield SD. from the fall of 1937 to the spring of 1939 earning her teaching degree. During this time, she worked fixing hair, sewing, and cleaning houses and apartments to have enough money to continue her education.

Her first teaching job paid $40 a month and the second school which had twice as many students paid $100 a month. While school was out Marg worked as a waitress in Winner at the Sweet Shop Cafe along with her friend Girdy Luken earning $7 a week with every other Sunday off.

It was there she met Ben Vavra and fell in love and they were married on June 25 1942 in the Methodist Parsonage in Winner with Milton and Alma Rowe Sills standing up for them.

Marg was happy to be able to help her parents purchase a quarter section of farm ground 5 miles south of Colome. While farming and ranching with Ben 5 miles west of Colome, she made her own bath tub and made the house a home.

They had the usual chickens, hogs, and milk cows, but during the spring and fall when Ben was in the field or working with his dad, Marg did all the chores along with milking 13 cows morning and night by herself.

The first year was extremely tough as they had no screens on the windows and the house was hard to heat in the winter. Ben’s asthma continued to get worse as he could not be around the cattle or hogs.

In the fall of 1947, they moved into Colome and opened a privately owned Gamble Hardware Store. While opening up the small store, a bowling alley across the street closed and they purchased the building and completely refurbished it themselves and moved in the same year.

Marg always enjoyed making clothes for their daughter Marlyeen Ann and sons Merle Duane and Marvin Daryl. After buying out Pearl Jackson’s dress shop which was right next door, helped to make a complete old-time general store with everything from bolts, nails, paint, hardware, dishes, tv’s, radios, and clothing.

Ben would still go the farm and work the fields and after 6 p.m. Marg would close the store and go to the farm to run the (big} tractor, scoop grain and always bring extra food so as they could work till dark. During the winter Marg slipped and fell breaking her right wrist, making her do everything with her left hand.

She not only learned to write left-handed but how to hammer a nail and use a hand saw. Many times, when she was wood working, she would switch hands and keep on working. She enjoyed being a cub scout den mother and loved to make beautiful Memorial Day wreaths and sprays and was asked to go to Sioux City and design wreaths for a floral company but refused to leave Colome and her family .

Marg made her own kitchen cabinets and display cases. She loved to sew and cook, and is well remembered for her jellies, swiss steak, peach pie, and chocolate cakes. As the years went by Gamble merged with the Skogmo company and finally closed down.

Ben and Marg then changed their suppliers and continued on as Vavra’s Store carrying the same items as before. Ben and Marg operated the store for 50 years and finally closed to Ben’s declining health in October of 1997. Marg’s main concern was taking care of Ben as he never wanted to go to the nursing home and never did.

Here enjoyments were her family, especially the grand kids, cooking, sewing, and the Nebraska and the Green Bay Packers football teams. In September 2004 after 62 years of marriage Ben passed away. Marg continued to live in Colome and do her own mowing, make a weekly trip to the casino, the grocery stores in Winner and Gregory and would still repair a shingle on the roof at 100 years of age and danced a polka dance with her son at her 100th birthday party .

At 103 she had to give up her driver’s license do to losing the sight in one eye and went to the assisted living in Armour SD. to be closer to her family and finally at 104 she moved into the Avantara Armour nursing home until her peaceful passing July 8 2020 at 105 years of age.

When she was asked how she was able to live so long and she would always reply growing up we ate a lot of liver and beans and most of all hard work.

Marg was preceded in death by her parents. Her husband of 62 years Ben, son Merle Duane, brother Bill and wife Cloe, sister Violet and husband Murel Speidel, nephew Stephen Klemann, niece Rosiland Klemann,

She is survived by daughter Marlyeen and husband Donald Hibbs of Superior Neb., son Marvin and wife Debbie of O’Neill Neb., niece Karen and Dan Ripperda of Sioux Falls SD. Nephew Leslie Klemann of Bell County, Texas.

Grandchildren Lisa and Mike Craig of Sioux City IA, Mark and Colleen Vavra of Sioux City IA, David Hibbs of Kearny Nebraska, Lori and Samuel Wayne Fennell Jr. of Fargo ND.

She is also survived by eight great grandchildren and eleven great great grandchildren.

Shirley Parkis, 71 passed away peacefully April 19, 2020 at the Good Samaritan Society in Sioux Falls, SD. Visitation will be held at 10 a.m. July 25 at the Winner United Methodist Church with a celebration of life at 11 am.

Burial will take place at the Colome Cemetery with a luncheon to follow at the Colome American Legion.

Shirley Elizabeth Kaiser was born on April 16, 1949 to Henry and Ella (Klundt) Kaiser. We always had a few good laughs when she would remind us that her sister Irene wanted to name her Bunny as she was born the day before Easter. Shirley grew up in Colome and attended Colome High School.

She was the youngest of 6 children being raised primarily by her mother as her father passed away in 1954. While in high school, Shirley’s mother purchased the Colome Café and that instilled the love of cooking in Shirley.

On June 6, 1966, Shirley was united in marriage to Verlyn Parkis in Colome, SD. The day after their wedding, Verlyn returned to duty with the US Army and Shirley stayed in Colome living with her mother. The next time they would see each other was in January 1967 when their daughter, Carla was born.

Verlyn was discharged from the Army in 1968 and in January 1969, Christy would join the family. Shirley and Verlyn moved to Winner in 1971 and Larry joined the family that year too. In 1978, Carrie was born and their family was complete.

Shirley held various jobs throughout her life but her true calling came when she opened Shirley’s Diner. Due to declining health, she retired and in March 2016 she and Verlyn moved to Sioux Falls to be closer to medical care and their daughter Carrie and her family.

In November of 2016 she suffered a stroke and had resided at The Good Samaritan Society until the time of her death. Shirley loved Elvis, dancing, playing a good game of pitch, and planting flowers in her yard each spring (although Verlyn claims after they were planted, he was the one that had to water them).

After moving to the Good Samaritan Society, she looked forward to her Tuesday afternoon BINGO dates and listening to the live music with the love of her life.

Shirley is survived by her husband Verlyn-Sioux Falls, SD; children Carla (Andy) Bruce-Pierre, SD, Christy (Greg) Feyereisen, Larry Parkis-Sioux Falls, Carrie (Steve) Contreras-Sioux Falls, SD and her niece that was like her daughter, Becky (Tom) Burdick-Mitchell, SD. Grandchildren Jackson and Allison Bruce, Chase and Kayla Feyereisen, Bryant, Brenden and Gianna Parkis, Phil and Olivia Contreras and her great nieces that were like her granddaughters, Kylee (Jonathon) Shorosh and Haley Burdick. Sister in laws, Sharron Bettcher and Marcella Kaiser and numerous nieces and nephews.

Shirley was preceded in death by her parents, a grandson, Ryan, her sister Irene Kindt, and her brothers Johnny Kaiser, Harold Kaiser, Don Kaiser and Bob Kaiser.

William Richard Schueneman was born in Gregory, SD to William and Martha Knittel Schueneman on June 28, 1940. He lived on the farm north of Dallas most of his life. He attended Edens School north of the farm for eight years. Bill graduated from Gregory High School in 1958. He continued farming and ranching with his father and uncle Otto.

He was drafted into the Army in 1963 and was honorably discharged in 1965. In this time, he spent 6 months in Vietnam. His unit was the first troops in Vietnam to survey the area for the rest of the forces. The only troops in before his were the ones who had to do all the spraying to kill the thick vegetation. Bill received a purple heart from scrap he sustained when the convey he was in was involved in an ambush that took 30 lives and left many injured.

Bill came back to Dallas returned to farming and ranching with his father and uncle Otto.

Bill was married to Julia Brown November, 1966 in Gregory SD. In May of 1969 due to health issues, Bill decided to go to college in Spearfish. He sold his machinery and moved to Spearfish. He got his degree in 2 ½ years. Moved trailer back to Dallas in Feb. of 1972 on Kristi’s 3rd birthday. Bill had taken an accounting job at Rosebud Electric.

Billi Jean joined the family after this. Bill’s love of cattle and country saw him buying yearlings and eventually stopped working for Rosebud Electric. He sold AAL Lutheran Life Insurance for several years before going into farming and ranching full time. He started sub mail carrier, which turned to full time in March 1991 while trying to take care of the ranch.

Bill remained on the farm until June 2018 when he became a resident at Winner Regional Long Term Care. Bill passed away on March 11, 2020 while in hospice care after many years of physical and mental issues, which included Agent Orange and PTSD.

Bill is survived by his wife Julia, two children: Kristi and her husband John Roeder of Gregory SD, ; and BilliJean and special friend Steve Syfie of Gregory, SD: his 6 grandchildren Kendall Roeder of Sioux Falls, SD, Garret Roeder of Gregory, SD, Preston Colford of Gregory, SD, Mercedes Colford of Kansas City, MO, Richard Colford and special Aaron Lessman of Kansas City, MO, Brandi and husband Zane Whitney of Iona, SD and step grandson Anthony and wife Molly Coflord of Yankton, SD; and 3 great grandchildren: Jacoby, Zendaya and Joeziah; and step great granddaughter Breckan: his sister Shirley and husband Clyde Kygar of Tulsa OK, niece Roslyn Kygar and daughter Magdalena of Austin TX, and many cousins and their families and numerous friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and all aunts, uncles, and a few cousins and friends.

Memorial Services are planned for 5:00pm on Sunday, July 26th, 2020 at St. John Lutheran Church Gregory, SD. Inurnment will take place on Monday, July 27, 2020 at Black Hills National Cemetery with full military honors provided by the US Army and the Spearfish Honor Guard.

Arrangements are under the care of the Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapels and Isburg Crematory of Spearfish. Online condolences may be written at www.fidler-isburgfuneralchapels.com