Author Archives: Rita Pravecek

Joan Marie (Welsh) Rudnick, age 82 of Appleton, was born February 9, 1938 to James and Marie (Storms) Welsh in Wood, SD. She attended school in Wood, graduating in 1955 and then attended Southern State Teacher’s College in Springfield, SD earning her teaching certificate.

Her first job was at a local school, then she moved to Ortonville and taught for three years. She met Ronald Rudnick in the fall of 1962 and they were married June 27, 1964 at the town hall in Wood, SD. They made their life in rural Appleton working side by side to run the family dairy farm and raise five children. They were members of St. Joseph church in Holloway until it closed in 1991 and then St. Johns of Appleton where she was an active member of the church lecturing, distributing communion, and teaching religious classes.

Later in life Joan was a home health aide where she developed close relationships with those she cared for, retiring at the age of 70. In her free time, Joan enjoyed tending to her flowers, which she won many blue ribbons for at the county fair, reading, spending time at the lake, riding horses in Saddle Club, volunteering with the MCCL, and the thing she enjoyed most of all talking to her many friends and family on the phone.

Joan is survived by her husband Ron, of 56 years; children: David (Tracy) Rudnick of Blackhawk, SD, Ronda (Dave) Maas or Ortonville; Renee (Dan) Kojetin of East Bethel; Jim (Lisa) Rudnick of Willmar, and Sara (Mike) Edelman of Graceville; her grandchildren Brian (Amy) Knutson, Roxy Knutson, Lisa and Scott Kojetin, Greg (Ashley) Maas, Brittany (Kole) Mastel, Megan and Taylor Rudnick, Zak, Luke, Sam, Jake and Noah Adelman; six great grandchildren; and her brother,Don (Jeanne) Welsh.She was preceded in death by her parents James and Marie; brothers, George and Bob and sister, Kathy.

Avis Marie (Henderson) Benthin crossed the bridge to join her husband, Keith, parents, brothers and sister in Heaven.

Left behind to grieve her passing are her children Steven, Michael (Janet), Sharon (Rock) and Douglas (Debbie), sisters-in-lawEmily and Nadine, brother-in-law Kent (Carol), grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. She is also survived by many other relatives and friends.

Avis was born on the family farm in Hamill,SD. She graduated from Winner High School and attended SDSU, studying nursing. She met Keith on a blind date and they were married in 1956. They moved to Minnesota when Keith started working for the MN Highway Department. After her children were grown, she went back to school and completed her LPN degree.

She primarily worked at nursing homes and retired from the Minneapolis Veterans Home. Avis loved being a mom (she had many “extra” children who called her mom) and was very involved with their activities. She was also a very active member of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in St. Paul, MN.

She served on many committees, including the Church Council and the Mary circle. In 2016, she moved into Cornerstone Assisted Living in Plymouth, MN, to be closer to her daughter. Avis loved playing the piano, was always up for a game of cards or a board game and would drop everything for chance to babysit or attend an event of one of her grandchildren.

She loved all animals but had a special love for cats. Avis was a devout Christian and, as long as she was able, read her bible and did her devotions and prayers every day.

A private family service will be held and she will be buried alongside her husband at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.

Memorials preferred to Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in St. Paul, MN or Cure Alzheimer’s Fund. Arrangements by Gearty-Delmore Funeral Chapel of Plymouth (Gearty-Delmore.com, 763-553-1411).

Katherine “Cora” Kuhlman passed away Sunday, July 26, 2020 at Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls. Cora was 87.

Katherine Cora Kositzky, daughter of Katherine Cora (Ellis) and Edwin Paul Kositzky, was born on Sept. 1, 1932 in Winner, SD. She graduated from Winner High School in 1950, and graduated from Sioux Valley Hospital School of Nursing in Sioux Falls, SD in 1953.

Cora worked as a registered nurse at Avera McKennan Hospital for nearly 30 years before she retired in 1991. On Jan. 8, 1955, Cora was united in marriage to Douglas Kuhlman in Winner, SD. She spent her married life as a wife, mother and nurse. She was an active member of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church.

Cora enjoyed cooking, sewing, exercising and traveling.

Grateful for having shared her life are her husband, Douglas of Sioux Falls; children, Katherine Anne (Lane) Mousel of Alabama, Kristin Marie (Mark) Friedel of Spearfish and Blair Douglas Kuhlman of Sioux Falls; five grandchildren, Adrienne and Tyler Mousel, Kala and Jenna Storbeck, and Noah Friedel; three great-grandchildren, Peyton, Naomi and Shepard; and two sisters-in-law, Bobbe Kositzky of Graceville,MN and Janice Kositzky of Willmar, MN. Cora is preceded in death by her parents; three brothers Ellis Milton Kositzky, Paul Kositzky, and William “Bill” Kositzky; sister, Jo Ann Kositzky Klein; and special nephew, Patrick Kositzky.

Memorial visitation with family present 5:00 – 7:00 pm with prayer service beginning at 6:30 pm on Monday, August 3, 2020 at Miller Funeral Home – downtown, 507 S. Main Ave., Sioux Falls.

Memorial service 10:00 am Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at Church of the Good Shepherd, 2707 W. 33rd Street, Sioux Falls. Lunch reception to follow the memorial service at Upper Sherman Park Picnic Shelter.

For more information and online registry please visit our website www.millerFH.com

Gerald Dennis Earll, 78 of Valentine, Neb., passed away at his home on Saturday, Aug.1 with his wife Carol and daughter Nichole by his side. He was born April 30th, 1942 at Carter, SD to Orval and Mary (Toman) Earll. He attended various country schools and graduated from Winner High School in 1960.

He worked at Crossroads Supermarket until April 1964. He then joined the National Guards in Winner, S.D. until December of 1970. On Feb. 27, 1965, he married Carol Heying. They were blessed with 3 children, Bob, Denny and Nichole. In 1968 they moved to Valentine, NE where he managed the Ideal Market until April, 1984 when they bought the Frosty Drive In.

During this time, he was active in the Valentine Volunteer Fire Department, the Jaycees and National Guard.

He also had a local band called “The Venturas” where they played in the Nebraska/South Dakota areas. His favorite pastimes where camping, fishing, hunting and ATV trail riding with his family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, infant brother Roger and his bother Gene. He is survived by his wife Carol, sons Bob (Marci Garland) of Grand Island, Denny (Letta Rowse) of O’Neill and daughter Nichole (Tadd Buechle) of Valentine; eight grandchildren, Alex (specialfriend Gabby) of New Zealand, Katie (Kent Niss) of Pawnee City, NE, Kylee (Keith Baughman) of Blair, NE, Amanda (Colton Hunzeker) of Bremerton, WA, Mitchell Bromwich (fiancé Diane Montoya) of Garland, NE, Jordan (Shandie Reiser) Buechle of Valentine, Shelbie Buechle of Valentine and Stephanie Buechle of Valentine; sister, Linda (Wally Eklund) of Gregory, S.D.; sister-in law Leatha Earll of Soldotna, AK; four Great Grandchildren, Kendrix and Kohen Baughman, Heston Buechle and Eleanor Niss.

The rosary will be held on Aug, 4th and the memorial service was held Wednesday Aug. 5 at 10:30 a.m. both at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Valentine.

Memorials can be sent to Carol Earll at 729 N. Hall St., Valentine NE 69201. Sandoz Chapel of the Pines was in charge of service arrangements.

A prayer service for Ilene Hickey, 88, Burke, formerly of Iona, was held July 29 at Kotrba-Smith Funeral Home, Gregory. A private burial will take place at a later date.

Ilene Marie Konop Hickey was born Oct. 21, 1931 in rural Dixon, SD, the third of five children born to Chas (Charlie) and Marie Feyereisen Konop. The family lived on a farmstead north of Gregory. She attended the rural Washington School and Gregory High School, graduating on May 14, 1948, in only three years and as the salutatorian of her class.

She then received her teacher’s certificate and taught for two years in a country school. She was smaller and almost the same age as some of her students.

Ilene met and later married the love of her life, Claude Hickey, on Aug. 28, 1950, in Pierre, SD. She and her younger sister Alvena Joy (Jody) lived together in Winner while their husbands were in the service. Ilene later moved to California to live with her mother to be closer to Claude, who was stationed at Camp Pendleton. After Claude finished his military duty, the couple lived west of Iona, SD on his parent’s farm, then in the Iona Hotel before purchasing their farm north of Iona, where they made their home for many years.

They worked side by side raising hogs and cattle, milking cows, and farming the land. To this union were born four children, Karen, Marvin, Darla, and Claudia. The couple also provided a home for her dad for many years.

Ilene, also known as Ikie to her friends, worked for a brief period of time sewing collars on shirts in a factory in Reliance, SD. Civic responsibility was important to Ikie as she served the community as an election worker in Lyman County about 25 years and as the Iona Township Treasurer for 40 years.

After the couple retired from farming, they moved to Burke, SD to a house on Main Street and later on to an apartment in Parkview Manor. After Claude’s death, she continued to live at the apartments until a series of strokes required the move to Butte Senior Living in Butte, NE in December of 2019. She resided there until her death.

She was a favorite of the nursing home staff because of her sweet and gentle personality and quick wit. Ikie’s skill for cooking became well known, and there was always room for one more at the family table. Liver and onions was a favorite meal served to her loved ones. Sheloved to bake and share homemade goodies, such as caramel cinnamon rolls, angel food cakes, raised and glazed donuts and pumpkin pies. Another specialty was making homemade candy, especially peanut brittle.

Ikie was an avid seamstress, making clothes for her children and grandchildren. She even put in an “all-nighter” sewing a Halloween costume for one of her granddaughters. She enjoyed gardening and in her later years she spent hours reading and following her beloved Chicago Cubs. She was thrilled when the Cubbies won the World Series in 2016.

She is survived by daughter Claudia (Glenn) Smith of Ainsworth,NE; daughter Darla Viereck of Sioux Falls, SD; and daughter Karen (Marvin) McIntosh of Iona, SD. She is survived by many grand and great-grandchildren; sister Jody (Jerald) Tagtow of Kandiyohi, MN; many nieces, nephews, and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her infant sister, Mary Ann Konop in 1939; parents Charlie in 1988 and Marie in 2004; husbandClaude in 2013; son Marvin in 2011; sister Betty Jean Rice in 1990, and brother Chuck Konop in 1986.