Dr. Imogene Lorraine Marie DeSmet 92 of Sioux City, IA passed away on Oct. 11, 2020 at Holy Spirit Retirement Home in Sioux City, IA. Funeral services were held 10:30 am Monday, Oct. 19, at the St. Isidore Catholic Church in Colome, South Dakota with Father Kevin Achbach officiating. Burial will be in Dallas Catholic Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Waterbury Funeral Service of Sioux City.
Imogene was born Aug. 24, 1928 to Charles and Ida (VanOverschelde) DeSmet in Colome, South Dakota. She graduated from Colome High School and earned her BA degree from St. Mary’s of the Vasatch, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Imogene went on to earn her MA from Creighton University in Omaha, NE and her doctoral degree from the University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada.
Imogene taught English for many years at several places including Armour High School in Armour, SD, the College of Saint Catherine, in St. Paul, MN, and the University of Wisconsin in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. She also taught abroad for a semester in Denmark and in Malaysia. After retiring from teaching she moved to Sioux City, IA. to be closer to her family.
She loved to travel and spend time with her family and collecting dolls. She volunteered at each of the Catholic churches that she was a member at in many ways including being a lector, Eucharistic minister and helping educate others about the faith. She was also very active in several academic organizations.
Imogene is survived by her brother, Claire and his wife Modeanna of California, sisters-in-law, Valda DeSmet of South Dakota and Margo DeSmet of Massachusetts, and numerous nieces and nephews and their families who will always remember the stories she would tell them of her travels.
She is preceded in death by her parents, four brothers; Julius (Alona) DeSmet, Charles DeSmet Jr., Louie DeSmet Joe (Marilyn) DeSmet, her three sisters; Madeline (Charles) Watzel, Sadie (Miles) Krizan, Leona (Rex) Barcus, infant sister, Marie DeSmet, and a nephew, Jerry Barcus.