Marian Ruth Jorgensen went to be with the Lord on May 17, 2020. She was 95 and a resident of Golden Prairie Manor in Winner, S.D., and passed away because of a stroke and heart complications.
Memorial services are planned for Aug. 3, 2020, at the First Christian Church in Winner, but may be further delayed depending on the Covid-19 pandemic and the ability of the family to travel.
Internment will follow at the Winner Cemetery, followed by a luncheon at the First Christian Church. The funeral will be held jointly with that of Marian’s son, Terry Jorgensen, of Taylors, S.C., who passed away on March 30, 2020.
Marian was born on March 26, 1925, in Great Falls, Montana.
When she was five weeks old, her mother Mary Struble Applegate (later Fredricks) took Marian, her brother Frank and sister Merlyn by train to Nebraska where her father, Edward, met them and took them to Winner, where he had found employment as a mechanic.
Marian lived in Tripp County most of her life, graduating from Winner High School in 1942. She attended Springfield Normal School and taught for a year near Hamill.
She married Fred Schwenkner, who passed away in 1953, and married Harry Victor Jorgensen in 1955, who passed away in 2001.
Harry always referred to Marian as “the Little Flower.” They had two sons, Terry Jorgensen and Tony Harry Jorgensen (Jane), Lake Havasu City, Ariz.; and two daughters, Nancy Jorgensen (Dennis Barnhardt) of Pomerene, Ariz.; and Mary Ann Schroeder of Pierre.
The Flower loved to play cards and talk with friends and family. Her life’s mission from 2001 to 2018 was to finish the beautiful home on the hill that Harry had been restoring for more than 30 years—and she did.
Marian was also thankful to have shared her life with granddaughter Teresa Gross (Scott) of Newcastle, Wyo, and their children Hannah, Ramsey and Harrison. She viewed Terry’s former wife and Teresa’s mother, Donna Lucas (Kevin) of Sioux Falls as a dear friend and daughter, She was also survived by granddaughter Alexis Sprogis (Brandon) of Taylors, S.C., and their daughters Avery and Bailey. Marian was also close to grandniece Lovelyn Abbey of Phoenix.
One of 10 children, Marian’s surviving siblings include Deanna Croston (Allen) of Winner; Gene Fredricks (Donna) of Phoenix; and William Applegate (Mary) of Albuquerque. Special thanks go out to her niece, Sandy Croston, as well as Deanna and Allen Croston and others who helped Marian in her final years.
For 25 years, Marian worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and then became an independent crop insurance agent, retiring in 1995.
Active in community service, she was a leader in the First Christian Church for more than 85 years.
She was also in the GFWC Winner Woman’s Club, VFW Auxiliary, the American Legion Auxiliary, Friends of the Library, Tripp County Historical Society, RSVP, the Democratic Party and other organizations.
Memorials may be sent in Marian’s name to the First Christian Church, 326 Madison St., Winner 57580. Marian’s husband Harry built the church and many other landmarks in Winner.
Memorials may also be sent in her name to the Winner Regional Hospital, 745 E. 8th St., Winner.
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