Brookings County, South Dakota Obituary and Death Notice Collection
GenealogyBuff.com - Brookings County, South Dakota Obituary Collection - 45
Posted By: GenealogyBuff.com Date: Wednesday, 19 June 2024, at 8:38 p.m.
Eugene R. "Gene" Kriese
February 5, 1943 - November 13, 2015
Eugene R. "Gene" Kriese, 72, of Brookings, passed away Friday, November 13, 2015 at his home in Brookings under hospice care. Funeral services will be at 10:30 am Friday, November 20, 2015 at Ascension Lutheran Church, in Brookings. Visitation will be from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm Thursday at Rude’s Funeral Home with a prayer service beginning at 6:00 pm.
Eugene Robert Kriese was born on February 5, 1943 in Dawson, MN, the son of Myrl and Doris (Marsh) Kriese. He attended school in Dawson and graduated from Dawson High School in June of 1960. He was united in marriage to Cheryle Jean Amundson on March 14, 1964 in Benson, MN. He worked at the Standard Station as a Mechanic. He then worked at Schooning and Huckle Chevrolet in Appleton, Mn. The couple and two sons moved to Brookings in 1969 and he worked for CASE as the service manager until 1977. Eugene then went on to work at Coast to Coast Warehouse as the maintenance Supervisor until 2002. He then was employed at Royal River Casino in Flandreau until he retired in 2003. He helped Bob Schwartz farm until 2009.
He was a member of Ascension Lutheran Church, Elk’s Lodge #1490, Huron Antique Power Association, Prairie Village, Minneapolis Moline National Collector’s Association and Stearn’s County, MN Pioneer Club.
Eugene was an avid hunter and enjoyed boating, fishing, camping with family and friends, snowmobiling, restoring antique tractors later in life, with an emphasis on the Minneapolis Moline tractors, attending antique power/threshing shows where he showed his tractors. He especially enjoyed having his grandchildren at Prairie Village in Madison where he taught them how to drive the Farmall ‘B’ Tractor. He loved to spend time with his family and friends.
Grateful for having shared his life, are his wife, Cheryle Kriese, of Brookings, SD; his children, Robert (Julie Miller) Kriese, of Sioux Falls, SD, James (Diane) Kriese, of Brookings, SD, Doreen (Tobin) Janssen, of Canton, SD, Mary (Marcus) Campbell, of Brookings, SD and Daniel (Kellee) Kriese, of Dakota Dunes, SD; his grandchildren, Chelsea (Burton) Moe, Courtney Kriese, Jeremy Kriese, Kyla Kriese, Jonathan Kriese, Kale Kriese and Orie Campbell; his step-grandchildren, Marcus Campbell Jr. and Kiana Campbell; his great-grandchildren, Lexis Moe, Lilly Moe, Deegan Moe and Austin Moe; one sister, Judith (Marlyn) Ninneman, of Carlton, MN; two brothers, Gerald (Marian) Kriese, of Rice, MN and Duane (Wendy) Kriese, of Spicer, MN; four brothers-in-law, George Owen, of Oregon, IL, Arlen (Joan) Amundson, of Loveland, CO, Roald (Irene) Amundson, of Redfield, SD and Franklin (Donna) Amundson, of Huron, SD; one sister-in-law, Karen Evenson, of Farmington, MN and a host of other relatives
Eugene is preceded in death by his parents, Myrl and Doris Kriese, father and mother-in-law, Oscar and Carrie Amundson and brothers-in-law, Winston Amundson, Jon Owen and Chuck Evenson.
Memorials may be directed to Home Care Services or Avera Cancer Institute.
Richard H. Landsman
January 25, 1943 - November 1, 2015
Richard H. Landsman, 72, of Elkton, SD, died Sunday, November 1, 2015, at his home on the farm surrounded by his family after a 10 month battle of cancer. Funeral Services have been set for 11:00am Friday, November 6th, 2015 at Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church, Brookings, SD. Visitation will be from 5:00pm to 7:00pm Thursday, November 5th, 2015 with a 7:00pm Prayer Service at Rude’s Funeral Home, Brookings, SD. Rude’s Funeral Home is assisting the family with the arrangements.
Richard H. Landsman was born January 25, 1943, in Brookings, South Dakota, to William and Mildred (Janssen) Landsman.
Richard graduated from Elkton High School in 1961. On April 15, 1962, he married his high school sweetheart, Barbara "Jean" (Baker) Landsman in Elkton, South Dakota. He attended South Dakota State University and has been a lifelong Jackrabbit. Richard has been in the Agricultural Business for the past 50 years. He retired in September from RCIS a division of Wells Fargo.
Richard was a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Brookings. Richard and Jean spent the last 30 years building their home on the original homestead which has been a part of the Landsman family since 1892. He enjoyed spending time outside gardening and mowing, traveling to new places and especially going to the Black Hills. One of his passions was officiating Football, Basketball and Volleyball which he did for 28 years. His greatest passion was his wife and family.
Survivors include his wife, Jean of Elkton, SD; four children: Leslie (Tim) Harms of Rochester, MN; Todd (Dawn) Landsman of Sioux Falls, SD; Jennifer (Randy) Soma of Brookings, SD; and Kimberly (Tom Diggins) Landsman of Rapid City, SD; 10 grandchildren: Matthew and Kayla Landsman, Alorah and Kamryn Harms, Grace, Addison, and Senja Soma, Amara and Evangeline Bertelson, and Thora Landsman; 1 great-grandchild – Jasmine Landsman.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Dorothy (Landsman) Klosterman.
Vivian A. Jensen
February 8, 1925 - November 25, 2015
Vivian A. Jensen, 90, of Brookings, formerly of Aurora, passed away Wednesday, November 25, 2015 at Sanford USD Medical Center, in Sioux Falls. Funeral services will be11:00 am Saturday, November 28, 2015 at Aurora United Methodist Church, in Aurora. Visitation will be from 4:00 to 6:00 pm Friday at Rude’s Funeral Home in Brookings. SD.
Vivian A. Erks was born on February 8, 1925, in Cazenovia, Minnesota, the daughter of Herman and Anna (Marquardt) Erks. Vivian moved with her parents to South Dakota at the age of two. She attended rural school and graduate from the Aurora High School in 1943. She was united in marriage to Robert Jensen on November 21, 1950, in Ivanhoe, MN. She was employed for several years at Council Oak Store in Brookings. She was then employed at First National Bank in Brookings for 34 years retiring in 1987. Robert died on April 5, 2005, in Brookings.
She was a member of the Aurora United Methodist Church and served in several of the offices of the church. She was also the first female president of Aurora Administrative board. She enjoyed quilting, cooking, and especially spending time with her family and friends. She was a care giver to all who needed help.
Vivian is survived by one daughter, Judy Sherrard, of Springfield, MO; and two grandchildren Tammy Herrick and Amanda Sherrard; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; one daughter, Jeanne Herrick; one sister, Mabel; one brother, Robert and a son-in-law, Vern.
Jennifer Kay Even
January 31, 1975 - December 22, 2015
Jennifer Even, 40, of Brookings, SD passed away at her residence on December 22, 2015. Her funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, December 28, 2015 at First Lutheran Church in Brookings. Visitation will be from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Sunday, December 27, 2015 at Rude’s Funeral Home; or one hour prior to the service.
In Lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred.
Jennifer Kay Ponto was born on January 31, 1975, the daughter of Warren and Karen (Kruse) Ponto, in Brookings, SD. She grew up in Brookings, where she attended school and graduated in 1994. She started working at Larson Manufacturing where she held various assembly jobs. She went to work for 3M, as a packer, and stayed with them for 12 years. On May 11, 2003 she was united in marriage to Shaun Even at First Lutheran Church. Jennifer continued working various jobs in Brookings and most recently worked at Brookings Health Systems as a Lead Housekeeper.
Jennifer had a passion for animals, especially dogs and horses. She enjoyed going on horse rides. She loved spending time with her family and many friends. Jennifer was known for her infectious laugh and was always quick to help others in need.
Jennifer was a member of the First Lutheran Church.
Jennifer is survived by her daughter, Brianna Even of Brookings; her husband, Shaun of Brookings; her mother, Karen Ponto of Rapid City; sisters, Lori Ponto of Brookings and Kristin (Dusty) Kiner of Rapid City; nephew, Sean Kiner; nieces, Allison (Cole) Carda; uncle, Gary Ponto of Brookings and a host of other relatives.
Jennifer was preceded in death by her father, Warren; her grandparents; and a special aunt, Connie Kruse.
Clayton W. Knofczynski
January 25, 1926 - October 28, 2015
Clayton W. Knofczynski, 89, of Brookings, passed away Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 am Monday, November 2, 2015 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, in Brookings. Visitation will be from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm Sunday at Rude’s Funeral Home in Brookings with a Liturgical Wake Service beginning at 5:00 pm.
Clayton Walter Knofczynski was born on January 25, 1926 in Ivanhoe, MN, the son of Walter and Petranellia (Bulowski) Knofczynski. He grew up on the family farm, attended school, and graduated from Ivanhoe High School in 1944. Upon graduation, he helped his father farm until he decided to further his education at South Dakota State University in Brookings. He graduated in 1958 with a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Following graduation he became an Instructor at SDSU in the Mechanical Engineering Department. He was united in marriage to Audrey Spittle on June 30, 1962, in Chokio, MN. He obtained his Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1965 from SDSU. In 1966 he was employed by Univac in St. Paul, MN and worked there until 1968 when he was asked to return to the Mechanical Engineering Department at SDSU. He became a Professor and continued in this role until his retirement in 1990. He also served as the Department Head in 1977-78.
He was nominated as the College of Engineering Teacher of the Year seven times and was awarded the honor on three separate occasions. He received the Society of Automotive Engineers Ralph R. Teetor Award for Teaching Excellence in 1982, the F. O. Butler Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence in 1984, the Burlington-Northern Foundation Faculty Achievement Award for Teaching in 1988, and the American Society for Engineering Education AT&T Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1989. He was also a registered Professional Engineer in the state of South Dakota.
He was a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus, Elks, Golden Service Club, and "OFF" coffee group. He also served on the Boy Scouts of America Troop Council, the United Retirement Center Board, and was an advisor for Pi Tau Sigma.
Clayton had a love for gardening, woodworking, any and all types of puzzles, paint by numbers and reading. Following his retirement he enjoyed traveling with Audrey, often times visiting family and friends. His greatest joy in life was his family. He was very proud of each of his six children and being an active part of their lives. This continued when he and Audrey were blessed with their 25 grandchildren.
Grateful for having shared his life is his wife, Audrey Knofczynski, of Brookings, SD; his six children, Beth (Mark) Determan, of Apple Valley, MN, John (Leah) Knofczynski, of Madison, SD, Paul (DeeAnn) Knofczynski, of Pierre, SD, Charles (Christine) Knofczynski, of Fairfax Station, VA, Gregory (Stacey) Knofczynski, of Pooler, GA, and Mary (Aaron) Bowne, of White, SD; 25 grandchildren, Benjamin, Laurel, Catherine, Sarah, and Rebecca Determan, Michael, Amy, and Anne Knofczynski, Joseph and Allie Knofczynski, Marissa, Luke and Joshua Knofczynski, Isabel, Maya, Sofia, Lucy, Edison, Clay, Otto and Zoey Knofczynski, Nicholas, Kadence, Kyra and Drew Bowne; three brothers, Gordon Knofczynski, of Marshall, MN, Daniel (Janet) Knofczynski, of Savage, MN, and Richard (JoAnn) Knoff, of Willmar, MN; two sisters, Margaret Roberts, of Marshall, MN, and Mary (Francis) Bradley, of Rochester, MN, and a host of other relatives.
He is preceded in death by his parents.
Memorials may be directed to the Clayton and Audrey Knofczynski Scholarship Fund at the SDSU Foundation.
Sylvia Marcella Broadbent
October 5, 1922 - November 19, 2015
Sylvia Marcella Broadbent, 93, of Brookings, SD, passed away Thursday, November 19, 2015 at the United Living Community, Brookings, SD. Services are pending with Rude’s Funeral Home, Brookings, SD and will be held at a later date.
Sylvia Marcella Back was born October 5, 1922 in Hendricks, MN, to Christian and Olga (Wigen) Back.
Sylvia attended country school northeast of Hendricks and later moved to a farm near Astoria, SD. She continued her education in rural school near Astoria and graduated from Astoria High School in 1941.
After receiving her education, she moved to Brookings, SD and was employed as a waitress. She was also employed at Cole’s Department Store and later as a bookkeeper at S & L Department Store.
Sylvia was united in marriage to Rayburn Broadbent on February 7, 1946. After raising her family she began working at SDSU as the switchboard operator and also in security. She retired from SDSU in 1970. Rayburn died on June 13, 1970 in Sioux Falls, SD. In 1972 she began working at the Country Kitchen in Brookings.
She was a member of the First Lutheran Church in Brookings. She especially enjoyed spending time with her family and friends. She also loved to dance and play Bingo. Sylvia is survived by four grandchildren, Kathryan Broadbent of Wenatchee, WA, Sarah (Bryan) Prosinski of Casper, WY, Donald (Jenny) Olson of Sioux Falls, SD and Tom Olson of Sioux Falls; and one brother, Donald (Dorothy) Back of Phoenix, AZ.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Christian and Olga; husband, Rayburn; three brothers, Harlen, Paul and Christian; daughter, Susan; and son, Charles.
Walter Andrew Herrig
April 11, 1923 - January 15, 2016
Walter Andrew Herrig Jr, 92, of Brookings, SD, passed away Friday, January 15, 2016 at Brookings Health System, Brookings, SD. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00am Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, Brookings, SD. Visitation will be from 5:00pm to 7:00pm Monday, January 18, 2016 at Rude’s Funeral Home, with a 6:30pm Liturgical Wake Service. Rude’s Funeral Home is assisting the family with the arrangements.
Walter Andrew Herrig was born on April 11, 1923 in Leavenworth, Kansas, to Walter A. and Catherine (Miller) Herrig. Walter received his education in Leavenworth and graduated from Immaculate High School in 1941. In 1941, at the age of 17, he joined the Unites States Army and was placed in the Coast Artillery Corp. in the Philippine Islands where he was wounded and captured by the Japanese. Walter spent 40 months at OSAKO P.O.W. Camp where he worked in a lead mine. Walter was united in marriage to Doris M. McDonald on September 12, 1946 after a brief twelve day courtship, in Ft. Leavenworth, KS. They moved throughout the United States and Germany before settling in Brookings, SD in 1957. Walter continued his career in the US Army for 20 years and was honorably discharged in 1961.
Walter was then employed by the ROTC Department at SDSU as a supply clerk until his retirement in 1983.
Walter was a member of St Thomas More Catholic Church. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, bowling, playing cards, gardening and woodworking but he especially enjoyed spending time in his patio hosting "Fish Frys" with family and friends. His grandchildren and great-grandchildren were the light of his life.
Walter is survived by his wife, Doris, of 69 years; four sons, James Herrig (Nancy) of Cleveland, TN, Richard Herrig (Dee), Michael Herrig, Karl Herrig all of Brookings; two daughters, Ruth Lavelle (Brian) of Spring Grove, MN, Jeanne Melmer (Bob) of Brookings; 15 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; two brothers, A.M. Herrig, Thomas Herrig both of Leavenworth, KS; one sister, Mary Ann Guillette of St. Paul Park, MN.
Walter was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Theresa Filley; two brothers-in-law, Nick Filley and Joe Guillette.
Jean E. Kurtenbach
July 26, 1939 - December 24, 2015
Jean Ellen (Dobbs) Kurtenbach, 76, of Brookings, SD, passed away peacefully on December 24, 2015, at Brookings Hospital in Brookings, South Dakota. Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00am Saturday, January 2, 2016 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, Brookings, SD. Visitation will be from 5:00pm to 7:00pm Friday, January 1, 2016 with a 7:00pm Liturgical Wake Service at St. Thomas More Catholic Church. Rude’s Funeral Home is assisting the family with the arrangements.
Jean was born July 26, 1939 at the old Brookings Hospital to Irene (Stevens) and Vincent Dobbs. Jean entered the world with her identical twin sister Joan. The surprise of a second baby instantly gave her father a bloody nose. Jean grew up on a farm near Colman, attending school in a one room country schoolhouse, and later attended Colman High School. Besides growing up with her twin sister Joan Hickey (Dunedin, Florida), she was raised with an older brother Bill (Lincoln, Nebraska) and a younger brother Dick (Ames, Iowa). After high School, the twins went to Mount Marty College for a year of business training, and then started their first jobs at South Dakota State University, where she met Frank, her husband of 54 years.
Jean and Frank married in Colman, in a blizzard, on December 9, 1961.
A two-year army commitment sent them to Ft Campbell, Kentucky where their daughter Jackie was born. Following her husband’s dream to coach wrestling, they moved to Muscatine, Iowa. Another coaching opportunity led them to Keokuk, Iowa where they bought their first home and their son Steve was born. They spent one year back at South Dakota State University living in married student housing. In 1969 they moved to Sioux Falls, and then returned to Brookings in 1981.
Jean cherished all the friendships she developed throughout her life. She continued to keep in touch with the friends she made in school in Colman, and made new friends in all places that she called home or traveled to throughout the years. A highlight of every year for Jean was receiving Christmas cards. She would spend hours writing out personal letters to send to all her friends. She treasured all the letters and cards she received, and would look through them several times during the holiday season.
Jean enjoyed accompanying Frank as he traveled to conventions or other work related activities for Daktronics. They developed great friendships with the people that they met during their travels. They were fortunate to have great opportunities to see and do many fun and interesting things together. Especially important to them was to make sure they took time to stop and see any family or friends who might be on the way or living in the area they were visiting. Jean especially enjoyed being a part of Frank’s large family. She looked forward to the Kurtenbach family reunion, weddings, and many other family gatherings and celebrations.
When she wasn’t busy raising Jackie and Steve, she went back to school and graduated from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, and then eventually worked at Minnegasco in Sioux Falls and then at Northern Border Pipeline in Brookings. After retiring, she enjoyed helping Steve with his businesses. She also enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren, Reed Kotz, Phoebe Schwartz, Peyton & Stephen Glagola, and Mia & Landon Hugo, her son-in-law, Michael Schwartz (Minneapolis) and daughter-in-law, Amy Kurtenbach (Darnestown, Maryland).
As a wife of a coach and the mother of athletes, she spent many weekends and evenings in the bleachers watching sports. Her enjoyment of sports continued, and later in life Jean could always be found in the evening enjoying any baseball, basketball or football game she could find on TV. One of her other favorite pastimes was entering contests with her sister Joan. She won many prizes, including trips, bikes, games, and many other items, most of which she shared or gave to others.
Jean was a loving mother, devoted wife, cherished sister, and loyal friend. She will be dearly missed by the scores who knew her and loved her. In lieu of gifts and flowers, we encourage you to honor Jean by making a donation in her name to Brookings Health System Foundation. Please also take the opportunity to understand the real meaning of Christmas by reaching out to friends and family and spending quality time with them and those you have not seen in some time.
