Elma Chocholousek

A memorial service for Elma Rose Chocholousek, age 99, of Gregory, South Dakota, was held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 23, at United Methodist Church with Reverend Thanael Certa-Werner officiating.

Ryan Chocholousek delivered the eulogy. In addition to recorded music, Alex and Anna Chocholousek performed “I’ll Be Seeing You” and Geoff Smith performed “Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone.”

Dale and Madeline Pastian were in charge of registration, and Peg Cassidy and Liz Cihak were flower attendants.

All of Elma’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren were urn bearers.

Interment was at Czech National Cemetery south of Gregory. Elma Chocholousek was born to James and Gertrude (Lorenzen) Tlustos on October 22, 1926, in Dallas. She grew up on a farm south of Dallas, the third oldest of nine children. She attended country school near the farm and spoke several times of her walks back and forth to school with her siblings. Following high school graduation in 1944 from Dallas High School, she rode the train to California along with her sister Marie and a friend. It was here Elma worked in an aircraft factory. After returning to South Dakota, she attended Southern State Teachers College in Springfield. Following college, she taught in a country school near Dallas. Elma was not the only sibling to attend college. Of the nine, seven went on to receive college degrees, and four of the nine served in the military.

Love was in the air when Elma tossed her shoe into the pile at a “shoe dance,” and one young man went after it entitling him to a dance with its rightful owner. This was the beginning of a romance that led to a 72year marriage. Stanley Chocholousek was the young man who captured Elma’s shoe and her heart. Stanley and Elma were married January 19, 1949, in Gregory. To this union, three children were born: David, Linda, and Julie.

Elma was a stay-at-home wife and mother. Farming and family became her main focus in life. Elma always knew which field Stanley and David were working in and what they were doing. Life on the farm for Elma consisted of cooking, cleaning, mending, mowing the yard, dressing chickens, taking lunch to the men in the field, enjoying daily walks to the tower, stocking her freezer with Schwan’s novelty items, and keeping track of outside activity through the kitchen window. She saw most everyone who drove by the farm and enjoyed watching the finches that perched and played on their birdhouses nearby.

Some of the things that brought Elma joy were attending events her kids and grandkids were involved in, spending time (in earlier years) camping and boating on the Missouri River, sharing her infamous scratchers with others, attending weekly Weight Watcher meetings with friends, and cheering on the Gregory Gorillas. She and Stanley were loyal followers of the Gorillas and lifetime members of the Gregory Athletic Club.

Elma was a member of the Gregory United Methodist Church. Elma lived to be 99½ years of age. She took great pride in the fact that she was going to be 100 years old. It was not uncommon for her to ask, “Do you know how old I am?” After a two-year stay, Elma passed away at Avera Rosebud Country Care Center in Gregory on May 6, 2026.

Elma is survived by her three children: David Chocholousek (Roxie), Linda (Dennis) Purvis, and Julie (Roger) Greer; nine grandchildren: Ryan (Kelly) Chocholousek, Ashley (Ryan) Olsen, Alex (Anna) Chocholousek, Shelby (Eric) Purvis, Brecken (Josh) Buysse, Brady (Marissa) Purvis, Mitch (Morgan) Greer, Lindsey (Dan) Berg, and Jacey (Stephen) Smith; 16 great-grandchildren; sister Carol “Midge” Wolf; brother Les Tlustos; sisters-in-law Jan Tlustos, Myra Tlustos, and Norma Garavito-Tlustos; brother-in-law Don Frank; and several nieces and nephews.

Elma was preceded in death by her husband Stanley; parents James and Gertrude Tlustos; brothers George, Jack, Bob, and Terry; sisters Marie Gassen and Joyce Frank; brothers-in-law William “Bud” Gassen and Larry Wolf; sisters-in-law Lillian Tlustos and Lavonne Tlustos; nieces and nephews; and many friends.