Obituaries

Funeral services for Marvin Frasch were held on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Fairfax, SD, with Pastor Bill Heermann officiating.

Funeral services for Claudia Sangster were held on Saturday, July 15, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at the Clausen Funeral Home in Burke, SD, with Pastor Russ Grim officiating.

Funeral services for Margaret “Peggy” Schwartz were held on Monday, July 10, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. at the St.

Marie Joyce (Lebert) Spurling was born on February 17, 1937, in Tripp County, SD, and grew up on the family farm in South Dakota with her parents Leroy “Roy” and Dema (Christianson) Lebert and seven siblings. After graduating Gregory High School, she married Edwin M. Spurling on April 9, 1955. They moved together to Anchorage, AK. They later moved to southern California where they made their home for the rest of their lives, first living in Reseda and then in Newhall.

A memorial service for David Wonnenberg was held on Saturday, July 1, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. at the Congregational Church in Gregory, SD, with Pastor John Granchie, officiating. Music was provided by Renee Holzer and Jeanie Kotrba pianists. Kenneth, Charles, Steve, and Roger Wonnenberg sang “Victory In Jesus” Eulogies were given by Kenneth Wonnenberg and Jim Lipp. Jim and Chandra Day were in charge of registration. Inurnment was in the IOOF Cemetery in Gregory, SD, with military honors conferred by the Colome and Gregory Legion and the National Honors Team David John Wonnenberg was born May 31, 1944, the first of the five sons of William and Alvina (nee Lindwurm) Wonnenberg in Burke, SD.

Graveside services for Calvin Vosika were held on Saturday, July 1, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at the Graceland Cemetery in Burke, SD, with Pastor Mark Tuttle officiating.

Funeral services for Kelli Schulte were held on Saturday, June 17, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. at the St. Joesph Catholic Church in Gregory, SD, with Father Jonathan Dillon as celebrant. Music was provided by Geoff Smith, accompanied by Katie Opp. Jared Opp was cantor, and Carol Slaymaker was lector. Bev Beck was in charge of registration, altar servers were Eli Ekroth and Gabe Ekroth, and gift bearers were Alex Urbanski and Jordyn Urbanski. Urn bearer was Henry Schulte. Interment will be at a later date in Grand Island, NE. Kotrba-Smith Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. Kelli Marie (Urbanski) Schulte was born on July 26, 1973, in Grand Island, NE, to Carol (Eastwood) and Jerry Urbanski. She grew up in Grand Island and graduated from Northwest High School in 1991.

Funeral services for Dawn Sand will be held Thursday, June 22, 2023, at 2:30 p.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Gregory, SD. Burial will follow at Dallas Hillview Cemetery in Dallas, SD. Refreshments and fellowship to follow at Mary Vale Hall in Gregory, SD.

A mass of Christian burial for Deloris Rutten was held at 10:30 a.m., on Monday, June 19, 2023, at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Albion, NE, with Fr. Mark Tomasiewicz officiating. Inurnment was in St. Michael’s Cemetery in Albion, NE. Levander Funeral Home of Albion, NE is in charge of the arrangements. Deloris Darlene Rutten was born May 18, 1935, in Dustin, NE, to Henry and Blanche Diekmann. She was welcomed into the family by one-yearold Donald Dean. The family moved back to Gregory, SD, to take over the original Diekmann farm in 1936. The family grew with four more children - Dee, Phyllis, Donna, and Bob - and two children who died at birth. Deloris attended country school for eight years, then boarded in Gregory for one year of high school. She moved back in with the family when they moved to a farm on the edge of Gregory so the children could all attend school there. She graduated in 1953, then went to a business school in Omaha, NE. She worked in Omaha until 1956. It was during this time that she met Donald Lawrence Rutten of Albion, and they married on July 30, 1956, at the Catholic church in Gregory, SD. Since that time, her home has been in Albion, NE.

A committal service for Lois Besmer was held on Saturday, June 17, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at the IOOF Cemetery in Gregory, SD, with Pastor Marcus Ring officiating. Inurnment was in the IOOF Cemetery in Gregory, SD. Kotrba-Smith Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. Lois Loraine Knittel was born on June 9, 1939, the fourth of six children, to Edward and Ola Knittel (Steppat Warden), in South Dakota on the Rezac place south of Dallas. Lois spent her childhood on the family farm near Gregory, SD. Initially attending a one-room schoolhouse with siblings and neighbors, Lois later boarded in town while attending Gregory High School, from which she graduated in 1957. While in high school, she was a 4-H leader of the ‘Ramos Ramblers’. The group sang “The Cattle Call” at the State Fair in Huron, SD, and took first prize. The group then went to Kansas for another performance. While in high school at Gregory High, her interests were bookkeeping and home economics. Lois kept the books at Newsam Chevrolet and enjoyed polka dancing and waltzing at Colome on Saturday nights.