A funeral service for Eileen L. Soli, age 96, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and formerly of Rapid City, South Dakota, was held at 2 p.m., Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at George Boom Funeral Home & On-Site Crematory, Sioux Falls. A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at Graceland Cemetery, Burke. George Boom Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Eileen Louise Eastlund was born to William John and Grace (Metzinger) Eastlund on July 16, 1929, in Burke. She grew up on a farm and attended rural school near Lucas. She was the carnival queen and graduated from Burke High School in 1947, and received her teaching certificate from Dana College in Blair, Nebraska, in 1948. During college, she toured with the Dana Choir. Eileen taught elementary school for seven years, was a school business manager in Burke and Gettysburg, worked in the photography business for over 30 years, and worked for the US Census Bureau for 24 years.
She married Vincent Earl Zutz on August 28, 1950, in Lucas. They were married for 28 years and had four children. They lived in Burke, Gettysburg, and Winner during those years. In 1978, she married William Artus, and they lived near Johnson Siding, a community by Rapid City. He died in 2010. In 2015, she married Allan Soli, and they also lived near Johnson Siding.
Eileen was a kind, caring, sweet lady, very sociable, and always very stylish. She brightened the world with her sense of humor and found a way to make people feel special. With an effortless elegance, she made every day feel like a special occasion. Eileen enjoyed both professional and social clubs (VFW/Legion Aux., and wine club), and participated in amateur theater as a scriptwriter, putting together skits, plays, and family reunions. She was known to crash relatives’ parties dressed as a clown. Eileen was skilled at sewing, knitting, decorating cakes, and hosting guests. “Grandma Ily” loved spoiling her grandchildren. She also loved to travel, and visited such places as Europe, Mexico, and Alaska. In 2021, she moved to a retirement home.
Eileen passed away Sunday, June 21, 2026, at Dow Rummel Village in Sioux Falls.
Eileen is survived by her daughter Sandra (Roy) Daltrey of Winner; sons Jerry Zutz of Sioux Falls and Darin (Cathy) Zutz of Piedmont, Oklahoma; her sister Merla Severson of Sioux Falls; six step-children; and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; siblings Roger Eastlund, Viola Ripperger, and Doris Crane; her husbands; infant children Richard, twin babies, and Eugenie Lee Zutz; two stepchildren; and daughter in-law Jean Zutz.
