Jean Kayl

Funeral services for Jean Kayl were held on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Gregory, SD, with Father Ron Garry celebrant. Music was provided by the St. Joseph Choir, accompanied by Mary Beth Gergen. Cantor was Anita Messerschmidt, and Margie Kainz was lector. Altar servers were Ian Opp and Sophia Stevicks, and gift bearers were Dan Kayl and Margie Kainz. Renee Stewart, Courtney Barber, and Siobhan Bromwich were in charge of registration, and flower attendants were Lindsey Kayl, Sarah Mc Coy, and Lori Cowins. Casket bearers were Charlie Kayl, Jacob Geigle, Tony Kayl, Josh Kayl, Wade Bromwich, and Andy Kainz. Honorary casket bearers were all Jean’s grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Elizabeth Jean (Petersen) Kayl was born on the farm to Margret C. (Abbenhaus) and Donald A. Petersen on March 18, 1930. They lived on the farm until after her two brothers were born and then moved to Bloomfield, NE, near Margret’s parents who owned a small house. Her dad got a job working for the WPA and the State of Nebraska.

When she started school at St. Andrew’s Catholic School there were three other girls with Elizabeth as a first name so the teacher said “What’s your middle name?” and from then on she was known as “Jean”.

When the war started in 1941, her dad worked in Texas running a dragline. He didn’t like the heat so they moved to the Tom Becker farm near Gregory, SD. Jean finished her eighth grade year at St. Joseph Catholic School in Gregory. Due to WWII and rationing, she went to Spencer, NE, to work in her grandmother’s café and finished her freshman grade in Spencer. She then went back to Gregory and graduated in May 1947.

Jean met Charles “Chuck” Kayl in March of 1946 after he came home from WWII in November 1945. They were married on June 3, 1947. Seven children were born to them and she saw all of them through graduation in Gregory. They lived two miles east and two miles south of Gregory for 13 years. They then moved to the old Petrik farm six miles south of the drive-in theater, where they lived until Chuck’s passing in October 2019. Jean stayed in their home until Thanksgiving, 2022 when she moved to Custer, SD, to live with her daughter Margie.

She was president of St. John Catholic Church Altar Society in Paxton, SD, and St. Joseph Catholic Church Altar Society in Gregory for two years. Jean was a baker and made many wedding, graduation, and birthday cakes for family, friends, and neighbors. She was a long-time member of the VFW holding all of the offices and won the State Auxiliary District Award. She helped the 4-H club by writing skits and helping with costumes. She worked for the Gregory High School as an assistant librarian for one year and for Clara Belle’s Floral shop for a couple of years. Jean had a green thumb, cultivating a large rose garden and vegetable garden. She canned and froze many quarts of sweet corn, beets, tomatoes, and beans. Jean also raised chickens, and sheep and was a midwife to many calves on the kitchen floor. Jean also enjoyed games and puzzles, most especially card games (mostly pinochle and pitch). In her later years, she spent many days playing pinochle at the Senior Center in Gregory.

Jean and Chuck hosted pheasant hunters for about 15 years. Jean fed the hunters three meals a day and provided a place to sleep while Chuck acted as a hunting guide. They used the money earned to buy campers, which for 11 years they used to escape the cold and travel to Arizona for three months.

Jean passed away on October 20, 2024, in Custer, SD at the age of 94. Jean was preceded in death by her parents; husband Chuck; sons Mike and Joe; grandsons: Travis Kainz, Eric Kayl, and Chris Kayl; greatgrandsons Zach Nicks and Michael Murray; brother Dick Petersen; and sister-in-law Alvera Petersen; sons-in-law Carl Geigle and Dean Kainz; and daughter-in-law Jean Kayl.

Jean is survived by her brother Don (Barb) Petersen, Gregory, SD; children: Margie Kainz, Custer, SD, Mariane Bromwich, Rapid City, SD, Dan (Judy) Kayl, Belle Fourche, SD, Patti (Ray) Greenseth, Murdo, SD, Larry (friend Tamara) Kayl, Zimmerman, MN; daughter-in-law Brenda Drefs; grandchildren Lori (Corey) Cowins, granddaughter-in-law Teri Kayl, Victoria (Jacqueline) Drefs, Mathew (Katie) Drefs, Jonathan (Brooke) Drefs, Dawn (Pete) Murray, Renee (Doug) Stewart, Andy (Leah) Kainz, Wade (Julie) Bromwich, Wendy Bromwich, Ben (Michelle) Kayl, Josh (Jamie) Kayl, Sarah (Michael) McCoy, Tony (friend Amanda) Kayl, Kodi (Patton) Hoffarth, Hope Geigle, Jacob (Trista) Geigle, Colleen Greenseth, Josh Greenseth, Morgan Greenseth, Courtney (William) Barber, Lindsey Kayl, Jerred Kayl, Bryan (Wendy) Kayl, Renita (Scott) Herrington and Charlie (Alicia) Kayl; 67 great-grandchildren, and 12 great-greatgrandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.