Kathryn Ann Winter

The funeral service for Kathryn Ann (Kathy) Winter was held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at the United Methodist church in Gregory, SD, with Pastor Russ Grim officiating. Music was provided by Bette Fogel, pianist. Ferlin Husky was soloist for “On the Wings of a Dove.” Dick and Sally Shaffer were in charge of registration, and flower attendants were Paula Sundquist and John & Cheri Hansen. Casket bearers were Tim Drey, Jason Cernetisch, Dustin McIntosh, Scott Drews, Jarrod Serr, Jay Johnson, Amber Blum, and Evan Davis. Interment was at IOOF Cemetery in Gregory, SD. Kotrba-Smith Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Kathryn Ann (Lebert) (Corneman) Winter was born May 7, 1943, in the home of her parents, LeRoy and Dema (Christiansen) Lebert, south of Dallas, SD, and near Paxton, SD. She was the seventh of eight children.

Kathy attended Gregory High School, but graduated High School in Elk River, MN. She married and divorced Larry Cornemann and had two sons, Tim (1960) and David (1962), from this union. She moved to Dallas, SD, and worked for 17 years at the elevator, leaving for full time farm life in 1979. She was alone while raising her young boys, but had the support of the Dallas community and her Lebert family.

In 1965, Harold Winter entered the lives of this small, young family. Kathy and Harold were married on February 10, 1967. For several years, they lived in Dallas when school was in session and in Iona during the summer months. Their third son, Joe, was born in 1970. They moved a house to the farm site in 1975, and lived there until moving to Gregory in their later years.

Kathy was an active member of the Iona Methodist Church. She spent countless hours updating church records and tracking past church family members in preparation of the Iona Church celebrating “100 years of Faithfulness” in 2001.

Additionally, Kathy was an active member of the Friendly Neighbors Club, the often sought-after Club that served the local community in numerous ways. The Club also maintained the Iona Cemeteries, allowing her many hours of mowing and even making new markers as needed. In 1989, the Club gathered information and addresses for the precursor of the 911 system for the Gregory County fire departments.

In 2002-2003, Kathy updated the Iona Cemetery records. Through that process, she accumulated a lot of Iona history, prompting her decision to put Iona family stories together in a book: “Iona Heritage”. This endeavor was followed by a similar book titled “Paxton Heritage”, introducing the families of the area in which Kathy grew up.

Kathy and Harold were lifelong dancers, square dancing throughout several states as part of the Boots and Calico Square Dance Club in Colome, and could be found making turns and swings in Carlock throughout their very full lives. They were not afraid of travel, making trips to Europe, Asia, Hawaii and a Caribbean cruise too.

Kathy passed away on February 4, 2025, at Angelhaus Senior Living Facility in Yankton, SD, after a period of declining health relating to Alzheimer’s Disease at the age of 81 years.

Kathy is preceded in death by her parents and all seven of her siblings and their spouses: Vera “Faye” (Max) Beck, Arlene Ruth (Walt) Graesser, LeRoy William “Bill” (Helen) Lebert, Marie Joyce (Ed) Spurling, Carolyn “Jean” (Dick) Steffen, Louis Herman “Lou” (Kay) Lebert, and James Dean “Jim” Lebert.

She is survived by her loving husband Harold, their three sons, Tim (Sue), Dave (Alicia), and Joe (Carly); grandchildren Triston (Zach) Cornemann, Cale (Jordan) Cornemann, Ketty (Jordan) Paula, Chloe (Nate) Rotert, Kami Cornemann, Cooper Cornemann, Jack (Camille) Winter, and Alyssa Winter; eight great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.