Updates Good and Not So Good

Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to the families of Sue Pulford, Sue Ribstein, and Mr. Cole.

Recently, the father of Sue (Kattke) Pulford passed away. This is the obituary that appeared in the Brookings paper:

Leo Kattke, 87, died at the Madison Community Hospital Monday, July 25, 2011.

Funeral services are at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Madison with the Rev Robert Vinslauski officiating. Burial is in St. Catherine Cemetery at Oldham.

There will be a parish scripture service at 7 p.m. Friday at the Weiland Funeral Chapel, which is in charge of the arrangements.

He was born April 4, 1924, in Manchester to Henry and Frieda (Dobrinski) Kattke. He married Regena McAdaragh at Oldham on June 4, 1947. He grew up in Oldham and farmed near Oldham his entire life. He was a member of the Whitewood Township Board, St. Catherine Cemetery Board and Church Council. He enjoyed restoring Allis Chalmers tractors which he displayed in parades and tractor pulls.

He is survived by two sons, Dan of Benson, Ariz., Tim (Vicki) of Watertown; Six daughters, Dianne (Doug) Quinn of New Hampton, Iowa, Susan (Bill) Pulford of Sioux Falls, Mary Ann (David) Appel of Redfield, Jane Lee of Madison, Joan (Greg) Huus of Sidney, Neb., and Kay (Kevin) McLain of Pierre; 21 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren; a brother, Verne of Oldham; four sisters, Evelyn Graff of Rapid City, Vera (Bud) Dooley of Tuscon, Ariz., Neva (Moe) Frey of San Antonio and Judi Riley of Waupaca, Wis.

He was preceded him in death by his wife in 2009 and one brother, Harold.

Also passing away recently was Rachel Cole, the wife of Mr. Vic Cole. Some of us may have had Mr. Cole as a teacher in Jr. Hi. This is the obituary from the website of Rude's Funeral Home:

Rachel Cole, 95, of Brookings, died Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at the Brookview Manor. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30am, Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Brookings, SD. Visitation will be held from 4:00pm to 7:00pm, Monday, August 1, 2011 at Rude’s Funeral Home in Brookings, SD, with a Liturgical Wake Service beginning at 6:30pm.

Rachel K. Barber was born on September 28, 1915 near Tyndall, SD to Samuel and Adelaide (Hughes) Barber. She attended rural schools and was a graduate of the Tyndall High School class of 1932. She continued her education at the University of Missouri and South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD. She was united in marriage to Vitalis I. Cole on May 10, 1941 in Tyndall. After their marriage she lived with her family on or near military installations in Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Indiana, Michigan, Virginia, Alaska, and Brookings, SD. She was employed several years by the Bon Homme County Extension Service and the ASCS office during WWII. She was a farmer field woman demonstrating and assisting with victory gardens and rationing programs. She was a 4-H Club leader for more than twenty-five years and was honored as a Friend of 4-H. She continued to provide awards for special foods winners. She also was a Girl Scout leader and organized and supervised a teen club for three years in Fairbanks, Alaska.

She was a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church and was active as a Sunday school teacher for many years as well as a 60 year member of the Catholic Order of Foresters. She was also a member of the Local John Kerr Chapter of the DAR, the Retired Teachers, Brookings County Historical Society and several bridge clubs. She especially enjoyed playing bridge, gourmet cooking, traveling and spending time with her grandchildren.

Grateful for having shared her life are her children Kathryn (Louis) Quinones, of Riverdale, New York, Carroll (Richard) Sens-Castet, of Brooklyn, New York. Eleanor (Randall) Roth, of New London, MN, Christopher (Jane Ann) Cole, of Ashburn, VA; six grandchildren, one great granddaughter and her sister, Mary (Dr. Lloyd) Scheffel, of Mt. Prospect, IL.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Vic, her sister, Hazel and her brother, John.

In today's Sioux Falls paper, there was a very brief item that Colin Bork, a 1976 (?) grad of BHS, was selected to the North Dakota Golf Hall of Fame. He is the younger brother of Carol Bork of our class. He was (is) an outstanding golfer, and won some titles in South Dakota before moving, evidently, to North Dakota.

Many of you may know that Central Elementary School was converted into South Dakota's only Children's Museum. The Museum has been only open for about 11 months, yet already is closing in on 100,000 visitors. It really is a world-class facility. When my niece was in Brookings last Easter, she, her husband, 5-year old son, 6-year old daughter, and I spent a whole afternoon viewing and playing in the the exhibits. It was quite exciting for all of us, and was helpful to me as I tried to remember which teacher taught in the respective classrooms. The classrooms have been converted into hands-on activities for the little ones. They can play the part of an auto mechanic, try their hand at composing or playing music, paint to their heart's delight, engage in a number of physical challenges, and participate in many other activities. The gym is a replica of what life may have been like for the pioneers of our state. Among the "buildings" are a "sod" house, a one-room schoolhouse, a farm, and a tepee. There is a grocery store where they can "buy" their food. For those who are interested in the newer technology, there is a "TV" studio that allows the kids to "air" a weather forecast, just as it is done on the 6 o'clock news. They can then watch themselves and see if any have a budding career as a meteorologist. In the area where the old entryway was, a trophy case holds some interesting artifacts related to the history of the school. If any of you ever make it back to Brookings, a trip to the only children's museum in South Dakota should probably have the same importance as eating at Nick's. It truly is worth the price of admission.

Some of you may know that I have embarked on a second career. I have returned to school to become a priest. Two years are completed, with two left to go. This summer, my assignment was at a parish in Sioux Falls. Part of our work is to visit patients in the hospitals. One day, I had stopped at the hospital desk to get a list of patients from our parish. I accidentally went into the wrong room, but the patient there knew me. She was the wife of "Doc" Serlet, who was the shop teacher at the old school, and then taught electronics when we went to the new high school. "Doc" passed away in 1974, and she has since remarried. She was a patient because she had missed the last step when coming down some stairs at home, and really smashed up her shoulder. Her younger son Mike was there; he was a year behind us in school. We had a great visit. Her other son Tim was a year ahead of us in school. both of them are engineers; Mike is near Denver, and Tim is somewhere in California.

More sad news: The stepmother of Sue (Cavanaugh) Ribstein passed away on Aug. 16, 2011.The obituary from Eidsness Funeral Home (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=437151JorenbyCavanaugh) contains this information:

LouAnn Jorenby Cavanaugh, age 87, of Brookings, formerly of Volga, died Tuesday, August 16, 2011, at the Brookings Hospital. Memorial services will be 2:00 P.M. Friday, August 19, 2011, at First Lutheran Church in Volga, preceded by a family service at the church at 1:00 P.M. Interment of cremated remains will be in the church cemetery.

LouAnn Caroline (Jorgenson) Jorenby Cavanaugh was born May 14, 1924, at Hayti, South Dakota, to Alvin and Effie (Stormo) Jorgenson. She grew up near Hayti, and on November 17, 1941, married Everett Jorenby. The Jorenbys farmed near Volga and later owned and operated the Silver Bell Café in Volga. Everett died February 17, 1985. On February 14, 1990, LouAnn married Dale Cavanaugh. He died June 27, 2001.

LouAnn will be remembered for her delicious food at the Silver Bell, where she was especially known for her cinnamon rolls, meatballs, and Sunday smorgasbords.

Survivors include four children: Rollie (Nita) Jorenby of Bessemer, Alabama, Linda (Len) Santema of Brookings, Larry (Macy) Jorenby of Springfield, Tennessee, and Randi Johnston of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; four step-children: David (Carol) Cavanaugh of Montgomery, Alabama, Susan Ribstein of Brookings, Rea (Rick) McKeown of Brookings, and Sheila Cavanaugh of Sioux Falls, 24 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; a brother, Bob (Mary) Jorgenson, of Columbia Falls, Montana; two sisters: Ellen Kneip of Port Angeles, Washington, and Marilyn (Gerald) Ziegler of Franklin, Tennessee; and her beloved companion, Dene Jones of Brookings, and his family. She was preceded in death by her husbands, Everett and Dale; step-daughter, Patty Gilbertson; and an infant grandson, Richard Jorenby

Mr. Bell's Wife

Many of us probably have some notable memories of our principal, Mr. Virgil Bell. He has been gone for many years now. His wife continued to live in Brookings, and was at our reunion in 2001. She recently passed away at the age of 100. Her complete obituary can be found at http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=11343&page=80

Whatever Happened to?

During these past few weeks, we had some fond memories of some truly outstanding mothers, Mrs. O"Connell and Mrs. Moulton. As some of us were reminiscing, we also mentioned Mrs. Cheever, a 6th grade teacher for some of us. That brought up the topic of some of our classmates who moved away during our junior high days. Some names that come to mind (with the help of some old annuals) are Dianne Baird, Patsy Bates, Joan Bjordahl, Jerry Briggs, Danny Brown, Patty Erger, Tami George, Greg Graff, Eddie Hansen, Lee Larson, Sonia Miller, Larry Nolan, Lynette Ostermeier, Bob Pape, Wanda Pike, Betty Rickerson, vickie Scannell, Carol Schulz, Deb Sedler, Susan Stamp, Beverly Sween, Ginger Thompson, Margaret Travis, Jill Wheelborg, Larry Wilson, and Steve Wobbema. All of these were here for our 8th grade year. A couple of names that are familiar from 7th grade are Teresa Buckbee and Cheri Tack (sp?). A number of these people were still here for our 9th grade year. Some new students that year were Arlisse Grant, Nancy Josephson, Leonard Otkin, Bill Ramey, Candy Roberts, Dan Scanlon (sp?), and Vicki Scannell. Randy Christensen, Donna Duenwald, John Gorman, Barb Milic, and Joann Sauer were some of the new students our sophomore year. They did not graduate with us. Has anyone had any contact with these former classmates?

Memorial Service For Irene Moulton

A wonderful memorial service was held this afternoon for Irene Moulton, the mother of Janice, Cheryl, Mary, and Rita. Each of the daughters told some delightful stories about their mother. Mrs. Moulton was a truly outstanding woman. She attended nursing school at the University of Minnesota. After the daughters were born, she put her career on hold so she could become a mother to her children. She then restarted her her nursing career at the Brookings Hospital, where she was widely respected. Her daughters stressed the imortance of courage, patience, and sacrifice in the live of their mother. Mrs. Moulton was a gifted seamstress, cook, and gardener. More importantly, though, was her love of God and her love of others. She was was very active in her church, and was always looking out for the neighbors and others in the many social groups to which she belonged. She had an impact on numerous people in the community. I can personally attest to this, as she assisted my own mother in the last years of her life. The memorial service was held today because it is the anniversary of her birth, May 22, 1917. Robyn (Connelly) Kortan was also in attendance from our class; we had a fun time reminiscing about our younger days.

If any of you have some news or information that could be passed along, do not hesitate to let us know. With your permission, we will gladly post it here. We have some ideas to get the ball rolling, but can always use some help and ideas.

A Former Sixth Grade Teacher Passes Away

Some of you may have had Mrs. Cheever for a 6th grade teacher. If memory serves right, the other 6th grade teachers at Central were Mrs. Travis, Mrs. Walker, and Miss Pedersen. Let me know if that is correct or not. She passed away a few weeks ago. She must have retired in the 70's. Our 6th grade year with Mrs. Walker was extremely memorable. Janice Briggs and I exchanged a few emails last summer about the wonderful experiences we had in school, particularly at Central.


Winifred N. Cheever of Brookings, SDPublished: May 04, 2011
Brookings - The memorial service for Win Cheever, lifelong educator and student, will be 2 pm Wednesday, May 11, at the Brookings First Presbyterian Church. Win made her home at 925 5th Street for almost 60 years.Win was born near Woonsocket May 5, 1912, to Lloyd and Harriet Weir Webster; taught home economics in Wall and Gettysburg after graduating from SD State in 1932; married Lyle Cheever in 1936; and was the mother of Walter (Cleveland, MN), Douglas (Dubuque, IA), and Kathleen "Kay" Cheever and of Margery Mullins (Denver, CO). Lyle and Kay preceded her in death as did one sister and both brothers (Mattie Olinger and Keith and Herb Webster), her son-in-law, Thomas Mullins, and grandson, Robert (Jill) Cheever. Four grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and her sisters, Melba Ellis of Evergreen, CO, and Connie (Waldo) Burrill of Forestburg also continue Win's life interests.Win and Lyle lived in Sioux Falls for six years where three children attended Washington High. After returning to Brookings, she taught sixth grade until her retirement. Win was an avid reader, an active gardener into her ninth decade, and a loving, gentle advocate for the underprivileged and for far-sighted stewardship of God's earth.Memorial suggestions include the Brookings First Presbyterian Church and Public Library.

Last week, a memorial service was held for Kevin O'Connell's mother. He gave a moving tribute about her life: her love of word games, such as scrabble and crossword puzzles; her volunteer work with the arts, especially at the SD Art Museum at SDSU; and her love of learning. Tom and Cathy (Wilber) Madson came all the way from Virginia. Tom's brother Bill, who has been in Sioux Falls for a number of years, was also in attendance. We exchanged many pleasant memories, and made the obligatory trek to Nick's and also to Ray's Corner.

The Mother of Dennis and Danny Kruse Passes Away

The mother of Dennis and Danny Kruse (Vada J. Iverson) passed away on April 8, after a long courageous battle with cancer. She was born June 22, 1930, in Brookings, the daughter of John and Helen (Johnson) Swedlund. She grew up in Brookings, and married Donald Kruse on Feb.2, 1948 in Volga. They made their home in Brookings and had six children: David, Danny, Dennis, Debra, Dwight, and Susan. Her husband Don passed away on Aug. 20, 1974 in British Columbia while on a hunting expedition. She married Darrell D. Iverson in 1976. She worked at SDSU from 1975-2003. She was a member of the Morningside Community Church in Brookings, and had a special gift for knowing just when to set the hook on her many fishing excursions. Vada is survived by her husband Darrell of Brookings; two sons, Dennis (Nettie) Kruse of Brookings and Dwight (Marilyn) of Lake Preston; two daughters, Debra (David) Stewart of Brookings, Susan (Kenneth) Weinberg of Lake Poinsett; two daughters-in-law, Julie Kruse and Sheila Kruse; 17 grandchildren; 31 great-granchildren, and one sister, Lola (Don) Stampe of Brookings. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Donald; two sons, David Kruse and Danny Kruse; one daughter-in-law, Wanda Kruse; one grandson, Scott Kruse, and three sisters, Mabel Severson, Frances Nordbye, and Blanche Evans.

Mary Moulton's Mother Passes Away

Our condolences and prayers go out to Mary Moulton and her family on the passing of her mother. She was a wonderful woman. I met her a few times when she, Dianne Sturdevant's mom, and my mom would get together and socialize every once in a while. They all grew up around the Faulkton area about the same time, so they had many things to talk about.

Irene Ellen Moulton passed away on April 2, 2011 at the of of 93 while living at the Sanford Mid Dakota Care Centerin Chamberlain, SD. She was born on May 22, 1917 in Faulkton, SD to Dorothy and Lars Andersen. Irene was long time resident of Brookings, SD and the wife of Lowell C. Moulton, who died April 4, 1979. Irene was beloved mother of four daughters, Janice Christian (I'm wondering if that should be "Christiansen"-I recall looking at annuals of my older brothers and sisters and seeing the name of Janice Moulton; there was also a boy named Christiansen (Bob?), whose father may have had Chris's Market across from the swimming pool. Did they get married?) and Cheryl Paulson of Oacoma, SD, Mary Steen and Rita Vanterpool of Colorado Springs, CO. She has six grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. A memorial service in celebration of her life will be held in Brookings, SD around her 94th birthday (May 22, 2011). Information on the time and exact date will be published in Brookings Register when this information is known.