Obituary of Irene Henke

Parkston – Irene Henke, 85, went to her heavenly home Wednesday, October 21 at Firesteel Healthcare Center in Mitchell. Funeral service will be Monday, October 26, 2020 at 10:30 am at Salem Lutheran Church in Parkston with burial following in Parkston Protestant Cemetery in Parkston. Visitation will be Sunday, October 25, 2020 from 5 - 7 pm at Koehn Bros. Funeral Home in Parkston with a prayer service at 7:00 pm. Arrangements by Koehn Bros. Funeral Home in Parkston.

Irene was born September 4, 1935 to Reinhold and Ella (Mettler) Schnabel. She attended and graduated from Menno High School in Menno. After graduation, she moved to Sioux Falls where she worked for a short time in a bank. She was united in marriage to Randolph Henke on March 18, 1956 in Menno. To this union one daughter, Roxane, was born. They made their home on a farm near Parkston. Irene worked hard on the family farm, always cooking the noon meal and bringing the afternoon lunch to the farmhands out in the field. She maintained a large garden and canned everything she grew. After the passing of Randy in 1998, she moved into Parkston and began working at Avera St. Benedict Hospital as a cook. She was a dedicated Christian and a member of Salem Lutheran Church where she served on the church council, taught Sunday school and Bible school, helped lead the church choir and cleaned the church every week. She babysat her granddaughters and very much enjoyed going to each and every one of their softball and volleyball games. She will be missed dearly by everyone who knew her.

Grateful for having shared her life are her daughter, Roxane (Rick) Tegethoff of Mitchell; 2 granddaughters: Rachel (Pat) Knudson of Minneapolis, MN and Kelsey (Brett) Busch of Sioux Falls; a great-grandson, Ford Busch; 2 sisters: Lillian Luckey of Lincoln, NE and Eva Gramm of Parkston; a brother, Earl (Patsy) Schnabel of Menno; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Randy in 1998; 2 sisters: Bernice Decker and Shirley Walker; a brother, Wesley Schnabel; 2 sisters-in-law, Linette Schnabel and Jeanette Brandt; 4 brothers-in-law, Wayne Decker, Willis Walker, Gerald Gramm and Elmer Brandt; and her in-laws, Walter and Vera Henke.