Obituary of Bertha Marie Schoenfelder

Parkston – Bertha Marie Schoenfelder, 88, went to her heavenly home Sunday, December 6 at Avera St. Benedict Hospital in Parkston. Due to Covid-19 concerns, a private, family funeral mass will be held Thursday, December 10 at 2:00 pm at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Dimock. Arrangements by Koehn Bros. Funeral Home in Parkston.

Bertha was born April 9, 1932 to Arthur and Bertha (Weber) Bowar in Dimock, SD. She attended Ss. Peter & Paul Parochial School and graduated from Parkston High School in 1950. Growing up, she was the sixth of nine children and was fondly known as her dad's "right-hand man" on the farm. After high school, she worked in Mitchell, SD as a dental assistant and office secretary. She married her high school sweetheart, Aloys Schoenfelder, on October 20, 1954 at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Dimock where they were lifelong members. They lived briefly in St. Louis, MO while Al attended diesel mechanic school. Upon their return to South Dakota, they traveled with Lindekugel Road Construction Company where Al helped build the current interstate system in South Dakota. In 1960, they settled in Dimock, built a shop and started Dimock Iron Works. She worked as the bookkeeper for over 40 years. Bert kept the business going after Al died in January, 1976. She later suffered the loss of her son, Dale, in July 2003. She enjoyed gardening, canning, sewing, playing cards, following the Twins, puzzles of all kinds, bird-watching, and reading. She crocheted doilies, afghans, and baby blankets for all of her family, including her great-grandchildren. She was involved in the Altar Society, sang in the choir and taught catechism, all at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church. She also served as secretary for Catholic Aid Insurance for many years.

Grateful for having shared her life are her four children: Dave (Cindy) Schoenfelder of Parkston; Linda (Ron) VanZee of Omaha, NE; Mark Schoenfelder of Dimock and Robin (Gail) Radke of Parkston; 9 grandchildren: Eric (Brittany) Schoenfelder, Cory Schoenfelder; Sarah (Nick) Clatterbuck, Adam (Erin) VanZee, Alex (Lindsay) VanZee; Alison (Justin) Neth, Jenna (Kyle) Timmerman, Krista Radke and AJ Schoenfelder; 11 great-grandchildren; a sister, Adele Boddicker of Parkston; a brother-in-law, Arden Harvison of Platte, SD; and 3 sisters-in-law: Joan Schoenfelder of Parkston; Marion (Don) Sudbeck of Dimock and Eunice (Marvin) Welch of Parkston.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Aloys; a son, Dale; 6 sisters: Arlene, Rita, Rosemary, Betty, Doris and Barbara; and a brother, Larry; in-laws Marvin Schoenfelder, Esther (Sid) Anderson, Vern (Shirley) Schoenfelder, Bud (Janice) Schoenfelder.