Obituary of Vernetta Rosella Bader

Parkston - Vernetta Rosella Bader, 91, died at Avera Bormann Manor in Parkston on Saturday, November 5, 2022. Funeral service will be Friday, November 11, 2022 at 10:30 AM at Parkston Congregational Church with burial following in Parkston Protestant Cemetery. Visitation will be Thursday, November 10, 2022 from 5 - 8 PM at Parkston Congregational Church with a prayer service at 7:00 PM. Family requests memorials be directed to Avera Hospice in lieu of flowers. Memorials may be directed to Jean McLaury, 155 Hideaway Dr., Mission Hill, SD 57046. 

Adolph and Katie Steiger were blessed with their fifth child Vernetta Rosella Steiger on January 5, 1931, near Glenham, SD. She passed away November 5, 2022, in Parkston, SD.
 
At a young age, Vernetta contributed to the farm by doing chores such as gathering eggs, washing dishes, cleaning house, and driving the tractor.
 
She attended elementary school in Glenham where she was the only student in her class. She joked once, “I was the smartest in my class, I was the only one!” She graduated from Glenham High School in 1949 with a much larger class of 14.
 
Vernetta met her best friend and one true love, Theodore Bader, at a UCC conference in Billings, MT in 1949. They both attended Yankton College and were married on June 11, 1951, at the German Congregational Church in Selby, SD.
 
Vernetta and Ted moved to Hartford, CT in 1951. While Ted was in seminary there, she worked as a secretary. From 1954 to 1961, they were in Medina, ND where they started their family. In 1961 the family moved to Carrington, ND and in 1971 they moved to Parkston, SD, where she resided until her death in 2022.
 
She was a stay-at-home mom until all her kids were in school. Then she took a job as an aid at the Parkston elementary school for many years,working mostly in the kindergarten room.
 
Vernetta‘s greatest love was her family. She enjoyed attending her children’s and then her grandchildren’s school activities. She was honored to be chosen, along with Ted, as the 2011-12 Trojan Fan of the Year.
 
She enjoyed sewing, doing family research on the computer, playing cards,and flower gardening. She had a great sense of humor and loved joking with the family. She was an excellent cook, but she often disappeared after the meal when there were dishes to be done.
 
Vernetta’s passing has left a void in her family’s hearts that cannot be filled. We will miss her smile, her laugh, and her hugs (ooh-ahh’s). We have many fond memories that we hold dear to our heart and hope to pass on to our children.
 
Vernetta is survived by her children Glenn (Gerri) Bader, Wessington Springs, SD, Jean (Kim) McLaury, Mission Hill, SD, Carol (Gary) Zanter, Freeman, SD. 11 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren, 10 great great grandchildren, and numerous family and friends.
 
She is preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her two sisters, four brothers, her son Paul, and infant children David and Joanne.