Roberta Van Bockel, 85, of Miller and formerly of Wessington Springs, died Friday evening, Feb. 28, 2014 at the nursing home in Miller.
Funeral services were held Wednesday, March 5 at 10:30 a.m. at the United Church of Christ in Wessington Springs with Rev. Sara Olson Dean officiating. Burial was in the Hope Cemetery. Visitation was at the Basham Funeral Home Tuesday with a prayer service at 7 p.m.
Roberta Jane was born to Alva and Alice (Lehner) Blacksten on Sept. 20, 1928 in Mitchell. She attended grade school and high school in Mitchell. After graduation she worked at a local bank in Mitchell.
She married Francis “Van” Van Bockel on March 5, 1955 at her parent’s home of rural Mitchell. They started their married life together in Miller,  and then moved to St. Lawerence and then to a ranch southwest of Wessington Springs.
Roberta and Van raised their four daughters and ranched together until moving to Wessington Springs. She later moved to Miller to an assisted living facility and then to the Good Samaritan Society.
She was a member of the Templeton United Methodist Church of rural Wessington Springs.
Roberta is survived by her daughters, LeAnn (Marvin) Gjernes, Chelsea, Jan (Brian) Winter, Wessington, Cindy (Hugh) LeRoy, Frenchtown, Mont., and Jodi (Paul) Weber of Woonsocket; 12 grandchildren; five great-grandsons and three great-grandaughters; a brother, DeWayne (Marlys) Blacksten of Mitchell; and many nieces and nephews.
Preceding her in death were her husband; her parents; two sisters, Lola and June; a brother, Bob; and a brother and sister who died in infancy.