Verle Hjelm, 93 of Woonsocket died Feb. 4, 2014 at Prairie view Care Center, Woonsocket.
Funeral services were held Friday, Feb. 7 at the Trinity Lutheran Church, rural Letcher. Burial was in the church cemetery with Pastor Mindy Ehrke, officiating. Visitations were at the Basham Funeral Home on Thursday, Feb. 6 from 6-9 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:30 p.m.
Verle was born on Jan. 22, 1921 at Letcher to Lloyd and Hazel (Hardman) Skinner. She was the oldest of eight children. She lived with her grandparents, George and Maggie Hardman, and attended school in Letcher graduating in 1939. After graduation she was a telephone operator in Letcher.
On Sept. 22, 1946 she married Darwin Hjelm at the Methodist Parsonage in Woonsocket. They lived on a farm in Elliot Township until 1997 when Verle moved into Woonsocket and Darwin was a resident of Storla Sunset Home. Verle became a resident of Prairie View Care Center in April 2008.
Verle was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church where she taught Bible School and belonged to a circle. She also was a long time member of the “If You’ll Go I’ll Go” extension club and a Sanborn County 4-H leader for many years.
She is survived by her three children, Ruth Ann (Larry) Olinger and Paul (Jeannie) Hjelm of Woonsocket and Myrna Hjelm of Mitchell; seven grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; one sister, Elaine Cranston of Montevideo, Minn.; one brother, Francis Skinner of Willow Springs, Mo.; a sister-in-law, Evelyn Hjelm of Woonsocket, and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Darwin; one grandson, Tracy Ziebart; three brothers, Leon, Duane and Myron; two sisters, Phyllis McClure and Shirley Lindstrom; her parents; and her step-mother, Vivian Skinner.