November 2015

NORMA FAYE SONNE

Woonsocket

norma obit pic    Norma Faye Sonne, age 80, of Woonsocket and rural Letcher, passed away Wednesday, Nov. 18 at the Prairie View Care Center in Woonsocket. Funeral services were Monday, Nov. 23 at the Storla Lutheran Church. Burial  was at Trinity Lutheran Cemetery, rural Letcher. Pastor Al Goldhammer officiated. Visitation was held at the church Sunday afternoon. with a prayer service at 4 p.m. and one hour prior to service at the church. Arrangements were by Basham Funeral Home, Woonsocket.
Norma (Birger) Sonne was born July 26, 1935, to Joseph and Gladys (Bellon) Birger near Wagner. She attended Ravinia High School and received her teaching certificate from Northern State Teachers College in Aberdeen. She married Robert (Bob) Sonne on Nov. 23, 1956, at First Lutheran Church in Mitchell.
She taught at Longfellow School in Mitchell and then moved to Ft. Lewis, Wash., to be with Bob while he was in the Army. In 1958, they returned to South Dakota, where they raised their family and she worked for 26 years at the Storla Nursing Home and was a teachers aid at Elliot School.
She was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church, where she held the church secretary position for 31 years, taught Sunday School and Bible school for many years and was a member of Ladies Aid. Norma always had a smile on her face, especially when it came to her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. She loved to watch sports when her family was playing. She loved reading, listening to music and reading her daily devotions.
Norma is survived by four children, Greg (Char) Sonne of Mt. Vernon, Gail (Lincoln) DeKramer of Canistota, Brian (Tami) Sonne of Mt. Vernon, and Jeff (Jennifer) Sonne of  Letcher; nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren; nine brothers and sisters, Thelma O’Donnell, Connecticut, Wilma (Lennis) Sonne, Mitchell, Rodney (Verlene) Birger, Harrisburg, Phyllis Kieser, Minneapolis, Minn., Larry (Judi) Birger, Jamestown, N.D., Sherrill Watters, Bridgewater, Doug Birger, Sioux Falls, Pam (Ron) Martin, Tyler, Texas, and David Birger, Sioux Falls.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Bob; parents, Joseph and Gladys Birger; in-laws, George and Hannah Sonne; brothers-in-law, Bill Kieser, Jack O’Donnell, David Watters, Mike Duncan and Gordon Sonne; sisters-in-law, Edel Duncan, Irene Sonne and Bonnie Birger; nephew, Steve Sonne; and niece, Paula O’Donnell.

LaRayne Dodd

Mitchell

Larayne Dodd obit pic    LaRayne Dodd, 94, of Mitchell, died Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015, at Avera Brady Health and Rehab.
Funeral services were Tuesday, Nov. 24 at the United Methodist Church in Plankinton with burial in the Mizpah Cemetery at Plankinton. Visitation was from 5-7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23 at the Bittner Funeral Chapel in Mitchell.
LaRayne Gertrude Dodd was born Dec. 18, 1920, to Josephine (Adams) DeJong and Bert DeJong. She grew up in Storla and spent much of her childhood helping her dad at the Storla Store. She graduated from Letcher High School in 1937 and was married to Bernard “Bud” Dodd on July 16, 1939. Their union was blessed with three children, Ronald, James and Lori.
Bud and LaRayne were not only partners in marriage, but partners in business, as well. During the early years of their marriage, they owned the Storla Garage and in 1947, formed a construction company with Bud’s brother and his wife and moved the business through Montana and into the Black Hills. In 1950, they moved to Plankinton and operated Dodd Implement from 1950-1972, and just prior to Bud’s death in 1972, they purchased a hardware business, Dodd Hardware, also in Plankinton, which LaRayne and son, Jim, operated from 1972-2000. She kept books for both businesses and also for L & A Oil Co., a partnership formed between LaRayne and Annie Sauvage.
LaRayne enjoyed her family and her hobby of making silk flower arrangements and nut cups for community occasions. She was an active member of the United Methodist Church and a member of the Eastern Star for over 60 years.
She is survived by her daughter, Lori (John) Fett of Mitchell; seven grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.
LaRayne was preceded in death by her parents; three stepmothers; her stepbrother, Robert DeJong; her husband; and her two sons.

Lea Jane Moran

Mitchell

Lea Jane Moran, 68, of Mitchell, passed away at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, surrounded by family and friends.
Her funeral was Monday morning, Nov. 23 at St. Wilfrid Catholic Church in Woonsocket with burial in St. Wilfrid Cemetery. Her wake was Sunday evening, Nov. 29, preceded by the rosary, at Basham Funeral Home in Woonsocket.
Lea Jane Moran was born June 26, 1947, to Francis “Red” Moran and Bertha Ritter Moran, together with her twin sister, Lynn Ann Moran. The twins were the first of the Moran siblings to be born in a hospital. Lea attended St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Woonsocket for her elementary education and graduated from Woonsocket High School. She received her bachelor’s degree in education from Dakota State College and her master’s degree in education from Northern State College.
Lea taught at the elementary level for 32 years and retired from teaching in 2004. She began her teaching career at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Salem, followed by first grade at Holy Spirit School in Mitchell, as well as Longfellow School, Gertie Belle Rogers School, and finally, L.B. Williams. Lea was a Title I teacher, who taught children remedial reading and math and then became a certified Reading Recovery Teacher, teaching beginning readers at the first grade level.
She was active in SDEA, Beta Sigma Phi and Lions Club and was an active member of the Catholic Church. She was also a Democrat active in campaign work with her first campaign being that of Bobby Kennedy in 1968. Lea attended two National Democratic Conventions, one in New York in 1992 and one in Chicago in 1996, and attended many district and national conventions for the Lions Club with her twin sister.
She is survived by her sisters, Cecelia (Leon) Williams of Columbus, Neb., Patricia (Larry) Borgerding of Rolla, Mo., Mary (Denny) Gere of Pierre, Lynn Moran and Geraldine Moran of Mitchell; brothers, Jim (Donna) Moran of Woonsocket, and Dan (Trudy) Moran of Madison; one sister-in-law, Nathlee Moran of Huron; and many, many nieces and nephews.
Lea was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Tommy, Mathew and Larry Moran; her sisters, Maggie Nelson and Rosemarie Moran; her sister-in-law, Bev Moran; her brother-in-law, Carney Nelson; and a beloved niece, Karen Borgerding Shore.

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