Obituary of Olinda Stevens

Olinda Stevens, age 95, of Menno, SD, passed away early Saturday, February 21, 2015 at the Menno-Olivet Care Center, Menno, SD. Funeral services will be 11:00 AM, Friday, February 27, 2015 at the Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Chapel, Yankton, SD with officiating. Burial will be in the Garden of Memories. Visitations will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Olinda was born October 3, 1919 in rural Menno, SD in Yankton County, to Edward and Katie (Rempfer) Kirschenman. She attended Bender Country School. Olinda married Glen Stevens on May 11, 1940, in Hartington, NE. Olinda and Glen farmed in the Menno, SD area most of their lives. Olinda was a farm wife and worked side by side with her husband doing fieldwork and chores. She was an excellent cook and no one who visited the farm left hungry. She was frugal in regards to her needs but was generous with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, church and missions. Olinda was a woman of faith and was thankful for all the Lord provided. She was a Sunday school teacher and assisted with 4-H activities. She will be greatly missed by her family. While she was unable to continue her formal education beyond 8th grade, she was self-taught and never stopped learning through books and life experiences. Like many rural women of that era, her housekeeping chores included raising a garden, canning, doing laundry by heating water in a boiler on the stove for the wringer washer, not to mention milking cows, raising chickens for meat and eggs. She also loved to knit, crochet and sew and made many items for the home as well as clothes for her daughters. She enjoyed playing cards, especially Skip-Bo with her friends and family. Survivors include her daughters, Minerva (Laddie) Pokorney of Lakewood, CO and Patty Gall, Pierre, SD; grandchildren: Kim (Dave) Garrels of Ft. Collins, CO, Douglas (Crystal) Pokorney of Littleton, CO, Brad (Jodi Pease) Gall of Pierre, SD, Vicki (Chris) Vanden Bos of Pierre, SD and Greg (Stephanie Higdon) Gall of Rapid City, SD; great grandchildren: Katie Garrels, Jacob Garrels, Josh Pokorney, Ryley Pokorney, Taylor Gall, Payton Gall, Avery Vanden Bos and Asher Vanden Bos and sister-in-law, Lillie (Gilbert) Kirschenman of Yankton, SD and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Glen, brothers: Gilbert, Reinhold, Edmund and Erwin Kirschenman, sister, Bertha Rabe and son-in-law, Larry Gall.