Darlene Gudmunson

Darlene Gudmunson, age 74, Watertown, died Monday, April 10, 2023 at her winter home in San Tan Valley, AZ.  She was the wife of Michael Gudmunson.

Funeral services will be held Monday, April 17, 2023, at 10 am at Saving Grace Lutheran Church, 24498 S. Ellsworth Rd., Queen Creek, AZ. San Tan Mountain View Funeral Home is in charge of AZ arrangements.

Services will also be held Friday, April 28, 2023 at 11am at the Crocker Lutheran Church in Crocker, SD with a visitation to be held one hour prior to the service.  Jean Obermeier, Wendy Christman, and Fred Obermeier will provide music. Burial will be at St. Thomas Cemetery of rural Crocker.

Darlene Gudmunson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on April 26, 1948 to Elsie and Ernest Streu. She spent the first part of her childhood in Montrose, Minnesota before moving back to Minneapolis. After graduating from South High School, she spent time serving with VISTA and was stationed in the Seattle area.

Returning to Minneapolis, Darlene's first career was at Northwestern Bell, working in a variety of roles including "Call Before You Dig" operator, cable coordinator for the field crews, office manager and executive assistant in the Downtown Minneapolis office.

It was at the phone company that she met Michael Gudmunson. They were married on April 3, 1981. Kyle was born in 1979 and Seth in 1983. Shortly after Seth was born, she left the phone company for a career in household logistics. As a family they loved road trips, camping and exploring national and state parks throughout the United States.

Darlene began volunteering at Burroughs Elementary working in the library. This quickly turned into a paid position, and she worked as an education aide for almost 10 years in a variety of classrooms.

In 1998 Darlene and Michael both retired and moved to Watertown, South Dakota. They purchased a beautiful Victorian home on the edge of town. For the next 20 years they lovingly maintained that house, practically a full-time job in itself.

Having seen enough winters, in 2013 they purchased a second home in San Tan Valley, Arizona. Splitting time between locations, Darlene found joy in many of the same activities, making friends wherever she went. As an avid gardener she enjoyed the completely different landscapes in both places.

She also enjoyed supplying a never-ending stream of quilting squares to her fellow quilters at both Crocker Lutheran Church in Crocker, South Dakota and Saving Grace Lutheran Church in Queen Creek, Arizona.

Not a season or holiday passed without a flourish of decorations around the house and heartfelt cards sent to family and friends alike. Darlene lived a life filled with genuine kindness, humor, and love, bringing warmth and light to any room she entered.

Furness Funeral Home is assisting with arrangements in SD and have an online registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com.