Deloris "Dee" Battest

Deloris "Dee" Battest of Clark, formerly of Doland, age 95, died May 28, 2024, at Avantara, Watertown, SD, with family by her side.

Visitation will be held Sunday, June 2, 2024, from 3-5 PM at Furness Funeral Home at Clark followed by a prayer service with rosary at 5 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Monday, June 3, 2024, at 10:30 AM at St. Michael Catholic Church in Clark with the Reverend Richard Baumberger as celebrant.  Burial will be in Mt. Hope Cemetery of Frankfort. The service will be livestreamed on the Furness Funeral Home FaceBook page.

Deloris Ann Hoffmann was born on the farm on May 14, 1929, to John and Mary (Feterl) Hoffmann at Wessington, SD. She attended country grade schools and graduated from Wessington High School in 1947. After graduation, she remained at home a couple of years to help her mother and then became employed at the Bank of Wessington for a short time. She then became the bookkeeper at the Farmers Union Oil Co. for three years. Deloris moved to Huron and became employed in the insurance department of the South Dakota Farmers Union State Office. It was here that she became known as "Dee" as there was already an employee there by the same name. The name stuck as other family members by the name of Deloris were added. She remained there for five years before she married and moved to Doland.

On September 27, 1958, Dee married Lloyd Battest of Doland at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wessington. They lived northeast of Doland for eight months and then moved to a farm east of Doland which they later purchased.  They lived on this farm until the fall of 2014 when they moved into an apartment in Clark.

Dee began working in the insurance department at the Security State Bank of Doland where she remained for three years until she quit to raise their family. In about 1978, she began working in the office at the Redfield Livestock Auction on sale days where she continued working for seventeen years. She was a member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church of Doland and the Altar Society until the church closed. Dee was President of the Doland American Legion Auxiliary Unit for twelve years. She was District Auxiliary President for two years, State Chaplain for one year, held several state chairmanships over the years and was also chosen as District Legionette of the Year. She was a lifetime member of the SD Farmers Union, being the county secretary and Educational Director for many years and also served as the Spring Township treasurer for several years.

Dee loved her family, flowers, gardening, writing letters, sending greeting cards, helping on the farm and doing chores.

She is survived by three daughters and sons-in-law, Mary (Andy) Raile of Aberdeen, Donna (Andy) Perrion of Sioux Falls, and Gail (Brad) Temple of Clark, six grandchildren, Anita Raile, Matthew Perrion, Louise (Andrew) Welbig, Daniel (Samantha) Perrion, Jordyn Temple and Jessica Temple, and great grandchildren, Margaret and Boniface Welbig. She is also survived by a sister-in-law, Dee Buckland and brothers-in-law, Richard Battest and Norman Battest.

Dee was proceeded in death by her husband, Lloyd, of 57 years, who died in 2016, and her entire family- her parents, sisters, Sara Ann and Helen, and a brother, Delbert, all whom are buried in the Wessington Cemetery.

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