Katherine Elizabeth Campbell

Katherine E. Campbell, age 105, died peacefully surrounded by her family on Saturday, June 11, 2011 in the Golden Living Center at Clark where she had resided recently. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 10AM in the United Methodist Church at Clark with The Reverend Dayne Zachrison officiating. Burial will follow in the Rose Hill Cemetery at Clark. The organist will be Dorothy Fuller with the soloist, Katherine's grandson, David Warkenthien. He will sing "Precious Lord, Take My Hand". The congregation will sing "It is Well With My Soul", "Abide With Me" and "How Great Thou Art". The casketbearers will be her grandsons, David, Todd & Rick Warkenthien and Rob & John Miller. Ushers will be DuWayne Wallen and Allen Smith. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 from 5PM-7PM at the Furness Funeral Home in Clark and after 8AM at the Church on Thursday morning and will continue until service time. She was born, Katherine Elizabeth Martini, on April 1, 1906 in Camden Point, MO, the daughter of Max F. and Ada (VonBothimar) Martini. The family moved to South Dakota when she was a young child as her father was a Professor of Foreign Language at Sioux Falls College. She attended school in Sioux Falls graduating from the Academy located with Sioux Falls College in 1924. Katherine then attended Sioux Falls College, now known as The University of Sioux Falls, graduating in 1928 Magna Cum Laude. Following her college education, she taught at the Longfellow School in Sioux Falls for 5 years. On May 26, 1934, she was united in marriage to W. R. "Wally" Campbell at Sioux Falls. The couple lived in Sioux Falls until moving to Clark in 1946. When they first moved to Clark she served as a substitute teacher. In 1955 they purchased the Nerger Department Store, changing the name to Campbell's Department Store, a business the couple actively ran until 1964. She continued staying in the home while Wally did various other jobs in the community and then in 1965 they purchased the local Gamble Store which they operated for 2 years. In 1967 they moved to Sioux Falls and operated a motel for about a year prior to returning to Clark and owned the clothing store again, selling it to the Newby's in 1971. Wally died on March 10, 1991. Katherine has continued making Clark her home, living in an apartment and then for several years was a resident of the Fay Wookey Memorial Assisted Living Center and just recently moved into the Golden Living Center. "Grandma Kate" as she has become affectionately known, was a member of the United Methodist Church at Clark where she was active in various groups, P.E.O, Order of Eastern Star, a Women's Club and the Clark Golf Club. Not too many years ago, Grandma Kate helped out at a day-care center in Clark, her job, rocking babies! Some of her favorite moments were spent knitting many beautiful pieces for her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and even the great-great grandchildren, playing countless hands of cards, golfing until just a few years ago, fishing and second to none was her love of her family. She thoroughly enjoyed going wherever they went and being a part of their activity. She also enjoyed going to the Clark Hometown Variety Store in the past two years, picking up just "a little something" and going for walks, stopping for coffee at friends, while living at the Wookey Center. Grateful for having shared in her joyous life are her daughters, Carolyn (Bob) Harding of Clark and Barb (Ray) Miller of Sacred Heart, MN, 9 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and 10 (soon to be 11) great-great grandchildren. Also surviving is a younger sister, Mary Cirksena of Oklahoma City, OK who will be celebrating her 103rd birthday in a month! and many nieces, nephews and a host of friends. Preceding her in death were her parents, husband, Wallace R. "W.R. Wally" Campbell, a son-in-law, Darrel Warkenthien and her siblings, Adele Charnock, Jessie May Larkin, Mildred Scott, Fred Martini, Hilmar Martini, John Martini and Helen Mandersheid. Memorials in her memory would be appreciated to the Clark Area Community Foundation, Clark, SD. Furness Funeral Home of Clark is serving the family. There is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com