Lavon Blinsmon

Lavon Ann Blinsmon, age 88, died Sunday, May 31 ^st , 2020, at the Good Samaritan Village in Sioux Falls, SD.

Visitation and funeral Mass will be private and will be held at St. Michael's Catholic Church at Clark, SD, with The Reverend Daniel Smith celebrating on Wednesday, June 3 ^rd , 2020.  Burial will follow in the St. Boniface Cemetery at Clark.  Her family will serve as casketbearers.

Lavon (Sandner) Blinsmon was born on March 20 ^th , 1932, to Peter and Elsie (Wegener) Sandner in Salem, SD; the oldest of eight children. She graduated from St. Mary's Catholic School in 1950, and moved to Rock Rapids, IA, to work at the Rock Rapids State Bank. On November 20 ^th , 1951, she married Roger Blinsmon. Their union lasted 65 years until Roger's death in 2017.

Clark became "home" to them in 1965. Lavon had worked at the Citizen's State Bank|Dacotah Bank for around 30 years when she retired in 1997. It was at that time that Lavon and Roger began as "tour guides" for the Dacotah Bank Gold Club, which kept them very busy for the next 15 years or so. "It keeps us young," they often said, and they loved it!

Their next move was to a Sioux Falls retirement community- hard to leave their Clark friends behind, but good to be closer to their siblings.

Lavon was a member of St Michael's Catholic Church in Clark and later St Michael's Catholic Church in Sioux Falls. She enjoyed traveling, reading, working in her flower beds, coffee with friends and family, and baking. Her children, grandchildren, and now her great-grandchildren all loved her chocolate mint cookies. She kept the house filled with music, too. Big Band Era, musicals, 40's and 50's songs, and Bing Crosby Christmas were some of her favorites.

Lavon is survived by her five children: Kevin (Barb) Blinsmon of Hudson, WI; Cheryl (Ken) Audus of Lawrence, KS; Brad (Carolyn) Blinsmon of Highlands Ranch, CO; Cyd (Greg) Rahm of Turton, SD; and Kris (Scott) Terca of Presho, SD, 13 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her 4 sisters: Janet (Bud) Hanisch of Sioux Falls, SD; Joyce Garry of Parker, SD; Rose (Alan) Bies of Mitchell, SD; Joan Smith of Milliken, CO; a brother Larry (Pat) Sandner or Stuart, IA; sisters-in-law Marlys Sandner of Sioux Falls, SD; Joann Newman of Sioux Falls, SD; and brother-in-law Joe Scheidt of Adrian, MN.

She was preceded in death by her husband Roger, sister Elaine Scheidt, brother Tony Sandner, brothers-in-law John Garry, Keith Smith, Doug Newman; and in-laws Eddie and Joyce Thiesse and Herb and Beatrice Koel.

The Furness Funeral Home at Clark is serving the family where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com .