Louise Margaret Lenz

Louise Margaret Lenz was born on March 22, 1922 on the family farm west of Hazel, SD. She was the sixth child born to Ricka (Luken) and Emil Kettwig.

Louise attended school at Henry completing the ninth grade. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Henry.

Louise married Edwin Fiferlick in 1940. To this union, one daughter, LaVonne was born in 1941. Ed and Louise later parted ways. In 1944, Louise married John Rennie. Their only child, Alan was born in 1950. In 1975, Louise and Leroy Bender married. LeRoy passed away in 1983. Louise married John Lenz in 1986. John passed away in 2014.

Louise was a "Jill" of all trades. She was a fast moving, strong headed and very determined lady. Patience was not a word she understood.  Anyone who knew Louise knew she loved to get in that car and go, not always obeying the speed limit, we might add! Her love for driving started when she was 11 years old. Her father, Emil, rented pasture land for his milk cows. The rented pasture was over 4 miles from the milking barn. The hired hand "Pete" and Louise walked every day to bring the cows' home. On a certain day, Louise said "Pa, why can't I drive to the pasture?" Emil agreeing said "OK but go across the fields, stay off the roads. That was the beginning of her love for driving. She stopped driving at age 94 ½.

In the early 50s, she and John Rennie hauled cattle to market for local ranchers and farmers, many trips to Sioux City, IA. Louise now wanted to be a truck driver. In those days a woman truck driver was unheard of. She hauled gravel, cattle and hot tar for resurfacing roads. She was never afraid to tackle any job big or small. Her determination was not stopped with the force of a strong wind. When her truck hit a break down, Louise repaired it. Her gravel hauling buddies couldn't believe her talents that it took to be a good truck driver. On several jobs, there was always a cook shack on the job site. Where would you find Louise? She would be cooking dinner and making pies! She was a great cook and baker.

In the mid-40s, Louise and John owned and operated the "Do Drop Inn" in Naples. The next café was "The Locker Lunch" located on Main Street in Henry. The other restaurants she owned and operated were in 1958, the Drive Inn, east Highway 212 in Clark, the Pantry Café and Teak Room in Clark, and in 1975, she bought half interest in the Country Kitchen in Pierre. She thought she needed to be back in the Watertown area, so she bought the Wheel Inn Café on Highway 20 in Watertown.

After John Rennie passed away in 1968, she attended SDSU in Brookings.  Her degree was in floristry. She opened a flower shop in her home in Clark. Louise loved flower and yard work. At the age of 92, she stopped mowing the lawn with her BIG Dixon mower. When planting flowers, if the directions said they would not grow and survive in the SD region, she proved them wrong. They were beautiful.  The harder she worked, the happier she was.

In July of 2016, she became a resident of Roetell Senior Housing. Our fast moving, ambitious mom will surely be missed by her family.

Louise was preceded in death by her parents, four sisters and one brother, three husbands and a sister-in-law Elaine Kettwig on May 9, 2018.

Survivors are her daughter LaVonne, son Alan, grandchildren Lana, Chris, John and Brady, ten great grandchildren, nine great great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. She is also survived by one brother Jerry Kettwig of Washington State, sister-in-law Margaret Kettwig of Watertown and a special niece, Adeline Smith of Florida

Memorials may be directed to the St. Paul Lutheran Church at Henry, SD.

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