Ramona (Boots) D Dekker

Ramona D. "Boots" Dekker, age 80, a lifelong resident of Elrod Township, Clark County, SD, died early Sunday morning, March 11, 2012 in the Golden Living Center at Clark where she has resided since October of 2009. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 11AM in the United Methodist Church at Clark with The Reverend Dayne Zachrison officiating. Burial will follow in the Lorinda Cemetery at Henry. The organist will be Dorothy Fuller with David Warkenthien as soloist. Ushers will be DuWayne Wallen and Allen Smith. The honorary casketbearers will be grandchildren, Tracy, Lindsey, Jamie and Gavin and the Elrod Monday Night Group. Active casketbearers will be Jeff Schloegel, James, Jason and Jacob Dekker, Ryan Peckham and Terry LaBore. Visitation will be held on Tuesday from 5-7PM at the Furness Funeral Home at Clark and after 9AM at the Church on Wednesday morning. She was born Ramona D. Doeden on September 21, 1931 in Elrod Township, the daughter of Dietrich and Bertha (Schaaf) Doeden. She soon gained a nickname, saying her name was too long and at the time she was wearing pink booties, her Grandpa gave her the name of "Boots". She attended grade school in Elrod and then was a graduate of Clark High School in 1949. Following her high school education, she attended Northern Normal in Aberdeen and obtained a teaching certificate. She taught at the Washington School near Bryant and then at the Fuller School north of Naples until 1953. On January 2, 1951 she married Clifford Dekker, who was set to leave for military duty in about three weeks. While Clifford was in the service is when Boots taught school. Following his discharge in 1953, they lived and farmed in Elrod Township their entire married life, living in their current home since October of 1965. Boots has been in the Fay Wookey Memorial Assisted Living Center and the Golden Living Center since 2008. A highlight of their married life was celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary and renewing their vows aboard a ship that sailed to the Bahamas along with all their children and spouses. They recently celebrated 61 years of marriage. Boots worked at Fairfield Food Products in Clark on the trim line and also rode the potato harvester for Loren Hanson for several years. She also worked for Home Health in the Garden City area for a few years. Boots ended up being an extra Grandma to many, thus the name Grandma Boots, as she drove school bus for the Clark School District from 1976-1991. In her spare time she enjoyed playing cards, coffee time at the local cafés, keeping "The Birthday Book", sending cards to nearly everyone and notifying the radio station, being the Clark County Courier and the Watertown Public Opinion Elrod News correspondent for many years, gardening, canning (anything that would fit in a jar!) and flower gardening. Anyone knew they were always welcome at her home for a cup of coffee and a home baked goodie (normally stored in the oven in a Tupperware container). Boots loved spending time with The Elrod Monday night group and her family, especially the grandchildren. They enjoyed many years of camping in Northern Minnesota, where some of her family still goes camping, and fishing while there. She was a member of the United Methodist Church, the United Methodist Women and the Esther Circle. In the Elrod community she was a member of the Elrod Echoettes, a women's group and the American Legion Auxiliary. Preceding her in death were her parents, a son, Ronnie, grandsons, Grant & Christopher and a brother-in-law, Dennis LaBore. Grateful for having shared in her life is her husband Clifford of Clark, children, DuWayne (Pam) Dekker of Clark, Gary (Jackie) Dekker of Chaska, MN, Gale Dekker and friend Jeff Schloegel of Roseville, MN and Cindy (Kevin) Zomer of Corsica, SD, grandchildren, Tracy, Lindsey (Randy) Morehouse, James, Ryan, Jayson, Jacob, Jamie and Gavin, two great-grandchildren, Madelynn and Hudson and a sister, Beverly LaBore of Sioux Falls. For further information, please visit www.furnessfuneralhome.com