Thelma Elaine Froke

Thelma Froke, age 93, of Sioux Falls, formerly of Willow Lake, died on her birthday, November 28, 2023 in Sioux Falls with family at her side.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, December 7, 2023, at the Grace Lutheran Church of Willow Lake at 10 AM with Pastor Colin Beveridge officiating.  A private family burial will follow at a later date.

She was born Thelma Elaine Whitted on November 28, 1930, in Willow Lake to parents Viola (Phillips) and Russell Whitted. She grew up with her eight siblings and attended school until eighth grade in country schools in Rosedale and Hague Townships.

She met Curtis Froke at a dance in Raymond and  the two were married on December 1,  1948 on his parents farm, six miles west of Willow Lake. They lived for a short time in Willow Lake before moving to Aberdeen where Thelma had a variety of jobs.  In 1951, they moved to Sioux Falls. Curtis was drafted into the US Army in 1952 so Thelma came back to Willow Lake to live with her parents and worked at the Willow Lake and Carpenter Cafes. She joined Curtis where he was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska living there for about a year. When he was discharged from the army in 1954, they moved back to Sioux Falls. In January 1957, they were enroute to California when they stopped in Carpenter and Thelma's dad talked them into buying the old pool hall in Carpenter.  They made it into a café and called it Curt's Place. They had many fond memories of their five years operating the café before selling it in 1962 and moving back to Sioux Falls. In 1987, they returned to Willow Lake. Along with raising their six children, Thelma worked as a waitress and for Bryant's Parkview Care Center as an aide and a cook.  She also was a part-time bartender at the Willow Lake Lounge. In 2008,  the couple moved to Brandon to be closer to their children.

Thelma loved baking and cooking, being very well known for her delicious homemade buns and lefsa. She also enjoyed music and dancing (even in her walker), video lottery, card games and socializing any chance she got. She was a member of the Brandon VFW Auxiliary.

Preceding her in death were her parents, her husband, Curtis, her son Duane, and five siblings, Donald (Rae), Merlin (Carol), and Kenneth Whitted, Vivian (Earl) Jenson and Darlene McMillian.

Grateful for having shared her life are her children, Carolyn (Merl DeBoer) Johansen of Sioux Falls, Irene (Cliff) VandeWeerd of Sioux Falls, Mary Pruitt of Tea, David (Bailey) Froke of Humboldt, and Darwin Froke of Hull, IA, fifteen grandchildren, sixteen great grandchildren, siblings Carol Ann (Frank) NeMec, Madonna (Lee) Maroon and Debra (Chris) Scudder, all of WA, and numerous nieces and nephews.

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

Flowers may be delivered directly to Grace Lutheran Church of Willow Lake.

Thelma's funeral service may be viewed in the video below.