Thelma J. Steen

Thelma J. Steen, age 94, Clark, widow of John Steen, died on Saturday, December 9, 2006 at the Golden Living Center in Clark where she had resided for 4 years. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, December 13, 2006 at 11AM in the Good Hope Lutheran Church near Willow Lake with the Reverend Fred Rosin officiating. Burial will follow in the Church cemetery. Music will be presented by Dorothy Fuller as organist with Roger Nordhus singing "How Great Thou Art". A great-grandson, Michael Schinderling will sing "Amazing Grace". The congregation will sing "Living for Jesus", "Praise to the Lord the Almighty" and "Blessed Assurance". Casketbearers will be her grandsons, Lee, Lynn and Steven Bailey, Mark & Russell Foster, Enrique & Marshall Smith and Gary Steen. Visitation will be held on Tuesday from 5-7 PM at the Furness Funeral Home in Clark and 1 hour preceding services at the Church on Wednesday morning. She was born in Blinsmon Township, Moody County, near Trent, South Dakota on May 3, 1912, the daughter of Hendie O. and Christina (Aaker) Pederson. She attended school in Moody County and graduated from Flandreau High School in 1930. She then went to Augustana College in Sioux Falls and obtained her teaching certificate. She began to teach at a county school in Merton Township. On June 16, 1934 she was united in marriage to John Nicholi Steen in the St. Paul Lutheran Church parsonage in Clark. The couple lived in farmed in Foxton Township until retiring in the mid 1970's. After a break of about 12 years, she went back into teaching and continued that profession until retiring in 1959. After the couple retired from farming in the mid 1970's they continued living on the farm until moving into Clark in 1987. Mr. Steen died on October 5, 1996. In 2002 she became a resident of the care center. She was a longtime member of Good Hope Lutheran Church, its Ladies Aid ' serving in various offices and also was a former member of the Modern Farmettes Extension Club where she also held various offices. Some of her hobbies included gardening, crocheting, reading and knitting. She thoroughly enjoyed cooking and quilting, making countless quilts over the years. Grateful for having shared in her life are her children, Claryce Foster of Garden City, Carolyn Smith and husband Leo of Denver, CO and Helen Bailey and husband Donald of Belle Fourche. She also leaves a daughter-in-law, Sandy Steen of DeSmet, 2 brothers, Lowell Pederson of Clark and Walter Pederson of Willow Lake and a sister, Janice Plagens and husband Howard of Watertown; 14 grandchildren, 41 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren. Preceding her in death were her parents, husband, a son, Norman, grandson John, great-granddaughters, Melanie Geyer and Collete Foster, 2 brothers, Leonard and Wayne Pederson, 3 sisters, Gladys Temple, Hazel Alness and Myrtle McGrilles, a son-in-law, E. Alan Foster and a sister-in-law, Marjorie Pederson. on line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com