Vesta Iona Thoreson

Funeral services for Vesta Young Hartley Thoreson, age 94, widow of Cecil Hartley and Marlow Thoreson, Watertown formerly of the Clark and Garden City communities will be held on Saturday at 11 AM in the United Methodist Church at Clark with the Reverend Warren Rhodes officiating. Music will be presented by Dorothy Fuller as organist with Barb Desnoyers and Brenda LaBrie singing. Casketbearers will be Louis Brush, Wayne Fletcher, Doug Hansen, Rick, Dennis and David Roby. Burial will be in the Garden City Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Friday from 4-6PM at the Furness Funeral Home Chapel in Clark and for 1 hour preceding services at the Church Saturday morning. Vesta Hartley Thoreson, age 94, Watertown, formerly of the Clark and Garden City communities died on Wednesday morning, October 27, 2004 in the Jenkins Living Center at Watertown where she had resided for the past three years. She was the widow of Cecil Hartley and Marlow Thoreson. She was born Iona Vesta Young on May 4, 1910 at Garden City, SD, the daughter of Frank and Maggie (Blinksop) Young. She attended school in Garden City. In 1929 she was united in marriage to Cecil Hartley. They lived and farmed north of Garden City until moving into town in 1946. She helped for many years area potato growers with the harvest and also cooked at the Garden City School for a long time. Cecil died in 1968. On May 5, 1978 she married Marlow Thoreson at Hill City, SD. The couple lived in Clark. Mr. Thoreson died in 1991. She continued living in Clark moving into an apartment and then moving to Watertown four years ago living at the Cedar View Assisted Living Center. In October of 2001 she moved into the Jenkins Living Center. In addition to having membership in many clubs, she also was a member of the Clark Senior Citizens and the Clark United Methodist Church. Preceding her in death were her parents, husbands, a daughter Berdina in 1945, a stepdaughter, Karen Solimar, a brother, Vernon Young and a sister, Elsie Evans. Survivors include nieces, nephews and a host of friends.