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John Edward Masgai - Share this obit - Print this obit
John Edward Masgai, 91, of Sioux Falls, SD, died peacefully on Sunday September 14, surrounded by family at Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls.
John was born March 2, 1934 in Adrian, MN to Frank and Lauretta (Finnigan) Masgai. He graduated from St. Adrian High School in Adrian, MN in 1952. He entered the US Navy, Aug. 13, 1952, serving in Hawaii and on board the USS St. Paul. He was honorably discharged August 13, 1956.
He married Barbara Lens on February 9, 1963 at St. Joseph Cathedral in Sioux Falls, SD. He graduated from Augustana College in Sioux Falls January 1965, and began working for the National Park Service in Aztec, NM. He continued working for the NPS; serving at Big Bend National Park, TX, National Capitol Parks, Washington DC, and Grand Canyon National Park, AZ. In December 1977 he began working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Aberdeen, SD and continued until his retirement. Upon retirement, John and Barbara moved to Sioux Falls to be near their children and grandchildren.
John was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara, his parents, Frank and Lauretta, and his brothers, Bob and Gene.
John is survived by his three children: Deb Masgai of Sioux Falls, SD, Mary (Bernie) Walter of Burnsville, MN, Michael (Martha) Masgai of Crooks, SD; six grandchildren; his brother: Daryl (Betty) Masgai of Grand Haven, MI; sister-in-law: Sandy Masgai of Minneapolis, MN; widow of his late brother Gene; as well as many loving relatives and friends.
John will forever be remembered for his gentle nature, his wit and his love of the outdoors.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM Thursday, September 25 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church with burial to follow at the South Dakota State Veterans Cemetery.
Katherine Ann McKenna - Share this obit - Print this obit
Katherine Ann McKenna, aged 41, passed away on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, in Charlotte, NC. Kate was born on July 6, 1984, to Sherrilyn Dirksen and Donald McKenna at McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD.
Kate was a life-long learner and lover of education, having graduated from Augustana College with a bachelor’s degree in English as well as an MBA and an M.Ed., both from the University of Sioux Falls. She was passionate about learning and teaching, recently taking great pride in helping a tutoring student pass his SAT.
Kate was known for her quick wit, sarcastic sense of humor, fun-loving spirit, and endless resilience. She loved Hanson, the color pink, anything Barbie, reading a good book, brunch, playing Candy Crush, being near the ocean, all-you-can-eat crab legs, and (very importantly) the Oxford comma. She hated raspberries, driving in the rain, drinking tap water, being told what to do, losing at any board or card game, and house plants.
She is survived by her mother: Sherrilyn Dirksen; her father: Donald McKenna; her step-father: Jeffrey Dirksen; her step-mother: Roxanna McKenna; her sisters: Stacy Fisher and Nikki Dirksen; her brother: Derrick McKenna; her brothers-in-law: Josh Fisher and Adam Labat; her sister-in-law: Stephanie McKenna; her lifelong friends: Ellen Burns and Nicole Clarke; wonderful aunts and uncles, and numerous other beloved family members and long-time friends; and her favorite dog: Venus.
Kate was preceded in death by her grandfathers Harold Schwartz, “Mac” McKenna, and Don Tjaden; and her cousin, Brooke Schwartz.
A Celebration of Kate’s life will be held in Sioux Falls, SD at Barnett-Lewis Funeral Home on Friday, September 19th at 6:00 PM; a light meal of brunch foods will be provided. Condolences for the family may be sent to the funeral home.
For those attending, the family kindly requests that you wear pink and, if you feel so inclined, bring a favorite Kate story to share. In honor of Kate’s love of color, her mom requests brightly colored flowers for the celebration of life. In true Kate fashion (who always hated houseplants), her sisters jokingly request houseplants instead. If you feel inclined to send something, choose whichever would make you smile and think of Kate.
MmmBop.
Janice Olinger - Share this obit - Print this obit
Janice Olinger, 70, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota passed away peacefully and returned to the Lord on Friday, August 22, 2025, following a short illness. She was born on December 27, 1954, in Osmond, Nebraska to John and Josephine (Wortmann) Olinger. After graduation from Beadle, Jan attended South Dakota Sioux Vocational School, Achieve, and LifeScape. She was a wonderful sister to 11 siblings and kept her humor until the end. She was an aunt to 19 nieces and nephews and a great-aunt to 14.
Jan is survived by her siblings: Sherril (Mark) Vondra, Bridgewater, SD; Mike (Brenda) Olinger, Grapevine, TX, Karen Mase (Jeff Christian), The Colony, TX, Jack Olinger (Bonnie Taylor), Hartford, SD, Jim (Lois) Olinger, Haslet, TX, Kristi Olinger, Bridgewater, SD, Dan (Allison) Olinger, Carrollton, TX, Kevin Olinger, Sioux Falls, SD, Keith (Karri) Olinger, Lewisville, TX, Brian (Gen) Olinger, Irving, TX, Chad (Mallivan) Olinger, Little Elm, TX; 19 nieces and nephews: Paul and Brett Vondra and Stacey Schneider, John and Heath Olinger and Deana Ousley, Nick and Tyler Mase, Amber Kelly, Luke and Megan Olinger, Adam and Ben Olinger, Andrew, Anna, Dominic, and Katherine Olinger; Chase and Reese Olinger; 14 great-nieces and nephews: Kaeli, Isaac, and Alex Vondra, Caitlyn and Nathan Schneider, Nicholas and Isabella Olinger, Caden and Trista Ousley, Jude, Jai, and Gibson Kelly, Minnie Mase, and Jackson Vondra.
Jan was preceded in death by her parents, a sister, Mary Jo Olinger, four uncles and three aunts.
Jan loved playing card games with her nieces and nephews, joking with her brothers and sisters, putting together puzzles, and wearing her pretty jewelry. She was especially proud of her ability to do laundry as well as knowing everybody’s birthday.
We, the family, want to thank LifeScape Care Service, Aaron and others for their never-ending commitment of care for Jan in her time of need.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00 AM, Saturday, September 20, 2025 at St. Mary Church in Sioux Falls.
Charles Kniffin - Share this obit - Print this obit
Charles (Chip) Ernest Kniffin, 73, of Sioux Falls died at home on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025 after a short battle with cancer.
Chip was born on Long Island, N.Y. on May 1, 1952 to Howard and Barbara Kniffin. He attended boarding school in Connecticut and went to Eastern Connecticut State University where an endowment scholarship was established to recognize his achievements.
He worked in various fields including wire extrusion, insurance, and as a stock broker. He also found joy working at the Mansfield Training School and Hospital in Connecticut. His professional life brought him from Connecticut to Italy, Arizona, and Wisconsin before moving to South Dakota in 2006.
Once in South Dakota, he was able to pursue his passion of helping others and accepted a position with the paratransit division of Sioux Area Metro (SAM). He chose this because of his ability to connect with and his desire to provide for disabled citizens. He also worked at Hy-Vee in Sioux Falls in the floral and meat departments.
An avid soft rock enthusiast, Chip was always up for a trivia question, and he typically nailed the answer. In August of 1969, Chip was one of the lucky ones to attend the Woodstock Music and Art Fair with 400,000 of his closest friends.
Aside from helping others, his passions ranged from photographing nature, to sports, to movies, to all things related to trains.
Chip is survived by his wife: Lynda, of 13 years; sons: Jeremy of Claremont, CA, Dan (Karen) of Marlborough, MA, Alex (Melissa Frisby) of Fairfield, CN; and daughter: Kasey Kniffin (Patrick Purcell) of Bristol, R.I.; brother: Peter of CA; sister: Barb of Long Island, N.Y.; and four grandchildren: Jackson, Katelyn, Victoria and Bennett. Chip was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Howard, and step-son, Royce Larson.
Extended family members include father-in-law and mother-in-law: Tom and Rosemary Savage of Brandon; brothers-in-law: Jeff Savage (Denise) inAtlanta, and Tom Savage (Nancy) in Sioux Falls.
There will be a memorial service in the spring of 2026 at Chip and Lynda’s home in Sioux Falls next to the impressive rock wall that Chip built
in their backyard and garden area. The wall runs adjacent to the old Illinois Central railroad that went through Sioux Falls for 100 years and is a stunning display of Chip’s hard work and pride for their home.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a railroad museum in your local area.
Charlyne Poulos - Share this obit - Print this obit
Charlyne Edona (Barrett) Poulos passed away July 24, 2025 at the age of 65 at her home. Charlyne was born January 15,1960 at McKennan hospital in Sioux Falls to Floyd Barrett Sr, and Beverly (Vaselaar) Barrett.
Charlyne attended Hawthorne Elementary, Axtell High and graduated from Washington High School.
Charlyne was united in marriage to Gary Poulos on April 31, 1982 and later separated for a while; then became roommates for the rest of her life. They had a daughter and only child: Tiffany Poulos, fiancé: Ben.
Charlyne has two granddaughters: Benica Poulos and Ariel Olsen; they thought the world of their grandma.
Charlyne worked at Dinsmores for number of years as she became disabled. She also worked for Animal Rescue and rescued Dolly from a dumpster. In return mom and dad took Dolly and got her well.
Charlyne is 7th of 8 kids: Bonnie Updegraff and the late Ron Updegraff, Floyd (Nancy) Barrett of Fergus Falls, MN, Lynnette (Scott)Vaksdal, Canton S.D. and many nieces and nephews that Charlyne thought the world of.
In her younger days, she would play cards with her sister and the ladies kicked butt. The guys thought we had the cards rigged, so we would switch chairs. She never laughed so hard! We won that game too!
We are saddened that her life ended way to soon. Now Charlyne is with her parents and siblings: Robert, Debra, Bryce and David. Keep them in line, Charlyne, for all of us. We love you and going to miss you dearly
A Memorial Service will be Saturday, August 2, 2:00 PM at Life Change Church.
Curtis L. Short (Snook) - Share this obit - Print this obit
Curtis L. Short (Snook) “Uncle Shorty” 62, of Sioux Falls made his journey into the spirit world at Sanford Heart Hospital and Veteran’s club with his loving family and children by his side; with a very loving farewell shared with his sister Nannette. Curt was born December 19th, 1962 to Donna Short in Idaho.
Curtis enlisted in the Army in 1980 and was stationed out of Fort Riley and also served overseas. Once leaving the military, Curtis began a career doing masonry work. He was big into construction, carpentry and brick laying.
Curtis loved hunting and fishing and being outdoors. He loved grilling and cooking. He traveled to several states in his life, and experienced many adventures. He spent several years living with his mom and helping raise several children who lived in the family home. All the kids always knew and loved “Uncle Shorty”.
During a period in South Dakota Curtis participated proudly in several Native American ceremonies and practices, including sweats; and continued to practice freely and respectfully.
Curtis was a very free spirit, who loved to do things his way and go as he pleased. In recent years he had his very loved and fellow companion along his journey, his dog: Tobee. He was living in Wisconsin and found his way back to Sioux Falls where he lived with Terri and eventually found a perfect home for him and Tobee off the River.
Grateful to have shared life with his beloved sister: Nannette Pyron (Washington); his honorary niece and final caretaker: Terri Stanevich-Brown (Hunts For Nothing); a life-long friend and partner: Connie Waldrop; his beloved children: Dakota Waldrop, and Jessyka Fleming; his grandchildren and a great-grandchild, all of Sioux Falls; and his beloved companion: Tobee.
Curt is welcomed into the spirit world by his Honorary Niece Heidi Stanevich, and his beloved mother, Donna Short and a former loved companion, Duke.
Services will proudly be held at Barnett-Lewis Funeral home in Sioux Falls on Saturday July 26th at 10:30 A.M.
Alice Genevieve Howell - Share this obit - Print this obit
Alice Genevieve Howell, 99, passed away peacefully in her home on July 20th. Alice was born September 8,1925 in Aberdeen, South Dakota to Andrew and Katherine Moffenbier Nikolas. She was one of nine children. Alice graduated from Central High School in 1943 and went to work at Jones Drug Store. When her boyfriend, David Howell, returned from his tour of duty as a US Army medic, she married him on August 3, 1946. They raised nine children on a farm northeast of Aberdeen.
Alice worked outside the home throughout her career as a mother/homemaker. She worked for the Brown County Extension office and Artz Camera Supply. She took temporary jobs delivering phonebooks and conducting the U.S. Census. For several years, she owned and ran a fireworks stand just outside Aberdeen city limits.
Then in 1978, she moved with David to Sioux Falls where she worked at Austad’s Golf. Then at Anderson News she stocked local stores with greeting cards and magazines, retiring when she was 80 years old.
In addition to raising her family and working hard, Alice’s Catholic faith was core to her being. She had her children baptized and most attended the Catholic schools. Sunday Mass was not missed. When she was no longer able to attend in person, she watched TV Mass. She also listened to and prayed the rosary nightly.
Alice found time somehow to work on projects. She won a blue ribbon at the Brown County Fair for her embroidery work creating the face of a clock that keeps time in her home today. She always made time to teach her children, grandchildren, and/or great grandchildren how to play jacks or card games, but she never let them win. You had to win to win. She loved slot machines but never wanted anyone to know that she spent time at the casinos. She enjoyed people, visiting with neighbors over a cup of coffee, having a glass of wine with friends, or sharing a meal--there was always room for one more at her table. She had a knack for making people feel at home. Or as someone said, “She was a nice lady with good values.”
Alice is survived by six children: Linda Howell, Dacono, CO; James Howell, Aberdeen, SD; Wendy (Robert) Hogan, Fernandina Beach, FL; Daniel (Debra) Howell, Mina, SD; William Howell, Blackhawk, SD; Edward (Karen) Howell, Sioux Falls, SD; Two daughters-in-law: Cindy (Terrence) Howell, Eagan, MN; Patricia (Brian) Howell, Madison, WI; 24 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild.
Alice was preceded in death by her husband, David, three of her sons: Randall, Terrence, and Brian Howell, her parents, her 5 brothers and 3 sisters. In lieu of flowers, donations can be directed to the Banquet, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Visitation will be Sunday, July 27th, 5:00 PM at Barnett-Lewis Funeral Home with a time of sharing at 6:30 PM. Funeral Service will be Monday, July 28th, 10:30 AM at Barnett-Lewis Funeral Home.
Jeffrey Joseph Dose - Share this obit - Print this obit
Jeffrey "Jeff" Joseph Dose, 61, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Friday, July 4, 2025. He was born on November 25, 1963.
Jeff was a beloved fiancé, father, son, brother, uncle, and friend. Known for his good heart and playful sense of humor, Jeff brought joy and laughter to those around him. He had a deep passion for NASCAR racing, particularly cheering on his hero, Dale Earnhardt. Jeff also had a lifelong love for muscle cars, with his cherished '56 Chevy holding a special place in his heart. A true animal lover, he adored his loyal dog, Gus, who was a constant companion.
He proudly honed his skills as a self-taught technician, becoming exceptionally proficient in refrigeration, AC, and commercial equipment repair. His career spanned over 30 years, working diligently with his dad at AAA Refrigeration.
He is survived by his devoted fiancée: Bobbi Jo Smith; his son: Jonathan Dose (Erica); his father: Joseph Dose (Laurel); his brother: Byron Dose (Penny); his sister: Kym Dose; his grandsons: James and Layton Dose; his niece: Jericho Dose; his nephews: William and Jacob Dose; and his great-niece: Brecklen Davidson. Jeff was preceded in death by his loving mother: Rhonda.
A Memorial Service to celebrate Jeff's life will be held on Friday, July 11, 2025, 11:00 AM at St. Michael Catholic Church in Sioux Falls.
Lauren Peterson - Share this obit - Print this obit
Lauren Peterson, 87, passed away Tuesday, June 24, 2025 at Bethany Home in Sioux Falls. SD.
Lauren was born on October 29, 1939, to Paul and Aileen Petersen. He attended Cathedral Elementary School and graduated from Cathedral High School in 1955. After beginning his career at Norwest Bank in Sioux Falls, Lauren was drafted into the United States Army, where he served honorably for two years.
Following his military service, Lauren moved to California, where he spent many years, returning to Sioux Falls in 1986. Upon his return, he worked for Waste Management and later served as the manager of Starlite Mobile Home Parks until his retirement.
Lauren is survived by one sister: Teresa Castilli, Tampa Bay, FL; one brother: Jerry T. Peterson, Sioux Falls, SD; one brother-in-law: William Frankman, Elk River, MN; nieces: Melissa Frankman, Elk River, MN and Angie (Jeff) Westwick, Sioux Falls, SD; nephews: Bill (Renee) Frankman III, Omaha, NE, Steve (Keri) Ament and Dan Ament, Sioux Falls, SD; great-nieces and nephews: B.J., Nathan, Kristen, and Caleb Frankman, Trever and Owen Frankman, newborn Quintin Frankman, Brigette, Ian, Aya, Nevaeh, Mariah, and Jonathon Ament. Lauren was preceded in death by his parents; sisters: Anne, and Mary Lou; and brother in-law: Al Ament.
In honor of his wishes, there will be no formal services. barnett-lewis.com
Stuart Petersen - Share this obit - Print this obit
Stuart Bradley Petersen (67), passed away peacefully in his sleep on Friday, May 30, 2025 in his Sioux Falls, SD home. Stuart was born on January 13, 1958 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota at Sioux Valley Hospital to Clifford and Iona Petersen. He grew up in Sioux Falls and graduated from Washington High School 1976.
Stuart later attended Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Phoenix, Arizona and received his motorcycle technician degree in 1991. Stuart was united in marriage to Jill Teal in 1976. He adopted their son Jeremiah in 1977 and raised their daughters, Amanda and Katrina in Sioux Falls, SD until divorcing in 1991.
Stuart was a true-blue kind of guy! He worked for Coca-Cola Bottling Company from about 1977 until 1991. He went to MMI and returned to work for Sigler for a few years. Stuart ran his own small engine repair business, “Grumpy’s” in Redfield, South Dakota. He eventually returned to Sioux Falls and must have liked Sigler well enough he stayed a total of 16 years.
Stuart married Debra Zimpel in 2014; however, they shared their life together for closer to 17 years in Sioux Falls until his passing.
Stuart had a knack for fixing just about anything. From wrenching on Harleys, to hooking up stereo systems to home construction, he could fix it on the fly like MacGyver.
Stuart had a love for fishing and always seemed to have pet birds, dogs and cats throughout his life. Stuart was quick witted! He gave some fun nicknames to people because that’s how he remembered them!
Stuart is survived by his wife: Debra; daughters: Amanda (Lucas) DelaCruz and Katrina (Austin) Winter; 7 grandchildren; brother: Stephen (Daina) Petersen; a nephew and a niece. Stuart is preceded in death by his father: Clifford; mother: Iona; and son: Jeremiah.
There will be no services. Cards for the family may be sent to Barnett-Lewis Funeral Home.
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