Aleida Marie Meyerhoff
January 18, 1940 ~ October 8, 2020
Aleida Marie Meyerhoff, 80, Sioux Falls, was received into the embrace of our Lord on Thursday, October 8, 2020, after a brief stay at Dougherty Hospice House.
Visitation with family present will be 5-7pm, Monday, October 12, 2020, at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Sioux Falls, SD. Funerals Services will begin at 10:30am, Tuesday, October 13, 2020, also at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Burial will follow (12:45pm), at Evergreen Cemetery, George, IA.
Here is the link for the Live Stream of Aleida’s funeral on Tuesday.
Aleida Marie Dreesen was born in Pipestone County, Minnesota, on January 18, 1940, to Ralph and Aalke (Groen) Dreesen. She and six of her cousins were all named Aleida after their grandmother. The family of 7 lived on a farm outside of town where her parents instilled a strong belief that she needed to “lead, follow, or get out of the way”! Aleida chose to lead. She graduated from Luverne High School in 1958 and embarked on a life of serving others as an example of her strong faith in Jesus Christ.
Aleida married Harry Lee Meyerhoff on November 28, 1961. This union was blessed with three children; Brenda, Keith, and Arla. The family made their home in George while Harry was employed with DGR. In 1987, DGR opened a facility in Sioux Falls, SD that prompted a move for Harry & Aleida. Aleida was always straight to the point and a leader. She was employed as a CNA in various departments of the Sioux Valley Health System. Quite often she was known to be an advocate for those she cared for. She wasn’t known for her political correctness, but she ALWAYS went the extra step to ensure people had what they needed. When Aleida worked in the oncology unit she and Harry were known to visit people who had no family. She was truly a caretaker in all aspects of her life. She would ask people to keep her in the loop of what was going on just so she could know how best to serve their needs.
Sometimes, after they visited the hospital, she and Harry would use their coupon book to find a new restaurant to try. Although they loved to eat out, they didn’t have a favorite place. The favorite part was the people (and ice cream), not the place. After Harry died in 2000 Aleida continued to serve others. She was part of many groups of ladies; the 12-pack, the 6-pack, Coffee Party ladies, Active Generation friends, Bible Study ladies and she made lasting friendships from her time at Sanford. She made sure to check in with her group of ladies daily.
Aleida loved to play card and board games. She loved the conversations she and the ladies had on the phone. In her early days surrounding the holidays were busy with cookie making! She and her crews would produce 1000s of cookies. If you were lucky enough to make cookies with her the only requirement was to bring an empty ice cream pail so you could take some home. She always provided the ingredients and space. Aleida had it down to a science after a short time. The table was raised on coffee cans for the next 40 years or so to make it easier to frost her legendary cut-out cookies. There were all kinds of cookies, but they were all a gift for someone.
Aleida will be remembered for her kindness to others, her dedication to family, and her devotion to serve others. In the days close to her death her greatest desire was to let everyone she cared for know they are important and they are loved.
Sadly, Aleida, 80, Sioux Falls, was received into the embrace of our Lord on Thursday, October 8, 2020, after a brief stay at Dougherty Hospice House.
She is survived by her children, Brenda (Doug) Medalen Sioux Falls, SD; Arla Schultz, Luverne, MN; daughter-in-law, Carol Meyerhoff, Sheldon IA, eight grandchildren, Lee (Amanda) Medalen, Sioux Falls, SD, Heather (Justin) Hanson, Sioux Falls, SD, Aaron (Mya) Van Der Stoep, Parker, SD, Adam (Shaelee) Van Der Stoep, Hamilton, MI, Amanda Schultz, Luverne, MN, Katie (Pat) Berger, Dakota Dunes, SD, Christie (Seth) Lloyd, Moville, IA, Karrie (Josh Rogers) Meyerhoff, Sioux City, IA; 17 great-grandchildren, one brother, Orvel (Karen) Dreesen, Ellsworth, MN; and a host of other family and friends.
Aleida was preceded in death by her husband, Harry; her son, Keith; her sister, Anna Mae (Bill) Green; two brothers, Dick (Dolores) Dreesen; Ben (Grace, Norma, Thelma) Dreesen; her parents, Ralph and Aalke Dreesen; and her parents-in-law, Ted and Ursula Meyerhoff.
“I Love You. That’s It. Bye Bye!”
Aleida was such a great person. She was always helping someone with a smile on her face. She was a great hugger. I know she could feel when someone needed a shoulder or a hug. Heaven gained a very compassionate person.
Al and Charlie Venenga
I am so sorry for your loss. Aleida came to our door in George in 1971 ( I think) & introduced herself. What a friendly, special lady.
Deepest Sympathies to Aleida’s family. She will be missed very much by all.
Aleida was such a special sister in Christ. She was part of our little group who supported my mom and dad during their extended illnesses. I always looked forward to our little group’s meetings as we studied the Bible, prayed together, and checked in on each other’s lives. We have missed her so much these past months as she was recovering from her fall, we were looking forward to meeting again and hearing her amazing laughter and her interesting take on our Bible lesson. Her deep faith and wonderful sense of humor always lifted our spirits. We are going to miss her so much. I know she is smiling and finally reunited with her dear Harry and Keith. We are praying for you all during this time. You have the love and prayers of our little group as we share the loss of Aleida’s life on earth and look forward to our reunion in heaven.
Our deepest sympathies to all of Aleida’s family. Harry and Len worked together for many years at DGR and Len remembers being very honored to share the eulogy at Harry’s memorial service. We were very blessed to be good friends with both Aleida and Harry for many years. One of our favorite times together with Aleida was making Christmas cutout cookies. May God comfort all of you at his time of your great loss and may He fill you with nothing but special memories!