October 29, 1954 ~ May 14, 2015

William “Bill” Douglas Jr, 60, Brandon, was welcomed at Heaven’s doors Thursday, May 14, 2015, from his home after a courageous battle with cancer.

Memorial services will begin 6:00pm, Wednesday, May 20, 2015, at Heartland Funeral Home. Visitation will begin at 4:30pm.

Bill Douglas Jr. was born October 29, 1954, to William Douglas Sr. and Dorothy (Mcghee) Douglas in Detroit, MI. He spent his childhood in Detroit, MI, Hot Springs, AR, and Florida. As an adult, Bill worked in almost every state in the union. He enjoyed his travels and had a great appreciation for all areas of the US. Bill was blessed with five children; David, Shaun, Amber, Brian, and Aaron. He spent thirty-five years as a Journeyman electrician, specializing in high voltage work. This career offered him the opportunity of owning his own business four separate times. He was well respected and dearly loved by everyone who knew him.

Bill married Anne (Baum) Cutshaw on July 11, 2009, which he referred to as “the happiest day of my life!” This partnership was blessed with business opportunities and projects that they enjoyed working on together.

Bill will be deeply missed by his loving wife, Anne; four children, David Douglas, Littleton, CO, Brian Douglas, Scranton, PA, Amber Douglas, Hot Springs, AR, and Aaron Douglas, AR; his grandchildren, Bella Douglas, daughter of Amber, Gabriel Douglas, son of Shaun, Cross, Kaylix and Demitrius Douglas, sons of Brian; bonus children Travis, Craig, and Luke Cutshaw.

Awaiting at the doors of Heaven are his parents, William Sr. and Dorothy; one son, Shaun; and two siblings, MaryAnn Douglas and Dewayne Douglas and many friends.

October 24, 1932 ~ April 24, 2015

Robert Joseph Peterka, 82, Sioux Falls, died Friday, April 24, 2015, at the Covington Heights Golden Living Center, in Sioux Falls.

Celebration of Bob’s life will begin at 12:00 Noon, Monday, April 27, 2015, at the Community Reformed Church of Sioux Falls. Visitation will begin one hour prior. Full Military Rites will follow.

Robert Joseph Peterka was born October 24, 1932, in Utica, SD, to Sylvin and Ella (Bierle) Peterka. He was raised and educated in the Yankton area. Upon graduation from Yankton High School, Bob farmed a couple of years before he joined the Army, serving about two years. When he did return, Bob had two new loves. He loved to work on cars. He attended and graduated as an approved body mechanic from the Chevy Motor Division of GMC. His other love was declared on June 26, 1958, when Robert married his wife of over 50 years, Annie Gelling. The couple resided in Mitchell until 1965, when they moved to Sioux Falls. Bob first worked for a couple of body shops, Jay-Shon’s, as a paint and body man and Crawford & Co., as an auto damage appraiser before starting his own company, Peterka’s Damage Appraisers, which he operated until his retirement.

Bob and Ann expanded their home with the adoption of their two children; Darla in 1964 and Daren in 1967. Bob was known by his family as a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was very proud of and loved spending time with his kids, attending his granddaughter’s activities, and watching his great-grandchildren play. Bob demonstrated his love and devotion to Ann even more, when her health required constant attention, by tending to her every need so she would not have to go to a nursing home until the very end. Ann passed away in 2008.

Bob was a long time member of Community Reformed Church of Sioux Falls and participated in many activities within the church. He also believed in giving back to the community through blood donations, volunteering for Meals on Wheels, and being a “Bell Ringer” for the Salvation Army at Kmart East for several years.

Robert will be deeply missed by his two children, Darla Moulton, Sioux Falls and Daren (Traci) Peterka, Jamestown, ND; two grandchildren, Joni (Neil) Rezac and Lauren Peterka; three great-grandchildren, Jack, Ty, Mac; and three siblings, Ken (Liz) Peterka, Van Nyes, CA, Dale (Sue) Peterka, Glendale, AZ, and Maryann (Frank) Osborn, of Yankton.

Robert was preceded by his wife, Ann; his parents, Sylvin and Ella (Bierle) Peterka; and son-in-law, Todd Moulton.

February 5, 1968 ~ April 12, 2015

David D. Smith, 47, Brandon, died Sunday April 12, 2015, at his home due to a house fire.

Family visitation and memorial service will be Thursday, April 16, 2015, from 5-7 pm with a short service at 7 pm, at Heartland Funeral Home.
David Donald Smith was born February 5, 1968, in Sioux Falls to Verlyn and Ruth (Songstad) Smith. He attended school at and graduated from Brandon Valley High School in 1986. While in school, David worked at Perkins on N. Cliff in Sioux Falls. He later went on to become Kitchen Manager. In 1991, David began hauling freight as a truck driver. Most recently, he was employed by T & R Contracting. On June 3, 1994, David married Shawn Foss in Daytona Beach, FL, and the couple settled in Brandon.

David had a great imagination and loved to have fun. As a child, David wrote a note and ran away from home to Grandma’s house, taking a bag and his little brother with him. He and his brothers went tree climbing against their mother’s wishes. She returned home to find out he had fallen four stories from the tree and knocked himself out for several minutes with a concussion. He always had something funny to say and loved to tease everyone. Along with his enjoyment of the History Channel, David liked to make up trivia questions to ask at special events like Christmas. He also cheered loudly for Jeff Gordon on any NASCAR event. He, himself, was an excellent truck driver and won a couple of truck rodeos. Auctions were another favorite pastime. He loved to buy things to resell. He enjoyed family vacations to his favorite place, Florida. He loved to swim and enjoy the sun at the beach. David also loved to spend time with his granddaughter, Brooklyn, and his best buddy, Talli, his dog, who also perished in the fire.

David will be deeply missed by his wife, Shawn; his children:Tyler, Danielle, Braiden (Jamie), Connor (Logan), and Makenzie Smith of Brandon; granddaughter, Brooklyn; his mother, Ruth Smith, Sioux Falls; five siblings, Mark (Carol), Sioux Falls, Daniel (Teri) Sioux Falls, James, Sioux Falls, Darren (Pam), Brandon, and Cindy (Rik) Drewes, Pierre.

David is preceded in death by his father, Verlyn, and one brother, Steven.

A memorial/benefit fund has been established for David at any Well’s Fargo Bank.

May 26, 1933 ~ April 9, 2015

Betty F. Geisler, 81, Valley Springs, died Thursday, April 09, 2015, at the Sanford Centennial Hospice Cottage in Sioux Falls.

Memorial services will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday, April 18, 2015, at Messiah Lutheran Church, Murdo, SD followed by inurnment at the Murdo Cemetery. Coffee and tea will be served in the church basement afterwards.

She was born May 26, 1933 in Manchester, NH, the only child of Robert Joseph Fortier and Catherine Virginia (Ettridge) Fortier. While given the birth name Mary Catherine Virginia, she went by “Betty” throughout her entire adult life. She attended Mount Saint Mary College in Hooksett, NH and Harvard Law School in Cambridge, MA. Betty’s first daughter, Catherine Eileen, was born during her marriage with Bert Queen. Betty met and married John Geisler while they were both working with geriatric patients as social workers at the Norwich State Hospital in Connecticut. The couple had a daughter, Johanna Catherine Vivian. The family moved to Minneapolis, MN, where John and Betty enrolled in the Master’s programs at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. From there, they moved to Murdo, SD to be near family and the family-operated Pioneer Auto Museum. For many years, the family traveled extensively around the United States collecting items for the museum. Later in life Betty and John moved to the Sioux Falls area to be near their children and grandchildren.

Betty pursued many career interests during her lifetime: school teacher, social worker, grant writer and entrepreneur. At various times she operated a souvenir store, a long distance telephone company, a fireworks stand, and a tow truck company. Betty also pursued many leisure interests. Early in life, she enjoyed flying small planes and rally racing; the family treasures a silver trophy plate she won shortly before Cathie’s birth. Betty also enjoyed people, classical music, travel, genealogy, clothes and beautiful Ferragamo shoes. Betty was always unconventional, and life with her was always an adventure!

For many years, Betty struggled with diabetes and cardiac problems. She suffered a stroke on April 3, 2015, and passed away on April 9.

Betty is survived by daughters Cathie (Johnnie) Littles, Sioux Falls, Johanna (Mark Dykstra) Geisler, Valley Springs, SD; grandsons Lee Littles, Corwin Dykstra and Rune Dykstra; sister-in-law, Roma (Delaine) Richards, Irvine, CA, brother-in-law, David A. (Leila) Geisler, Murdo, SD; nieces Vivian (Jeff) Sonder, Patty (Donald) Tyus, Jennifer (Bryan) Kaiser, Lisa (Larry) Williams; and nephews Eric (Janet) Staudenbaur and David M. (Ann) Geisler.

Betty is preceded in death by her parents and her husband of 47 years, John Nels Geisler.

August 16, 1946 ~ April 6, 2015

Paul J. Mulholland, 68, Brandon, SD, passed away peacefully, with sons by his side Monday, April 6, 2015, at the VA Medical Center, in Sioux Falls, after a long battle with ill health.

Gathering for a celebration of his life will be held in Richland Center, WI, at a later date.

Paul was born on August 16, 1946, in Richland Center, Wisconsin, as the son of Paul M. Mulholland and Avis (Schweiger) Johnson. He was married to Loren (Cale) and had a step-son, Benjamin. Paul later married Beth Mantey and had two children; Jimb and Tom Mulholland. He was thrilled to spend time with his two grandchildren, Warren and Amelia. He loved to visit his sons and grandchildren, and would always talk about his pride of his family.

Paul grew up as one of seven children and attended school in Bloom City and Richland Center, WI. After high school, he joined the Army during Vietnam and spent most of his service in Germany. When he finished his Army service, he attended University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Human Services.

His career centered on helping people via social services. He reached the top of field in mental health and human services administration, first as a Unit Chief in Rock County, WI, then as Director of Wood County (WI) Human Services, where he implemented several cutting edge programs, and finally as Vice-President at the Human Service Agency in Watertown, South Dakota. He was remembered as a forward thinking administrator that was interested in integrating technology to better serve the community.

He took great pride in his farm while his sons were younger, and took fond satisfaction cleaning up and improving the property and raising animals and being outdoors. Paul was an avid motorcycle rider, and you could find him on a bike nearly any nice day. He liked to tell the stories of his cross county motorcycle trips. He was a yearly Sturgis attendee for many years, and owned many brands and styles of motorcycles over the years.

In his retirement, he loved travelling, especially to the mountains out West, and putting many miles on his ATVs and UTVs. Paul was a regular at coffee shops around Sioux Falls, SD, and enjoyed spending time with his service companion dog, Tim, and keeping up with the latest gadgets and TV shows. Paul is survived by his two sons, Jimb (Rachel) and Tom; two grandchildren, Warren and Amelia; his four siblings, Judy (Tom) Harasti, Joyce (Bob) Dray, Margaret (Cecil) Groves, and Mike (Sue) Mulholland; and many nieces and nephews.

Paul was preceded in death by his parents, and two brothers, Thomas and Steven.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial scholarship has been established to the Lake Area Technical Institute Foundation (LATI) in Watertown, SD, in Paul’s honor.

LATI Foundation
PO Box 730
Watertown, SD 57201

March 11, 1955 ~ March 17, 2015

Debbie S. Stultz, 60, Valley Springs, died Tuesday, March 17, 2015, at the Dougherty Hospice Home in Sioux Falls.

Visitation will be 5-8pm, Friday, March 20, 2015, at Heartland Funeral Home, with family present. Memorial services will be 10am, Saturday, March 21, at Spirit of Truth Lutheran Church, 112 E. Annabelle St., Brandon, with Pastor Jerry Merkouris officiating.

Deb Sue Acklie was born March 11, 1955 in Norfolk, NE to Glen and Irma (Renner) Acklie. She was the youngest child with four older brothers. Deb was raised and attended school in the Madison school district where she graduated. Deb married Charles Stultz in Madison, NE on September 28, 1974. She and Charlie lived in Eastern Nebraska working different jobs while starting their family, before moving to the Sioux Falls area in 1988. Deb managed the office for Charlie’s trucking operation for many years. Deb was especially fond of holidays which meant spending time with family and her grandkids. She loved to cook, do Crosswords and Sudoku, play pitch with her family, knitting and various arts and crafts. Watching the birds in the back yard and spending time with Charlie were many of her favorite times. Sadly, her husband of 39 years, passed away last August.

Deb will be deeply missed by her two sons, Dana Stultz, Rapid City, and Dusty (Hope) Stultz, Brandon; two grandchildren, Athena, Rayleigh; her four brothers, Ron (Amy) Acklie, Clearwater, NE, Roger (Kathy) Acklie, Madison, NE, Neal (Diann) Acklie, Norfolk, NE, and Randy (Ieda) Acklie, Norfolk, NE; and many nieces and nephews.

Deb was preceded in death by her husband, Charles; her parents, Glen and Irma (Renner) Acklie.

A memorial has been established to the Spirit of Truth Lutheran Church in Brandon.

January 12, 1958 ~ March 5, 2015

Julie A. Petree, 57, of Brandon, died suddenly, Thursday, March 5, 2015, at the Gulf Coast Medical Center, in Ft. Myers, FL.

A Celebration of Julie’s life-visitation will be held from 1 – 3PM, Saturday, March 21, 2015 at Heartland Funeral Home.

Julie Ann Petree was born January 12, 1958 in Sioux Falls to Harold and Viola (Horner) Petree. She graduated from Lincoln High School in 1976 and joined the US Army for two years. She then attended college and received a LPN degree and then her RN degree. Julie loved working as a traveling nurse and was able to travel all over the world and met many people. She was working in Florida at the time of her death. Julie lived life to the fullest. She also loved to go on cruises, she loved her dogs, flea markets, her friends and her family. She will be deeply missed by all.

She is survived by her brother, Dan Petree, Brandon; a nephew and niece, Jason (Kelsey) Petree and Julie K. Petree, Brandon; and four great-nieces and great nephews, Hailey, Cameron, Boston, and Tryton.

She was preceded by her parents, Harold and Viola (Horner) Petree, in death.

February 9, 1954 ~ March 1, 2015

Roger Milton Hess, 61, Sioux Falls, died Sunday, March 1, 2015 at the Dougherty Hospice Home in Sioux Falls. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor (glioblastoma), in September of 2014.

A Gathering of Remembrance for Roger Will be at 2PM on Saturday June 6th at the Dell Rapids Rocky Run Golf Course clubhouse.There will be a sharing time at 2:30 Refreshments will be served and Family present from 2 to 4.

In keeping with Roger’s wishes, no funeral or memorial services will be held. A date and location will be announced in the future for a gathering of remembrance and ceremonial scattering of ashes at one of his and Bob’s favorite local hiking areas. Please refer to Heartland’s web site for future updates.
Roger was born in Dell Rapids, SD to Kermitt and Evelyn (Johnston) Hess on February 9, 1954. He grew up on a farm near Dell Rapids and attended Dell Rapids public schools. He attended South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota, majoring in psychology.

Roger worked in South Dakota for McKennan Behavioral Health, SD Human Services Center, Sioux Vocational Services (Achieve) and Chuck Poppen at Home Cinema Network. He joined A. C. Nielsen in Sioux Falls, later relocating with Nielsen to Colorado, New York and finally to Shelton Connecticut where he was a Project Manager and Operations Analyst. Illness forced him to leave the then Nielsen Media Researching in 1998.

In 2011, Roger moved back to South Dakota to be with his sister Bonnie and brother in law John. He was accompanied by his finicky, toothless, wineglass tipping cat B&E.

The things Roger loved most include:

• Hiking and backpacking in the mountains and on trails usually with his dog and longtime companion Bob. The above photo shows Roger and Bob on one of their hiking outings. More photos, including more recent, can be seen at Roger’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/roger.m.hess .
• Music, especially Pink Floyd.
• Animals, dogs, cats, farm animals, hamsters, gerbils, and guinea pigs. When the stray cat B&E (short for Breaking and Entering) wandered into his garage in Derby CT, he worked several weeks gaining her trust until she finally became devoted to Roger.
• He enjoyed problem solving, science, science fiction, and discussing and debating politics and current events.
• Roger was concerned about climate change and what it would mean for the future of the human race.
• Roger was an avid fan of the University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball team. “Go Huskies”
As Roger often said; “Never stop learning and always think for yourself.”

Roger was stricken with an insidious condition known as chronic fatigue syndrome in the late 1990s. As the disease progressed, he was no longer able to work or do many of the activities he enjoyed.

Roger and Diana E. Snow were married in October 1990 at Port Washington NY. They divorced on 1997.

Roger was loved and will be missed by his sister, Bonnie (John-honorary brother) Nelson, of Sioux Falls; niece, Sara Bennetts (John) and grand-nephew Jamie of Stuttgart, Germany; cousin, Lyle (Tracy) Nelson, of Austin TX; other cousins, friends in South Dakota and Connecticut, including another honorary brother, John Uva; and ex-wife, Diana Hess, of Tucson, AZ.

Roger was preceded in death by his parents and his dog Bob.

Roger was and his family is grateful for:

• Dr. Wilde and the nurses, and staff at Falls Community Health.
• The doctors, nurses and staff at the McKennan Emergency Department
• Doctors Tynan, Huber, and Simon at Avera McKennan and the Prairie Center Cancer Institute, and the nurses and staff there.
• The wonderful nurses, chaplain, social worker, techs, staff, and volunteers at the Dougherty Hospice House.

Memorials may be directed to the:

Dougherty Hospice House
4509 Prince of Peace Place
PO Box 5045
Sioux Falls, SD 57117-5045

January 3, 1945 ~ February 27, 2015

Robert L. Maher, 70, Sioux Falls, died Friday, February 27, 2015, at the Doughtery Hospice home in Sioux Falls.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Wednesday, March 4, 2015, at 4:00 PM, at The House of Deliverance Church, located at 3300 E. Oak Street, Sioux Falls, SD, 57103. Pastor Clark will be presiding. Inurnment will take place at the Black Hills National Cemetery at a later date.

Robert Lee Maher was born on January 3rd, 1945, the only son of Robert Stanley Maher and Carol (Knouse) Maher. Robert grew up in Huron, SD, graduating from Huron High School in 1964. After graduation, Robert enlisted in the United States Air Force and was sent to Vietnam where he worked as a fireman. Upon returning stateside in 1968, Robert married Nancy Mattke in 1969. The family resided in Covington, OK, where Robert worked as a fireman at Vance Air Force Base until he retired in 2009. During their time in Oklahoma, Robert and Nancy had three daughters, Tammy, Daun and Bobbie. Robert most enjoyed his time with his family when he would return home after is 48 hour shifts. Robert was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed taking his daughters hunting, fishing and camping. Robert moved to Sioux Falls in May of 2012 to be closer to his daughters and grandchildren. Robert was a proud father and a wonderful grandfather who enjoyed spending time with everyone one in his family.

Robert is survived by his three daughters, Tammy (Mike) Armitage, Sioux Falls, Daun (Tim) Maher-Amundson, Sioux Falls, and Bobbie (Kerry) Mosley, San Diego, CA.; two Son-in laws, Jack Boetel and Sergio Ramirez; fifteen grandchildren, Cody and Jake Boetel, Mason (Tanya) Maher, Myndie, Olivia, Lena, Samantha, Wyatt, David, Josh, Emma, Nickolas and Martha Maher-Amundson, Quinten and Malik Maher-Ramirez; five great-grandchildren, Bentley, Lakon and Weston Boetel, as well as Janessa and Sofia Maher.

May 22, 1937 ~ February 7, 2015

James J. Hoogeveen 77, of Brandon, died Saturday, February 7, 2015, at his home.

Visitation will be Tuesday, February 10, 2015, at Heartland Funeral Home, in the afternoon with family present 5-7pm. A short service will take place at 7pm. Funeral services will be Wednesday, February 11th at Valley Springs Reformed Church at 10am. Interment will follow at at Riverview Cemetery, Rock Rapids, IA, with Full Military Rites.

James Jerry Hoogeveen was born May 22, 1937, in Lester, IA, to Henry & Clara (Bick) Hoogeveen. He grew up in Lyon County and attended and graduated public school in Doon, IA. After graduation he worked at Lems Auto Recycler full-time until he entered the US Army in June, 1960. He took his basic training at Fort Hood, TX and was stationed in Germany with the 34th Division B & Company, until he was discharged in May 1962.

Jim was married to Delores Aeilts until her death in 1996. He was a member of the First Reformed Church, Rock Rapids. Jim worked for the Iowa State Department of Transportation for thirty years. He retired at the age of 60 years. He was a member of The Rock Rapids Fire Department for 32 years and the American Legion Post #103 in Rock Rapids, IA for 30 years.

On July 29, 1997, he was united in marriage to Ivy Vallejo at the “Little Brown Church” in Nashua, IA. Jim and Ivy did lots of traveling and had special memories of traveling to Okinawa, Japan, and traveling with his brother-in-law, Delmer, and his wife, Faye, over most of the United States.

Jim had lots of good memories as a kid fishing & swimming with all his old friends in Doon. He also loved golfing and playing volleyball. In his older years, Jim enjoyed going fishing with all his buddies in Oklahoma, South Dakota and Minnesota. When he wasn’t out fishing, you would see him working on his yard. Even though he had no children of his own, he was important in the lives of a lot of extended family and friends children. He was always there at birthday parties, graduations and baptisms. They could always expect a high five, piece of candy, and hug from “Uncle Jim.”

On September 29, 2014, Jim was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Sadly, James 77, of Brandon, died Saturday, February 7, 2015, at his home, with Ivy at his side.

He is survived by his wife, Ivy, of 17 years; two sisters, Muriel (Vince) Lemonds, Doon, IA, and Gwen (Roger) Ditzel, Beaver Creek, OH; one brother, Jack (Barb) Hoogeveen, Rock Rapids, IA; three step-children, Rick Vallejo, Okinawa, Japan, Leah Erks, Brandon, SD, and Tami Vallejo, Sioux Falls, SD; ten grandchildren and one great-grand child, Jaxon; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; Henry & Clara Hoogeveen, wife Dolores, brother-in-laws Vince LeMonds, Roger Ditzel, Ray Aeilts, Harold Aeilts.

The family requests no flowers. Instead a memorial has been established in Jim’s honor.