Rheta Marie Kopecky

March 20, 1944 ~ February 1, 2026

Rheta M. Kopecky, age 81, Sioux Falls, SD, died peacefully in her sleep at home, on Sunday, February 1, 2026.

A Celebration of Life Open House will be held from 1:00-3:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at Heartland Funeral Home, Brandon, SD. Burial will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, February 6, 2026, at the South Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Sioux Falls.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to Feeding South Dakota. You may make a donation on their website by clicking HERE.

Rheta Marie Aesoph was born in Orient, SD, on March 20, 1944, to Henry and Helen (Sweetland) Aesoph. She and her family moved to Milbank, SD and she remained there until she was an adult. From there, Rheta found her way to Gretna, NE. In Gretna, she gave birth to her first son, Tony, and also met Norm Kopecky. Rheta and Norm married, and the family of three moved to Germany. In Germany, Rheta and Norm worked for the Department of Defense. Rheta also taught physical fitness to grade school children. After five years in Germany, the family moved back to Milbank.

Upon her return to the states, Rheta took a job at KMSD radio and then KSFY TV in Sioux Falls. She became well known as the TV news anchor, Jerry Brooke, on the noon news program. After many years as a TV personality, she started selling aviaries as the Community Aviary and later opened and grew Living Design, Inc. The company grew adding branch offices in Colorado, Illinois, and Ohio. Aviaries were placed as far as New Mexico, Texas, and Montana in the west and New York and Washington D.C. in the east. In total, over 3,000 aviaries were placed. The ability to hire enough technicians did not keep up with growth and the Ohio office was closed. A few long-term techs remained in SD and CO, but they didn’t provide enough revenue to support the business. After 30 years, Living Design officially closed 2023.

Rheta had fostered her creativity and a sense of adventure from a young age. She was a collector of many things, but most importantly, she collected souls. She faced retirement by buying the house on Brant Lake she had always wanted. In addition to the plants in the greenhouse, and the wildlife in the backyard, life was good for Rheta.

Rheta is survived by her husband, Norman; her sons, Tony and Chris; and her grandchildren, Kiah Berg-Kopecky, Athena Kopecky and Christopher Kopecky, Jr.

Rheta was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Helen; and her brothers, Gary and Dale.

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