Gertrude (Volden) Jung passed away on October 1, 2024, at The Meadows in Ashland, NE after a long battle with dementia.

Memorial Services will be held on November 9, 2024 at 11:00 am at the Community Center in Isabel, SD with Reverend Jim Schmelling officiating. Gert's family is asking that anyone who has one of her quilts please bring it with you to the service as a demonstration of the number of people blessed by her over the years.  Inurnment at Black Hills National Cemetery, near Sturgis, will take place at a later date.

Gertrude Christine Volden was born on October 13, 1936, in Dupree, SD to Christ and Agnes (Drageset) Volden. She joined her brother, Edwin, in the family.

The family of four lived in Four Bear, Red Scaffold, and Whitlock Crossing in a handmade mobile home as Christ worked as a carpenter on the Old Cheyenne Agency Reservation building schools, hospitals, and homes. In 1940, the family moved back to the Isabel area to the Old Malice place for a short time before moving to the Griffin homestead which they called home for three years. Eventually, Agnes and the children settled down in Christ's original homestead while he traveled around the country working as a traveling carpenter. As a young girl, Gert went to the Bloom School in the Gopher/Glad Valley area of Ziebach County through eighth grade.  Her family moved to Isabel in 1950 when she first began attending Isabel High School.  After graduating in 1954, she attended 10 weeks of college at Northern State College in Aberdeen, which qualified her to teach school which became her lifelong passion. She worked as a schoolteacher at the Grondahl School in Ziebach County for one year.

In 1954, while attending high school, she met Phillip Jung at school functions in Isabel, SD and quickly fell in love. The couple married on June 14, 1955, at the Our Savior Lutheran Church parsonage in Timber Lake, SD, and made their home on Phillip's family farm, where they raised six children while farming and ranching.

When their son Mark was just two years old, Gertrude worked as a schoolteacher for a year at Pleasant View School in Corson County (1957-58), located three miles northwest of their farm. As a dedicated farm wife, she took on numerous responsibilities, including raising bum lambs, calves, pigs, and chickens, all of which were essential for feeding and clothing the family. At times, she cared for over one hundred bum lambs, and every spring, she welcomed four hundred chickens to the farm. Each July, neighbors came together to butcher chickens, stock freezers, and share meals, with Gertrude also selling eggs year-round.

In May 2000, Gertrude and Phillip moved to Isabel to live with Agnes Volden. After relocating, Gertrude worked at the Isabel Cafe and occasionally assisted with cooking at the Senior Center. She also cleaned at Northwest Area Schools and the Isabel Day Care for several years.

Gertrude was an active member of Peace Lutheran Church in Isabel, where she served as an officer in the Ladies' Aid and taught Sunday School for many years. Her dedication earned her recognition from the Northwestern Lutheran Academy in Mobridge, SD, for over 17 years of service as a Sunday School teacher and various leadership roles in the Ladies' Aid.

Additionally, Gertrude was a longstanding member of the Corson County Extension Club, Liberty Belles, for 25 years, during which she held positions as President and Treasurer. She enriched her skills by taking classes in sewing, tailoring, and cooking through the Extension office and served on the Election Board for many years.

Gertrude's hobbies included sewing and cooking. She was most memorably known for her cinnamon rolls, hamburger buns, donuts, and more. She also showcased her sewing skills by making, altering, and repairing clothing as well as assembling quilts, and is well known for her jean quilts, which she gifted for high school graduations and weddings. She was particularly proud of the Soldier quilts she made and donated.

Gertrude loved spending time with her family. As her dementia advanced and she needed assistance, she lived with family for four years before moving to The Meadows in Ashland, NE, in January 2020, where she remained until God welcomed her into Heaven. Gertrude's unwavering commitment to her family, community, and faith left a lasting impact on all who knew her.

Gert is survived by her six children:  Mark (Laramie) Jung of Hamilton, OH; Rhonda Zierolf, Parker, AZ; Sharon (Kevin) Noffke, Ashland, NE; Cynthia (Cindy) Custer, Parker, AZ; Larry (Leah) Jung, Isabel, SD; Jason (Gail) Jung, Hudson, WI; 14 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.  She is also survived by her siblings:  Edwin Volden, Forest Grove, OR; Carol (Kenneth) Carpenter, Rapid City, SD; Verna (Erdean) Olsen, Piedmont, SD.  Six Sisters-in-Law:  Jean Jung of Colorado Springs, CO; Agnes Marquis of Casa Grande, AZ; Barbara Jung of South Bend, IN; Elizabeth Hall of Fountain Valley, CA; Armella (Mel) Wallstrom of Fountain Valley, CA;  and Patricia Pexa of Hermosa, SD.

Gert was preceded in death by her husband, Phillip; her parents, Christ and Agnes Volden; her sister, Helen Anderson; her sons-in-law: David Butler, LeRoy Custer and Skip Zierolf; and her grandson, Matthew Butler.

Memorial contributions will be distributed to local Early Childhood Centers in the area and to Peace Lutheran Church in Isabel, South Dakota.