Funeral services for Lillie Pesicka, age 94, of Dupree will be at 1 PM, Friday, February 10, 2012 at Kinkade Funeral Chapel in Sturgis. Burial will be at 2 PM at Black Hills National Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge. Visitation will be one hour prior to services. Lillie passed away Sunday, February 5, 2012 at the Golden Living Center in Mobridge.

Lelah Lillian Weeks was born April 2, 1917 in Climbing Hill, Iowa to Irvin & Ada (Haakinson) Weeks. At age 10 she moved with her mother and siblings to Aberdeen, S.D.

Lillie met and married Leroy A. Gardner in 1934, to this union were born Patsy Ardelle and William Roy. They divorced in 1939. Lillie worked for a phone company for 20 cents and hour while raising her children.

In the fall of 1942 she met the love of her life, Ralph "Doc" Pesicka, they married on January 10, 1943. Ralph was in the Army and they lived in Aberdeen, Minneapolis, and Sioux Falls. To this union 4 children were born. Ralph Jr., Edna Kay, Linda Jean and Richard Wayne. After Doc's discharge from the service they lived in Aberdeen and in North Dakota for a short time before settling in Dupree where Doc had grown up.

They raised their family in Dupree and Lillie helped raise 3 nephews Donald, Walter Lee and David Pesicka. After all the children were in school Lillie worked cooking at the Dupree Café. She worked for several years in the Ziebach County extension office, and filled in at other county offices. When her sons were younger she served as a cub scout leader. Lillie was manager of the West River Progress for many years gathering the local news and seeing it was sent to the printers on time.

She was a member of St. Phillips Episcopal Church, and a lifetime member of the American Legion Auxiliary Post #124, holding many offices, but she will long be remembered for her efforts in keeping an accurate history of the Post. In 1978 Lillie was voted Dupree's Citizen of the year. She was also active in the Republican party and local bridge club.

Lillie will long be remembered for her hospitality and her open door. The rule was "there's always room for one more." Many dinners started out with the family and ended with 10 or more around the table "GOOD FOOD, GOOD FRIENDS, GOOD TIMES"

Lillie loved flowers, gardening, raising raspberries, strawberries and making delicious choke cherry jelly, playing pinochle, bridge, games with the kids, dancing and going for Sunday rides. She collected rocks wherever she went and brought home more than one cactus.

Lillie was preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Ralph, her parents, 2 sisters, 1 brother, her son William and 1 great grandson.

She leaves to celebrate her life; children, Patsy Woolery of Aberdeen, SD, Ralph Jr (Norma) Pesicka of Timber Lake, SD, Edna Kay (Ken) Bunn of Grand Ronde, OR; Linda Jean (Ole) Keehner of Rapid City, SD and Richard (Jeanne) Pesicka of Renton, WA, also 16 grandchildren, 37 great grandchildren, 17 great-great grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and many many friends.