Funeral services for Otha Joens age 92 of Mobridge will be 11:00 AM, MT Tuesday, August 19, 2014 at UCC Church in Eagle Butte, SD. Rev. Pauline Webb officiating. Burial will be at the Eagle Butte Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge, SD. Otha passed away Thursday, August 14, 2014 at her home in Mobridge.

Otha Marie (Roy) Joens was born January 8, 1922 to Fred & Dessie (Kerns) Roy in Orofino, Idaho. She grew up in Orofino, Idaho, as one of 11 children. When she was in the first grade, she delivered The Times, Grit and the Spokane Chronicle and at the age of 81 she worked for the Mobridge Tribune in the production Dept ending her newspaper career there.

Hans Joens of the Eagle Butte area had come to her city looking for work with the Civilian Conservation Corps and they met, fell in love and married on February 17, 1937. They farmed and ranched in Idaho for seven years. They then moved to Eagle Butte to be close to his parents. Otha graduated from the eighth grade in 1936 and never went to high school. In 1964 she decided to return to school to get her diploma. She rode the bus with 4 of her own children while pursuing her dream. Later at the urging of her teachers and superintendent Otha took her GED test and passed it with flying colors. She then worked odd jobs for the next three years to save up for the college education that she wanted. First she attended BHSC and then transferred to SDSU in Brookings to take the required courses to become a Home Economics teacher and receive her BS degree. In 1971 she received her teachers Certificate and by 1973 had been named as the Teacher of the Year in South Dakota. She then taught Home Economics in the Cheyenne Eagle Butte School system for a number of years and was also in charge of the Kitchen of all nine BIA schools on the Cheyenne River Reservation for twelve years before her retirement in 1992. Otha was always improving her self and received her master degree at Black Hills State College in guidance counseling. Her education did not stop with her degrees. She traveled to Italy to take a special course in textiles, and took workshops at SDSU and courses at BHSC and the University of Arizona.

Otha was also a member of the Order of Eastern Star, was a 4-H leader and was a Farmers Union Junior Leader.

In 2001 Otha moved to Mobridge where she resided until the time of her death.

Otha is survived by her sons; Fred (Jackie) Joens of Eagle Butte, and LeRoy Joens of Kingston, PA., 4 daughters; Dorothy Clark of Aberdeen, JoAnn (Paul) King of Naples, FL, Connie (Ralph) Falcon, of El Dorado, AK, Donna (Farrell) DeLapp of Deer Lodge, MT. Also surviving are 3 brothers; Lewis Roy, Larry Roy and Don Roy. Numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband in 2001, one son; Lloyd Joens, one daughter; Tillie Woolsey, sisters; Pat, Mildred, Bernice, Alma, brothers; Stanley, Hermet and Jerry.

Casketbearers will be Adam Joens, Casey Joens, Col. Johnathan Lehman, SSgt. Joseph Clark, SSgt Jerome Clark, Bobby Skates, P.J. King, Lloyd Falcon.

Honorary casketbearers will Dennise Hoffman, Frankie Thompson, Lloyd Thompson, Rick Christman, Les and Ethel Joens, Dr. Colette Reule, Viola and Charles Galusha, Gail Bonn, Wayne and Gertrude Martin and Helen Neigel, Dick Lang, Lannika Loualla Haskell Lee, Charlotte Lesmeister and all grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Special music will be by Frankie and Lloyd Thompson.

The Organist is JoEllen Berndt and the congregation will sing How Great Thou Art and What a Friend we have in Jesus.