Funeral services for Tillie Dietterle, 85, Mobridge, will be Tuesday at 10:30 AM at the First Baptist church in Mobridge. Pastor Gary Street officiating. Burial will be Wednesday at 1:00 PM MDT at the Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis under the direction of Kesling Funeral home of Mobridge. A prayer service will be held Monday evening at 7:00 PM at the funeral home. Visitation is Monday Beginning at 12 noon. Mrs. Dietterle passed away June 23, 2010 at the Golden Living Center in Mobridge, SD.

Tillie Dietterle was born on November 23, 1924 to Philip and Elizabeth (Quenzer) Moser on her parents farm 20 miles south of McIntosh, S.D. She attended country school for 7 years; 8th grade and high school in McIntosh. She attended Northern Normal at Aberdeen for one year earning a First Grade Certificate. She taught the Prairie View School south of Watauga, SD for one year and the Little Hertel School northeast of McLaughlin, SD for 2 years.

She married Gottlieb Dietterle on June 16, 1946 at the McLaughlin Evangelical parsonage with Rev. H.H. Dockter officiating her sister and brother-in-law, Adeline and Argo Brockel, were the attendants in a double wedding ceremony.

With her husband and two sons, Dennis and Gary, she lived on the Dietterle farm with Gottlieb's brother, Louie Dietterle, 9 1/2 miles Northeast of McLaughlin until October, 1956 when they moved to Mobridge.

In March 1957 she began her secretarial duties in the law office of Ervin E. Dupper; later Dupper and Berndt, and several probation officers; for Leland Berndt while he was States Attorney and District County Judge. She later worked for Krause, Sieler, and Cain, for a total of 27 1/2 years.

After two bouts with cancer she was forced to retire in 1984. After regaining better health she enjoyed making patch quilts for family and friends which served as therapy for what was "always busy hands". She was delighted painting the wood craft articles that her husband created as his hobby. The mini garden and flowers were always her joy, as well as taking walks, cycling, and taking care of her grandchildren and taking in their activities. Her family was her pride and joy and she loved family gatherings.

She enjoyed being active in her church, teaching Sunday School, Bible School and belonging to several prayer groups. She also enjoyed the choir, Women's Missionary Society, Diaconate Board, was a Church Clerk for many years, treasurer of the Mobridge PTA, and a cancer volunteer and served on the pulpit committee of her church and hospital auxiliary. She was active in AARP and Senior Citizens activities, including the Senior Citizens Kitchen Band, Retired Teachers and Gray Ladies.

Her love for children and music prompted her to entertain herself and her grandchildren with musical tapes, records and playing lots of games with them. She treasured the times she read stories to her two sons and helped them with their schoolwork and attended as many of the school and church activities as my busy scheduled permitted.

She enjoyed Bible studies and belonged to several prayer groups and finished several Bible courses by correspondence. Christian literature was another liking Tillie had. Her library was full of Christian books signifying her desire to read that type of books and magazines and share them with others who were interested. She had a collection of children's books available for her grandchildren to have access to them when they were at her house.

To Tillie it was simply good therapy to make patch quilts. Those were given as gifts for family and friends, especially grandchildren and they were each given several. She also delighted in selling and giving away baby quilts that she made from re-cycled polyester clothes. Her niece, Cindy Kraft, labeled her as the world's greatest recycler, because she believed in recycling used clothes and many other items for crafts. ( She had a reason for that- namely: she was brought up during the depression years and was taught not to waste. She was taught: "waste not, want not".)

Tillie loved being with her children, grandchildren, great-grand children, and friends. She would give them a treat of her "rhubarb-strawberry jam" and would try hard to grant the request for "dumplings" which seemed to be a favorite of my grandchildren too.

Growing up on the farm with her parents and six siblings taught Tillie many virtues during the depression years, especially sharing, caring, thrift, patience, love, and respect and a reverence for God and His goodness were some of them. Work and determination to make ends meet were taught early in life. She enjoyed farm life and her upbringings. There were hard times but with a firm faith in God we were not abandoned by Him or our loved ones.

She long to see her dear husband, infant sister, grand-daughter, along with all her loved ones in heaven with Jesus some day. May this be so... (The only possession I can take to heaven is my dear family. SEE YOU THERE!)

Tillie is preceded in death by her parents, husband, one infant sister, one brother, and one grand-daughter.