Viola C. Herr

Viola C. Herr, age 92, of Madison, died Saturday, August 15, 2020, at Bethel Lutheran Home. Funeral services will be 10:30 AM, Thursday, August 20, 2020, at the Ellsworth Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Graceland Cemetery. The family welcomes everyone to the service, but due to COVID-19 they understand and respect those that would rather not attend.

Viola Christina Riedel was born February 9, 1928, in rural Madison to Arthur H. and Christina (Brandt) Riedel. She grew up on a farm near Madison and graduated from Franklin High School in 1946. After graduation she attended and graduated from South Dakota Beauty School in Sioux Falls. She worked as a beautician in and around Madison. In 1947, she moved to Tripp, SD to work. It was here she met her future husband, Leonard Herr. Shortly after starting work at the Vogue Beauty Shop in Tripp, she bought the shop and owned it until her wedding.

Leonard and Viola were married March 3, 1950, in Tripp and moved to a farm near Franklin, SD.  Eight years later they moved to a farm south of Madison. On the farm, she enjoyed raising chickens, ducks, and geese, and enjoyed having pet dogs and cats. In 1992, they retired and moved into Madison where they enjoyed getting together with friends, playing cards, playing bingo, and other fun events.

Viola enjoyed working with flowers, gardening, reading, playing cards & games, jigsaw puzzles, traveling, and visiting family and friends.

She was an active member of St. John Lutheran Church in Madison where she taught Sunday School and was active in Lutheran Women of the ELCA, and the Young at Heart Club. She was also active in the Lakeview Home Extension Club and 4-H where she served as an assistant 4-H Leader.

She was preceded in death by her parents and by her loving husband of almost 67 years, Leonard, in 2016 and grandson, Alan Bundy, in 2018.

Viola's family includes her daughters Donna (Vern) Bundy of Converse, TX and Diane Kaiser of Fargo, ND; her sons Richard (Dana) of Sioux City, IA and Roger of Sioux Falls; 6 grandchildren; Alan, Greg, Amanda, Jessica, Erika, and Jordan; 9 great-grandchildren; 2 sisters Lila Sharp of Rapid City and Delores Benson of Rapid City and brother Arthur (Lavonne) Riedel of Madison; several nieces and nephews.

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