Obituary of Verna M. Remme

   Armour - Verna M. Remme, 91, died at Ava's House in Sioux Falls, SD on Friday, May 29, 2020. Funeral service will be Wednesday, June 3, 2020 at 10:30 AM at St. Peter Lutheran Church near Armour with visitation an hour prior. Committal service will follow in Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery near Delmont. Arrangements by Koehn Bros. Funeral Home in Armour.

   Verna Martha (Brenner) Remme was born to Emanuel and Emilia Brenner on March 10, 1929. As the third of six children, she grew up farming/milking in rural Delmont. Verna was a lifelong member of the Lutheran Church and was baptized and confirmed at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in rural Delmont.  

   Verna attended country school, graduated from high school in Delmont, and completed a secondary school teaching certificate before teaching country school.  She then became a telephone operator in Sioux Falls where she met Wayne Remme on a blind date, who had traveled back from his Navy deployment. 

   Verna and Wayne married on January 9, 1953.  Verna dedicated her attention to her home and four children while Wayne served as a teacher and principal in schools throughout South Dakota and Iowa. As a gifted homemaker, Verna made clothes for her children and canned fruits and vegetables from her sizeable gardens. She taught Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, and served as a member of the Ladies Circles of the Lutheran Church.  As her children grew, Verna turned her nurturance to home health care where she offered comfort to her own mother and to many others. 

   Verna was an avid and skilled quilter who enjoyed making quilts of all sizes for all occasions. Most of her work was completed on a treadle sewing machine and was hand-quilted. She was an active participant in the Church’s ladies’ quilting circles, and her quilts have been sent to the Parkston Our Home and countries around the world via the Lutheran World Relief mission.  Her quilts provide comfort, love, and fond memories to all that hold them. 

   Verna was called Home on May 29, 2020.  She is greeted in the arms of the Lord by her loving husband, Wayne, her parents, sisters Linda (Walter) Spease and Norma (Oliver) Krueger, and granddaughter Amanda.  Verna graced the lives of many and awaits their presence in Heaven, including her siblings Eltor (Marilyn) Brenner, Loretta Rittel, and Lloyd (Wyllow) Brenner;  children  Debra (Edward) Wierenga of Dorr, MI; Mark (Christi) of Iowa City, IA; Luann (David) Bohnet of Jefferson, IA; and Susan (Daniel) Hoeffner of Piedmont, SD; 10 grandchildren: Pam (Mark) Hoogwerf; Dianne (John) Wilhelm; Melissa (Howie) Prince; Avalyn Remme, Peter Remme; Neal (Jill) Bohnet; Jacob (Kimberly) Bohnet; Bethann (Caleb) Christensen; Zachary Hoeffner; and Melea Hoeffner; 11 great-grandchildren: Robert, Valerie, Eric, Brian Leo, Joseph, Heather, Sophie, Brody, Cole, and Cooper.  

   Verna will be cherished in the memories of those whose lives she touched.  She was deeply, intentionally involved in the lives of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and was always generous with her time, gifts, talents, and warmth.  She taught her family how to sew, how to bake, how to work in the garden.  She sang and told stories to the children. But most importantly, she taught them kindness, patience, and faith.