Ferne Mittelstaedt

Ferne Mittelstaedt, 89 of Watertown and formerly of Waubay died on Wednesday March 28, 2012 at her home in Watertown. Graveside inurnment services will be at 1:00 P.M. Monday, April 2, 2012 at Milbank City Cemetery in Milbank. Robert Grebel of Waubay will officiate. There will be no visitation. Ferne Elizabeth Kosse was born on Sunday, July 16, 1922 to Peter J. and Lillian (Scoblic) Kosse at Milbank, South Dakota. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Milbank. She attended elementary Catholic school and graduated from Milbank High School in 1940. She worked as a deputy Clerk of Courts for Grant County for a year and then moved to Minneapolis where she worked as a secretary for a plumbing wholesaler. She married Cyril Untereker in 1943 in Minneapolis. He passed away in January of 1952. On December 6, 1952 she was united in marriage to Frank D. Mittelstaedt, formerly of Milbank, at McIntosh, South Dakota. Through the years the couple lived in McIntosh, Webster, Waubay and then finally moving to Watertown where they currently reside. They also spent twenty three years going south for the winter in Arizona and Texas. Ferne was an avid reader, enjoyed arts and crafts, crossword puzzles and traveling. She loved her family, and especially took great pride in the accomplishments of her grandchildren. She passed away on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at her home in Watertown, South Dakota at the age of 89 years, 8 months and 12 days. Grateful for having shared her life is her husband, Frank of 58 years, of Watertown; her children, John (Karen) Untereker of Pittsburg, KS and Susan (Rick) Hanson of Webster, SD; two sisters, Pat Trapp of Big Stone City, SD and Dallas Saba of Frazee, MN; nine grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her first husband, four brothers and six sisters.