Adella May (Potter) Martschinske
STURGIS -
Adella May (Potter) Martschinske,
71, Sturgis, went to be with the Lord on Saturday, Oct. 10,
2009, after a lengthy and spirited battle with cancer. Adella
was born Dec. 7, 1937, on the family farm near Seneca to Hazel
A. (Miller) Potter and Rolland O. Potter. She attended grade
school at Latham Country School and High School at Faulkton.
During high school, she babysat and worked at the Bass Café and
the Faulkton Drug Store before attending Northern State Teaching
College. Her teaching career began at a country school north of
Seneca (Sunnyside). She married her high school sweetheart,
Alford Martschinske, at the family farm on May 22, 1956. They
moved to Illinois, where Alford worked for the CB&Q Railroad and
she worked at the IBM payroll office at Wurlitzer Piano & Organ
factory in DeKalb, IL. Later they returned to South Dakota as
Alford began his career in law enforcement. During this time,
she worked in various jobs including Asst. Activities Director
at Bethesda Nursing Home. She spent the last 15 years at the
Fort Meade Veterans Affairs in Sturgis. She was baptized and
attended Sunday and Bible School at the Methodist Church. She
also taught Sunday school and did volunteer work throughout her
life. God and family have always been her number one priorities.
Throughout the many moves all the friends she and Alford made
remained a special part of their lives.
Adella is survived by her three
children, Martin Martschinske, Hermosa, Susanne (Kent) Geary,
Conde, and Rhonda (Thomas) Hook, Black Hawk; six grandchildren,
Stacy (Clayton) Pojorlie, Greenville, S.C., Tom Hook, Black
Hawk, Brittni Hook, Vermillion, Abbey Geary, Sioux Falls, Blake
Geary, Mitchell, and Sarah Geary, Conde; three
step-grandchildren, Cory Hook, Las Vegas, and Kelli (Dave) Muck
and Kari (Paul) Comes, both Rapid City; six great-grandchildren,
Clinton, Paige, Porter, Claire, Aubrie and Landen; two brothers,
Willard (Marion) Potter and Bruce Potter; two sisters-in-law,
Jean Martchinske and Bertha Mann; along with special aunts, Inez
Leighty and Gen Miller; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Alford; her parents,
Rolland and Hazel Potter; Alford's parents, Otto and Evea
Martschinske; three sisters-in-law; and three brothers-in-law.
Her inspirational wisdom and love will be greatly missed by all
who knew her.
A celebration of her life will be
at 10:30 a.m. CDT Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the United Church of
Faulkton, with Pastor Paul Smith officiating. Burial will follow
at the Faulkton Cemetery. Visitation will be one hour prior to
the services at the church. Luce Funeral Home of Faulkton has
been entrusted with Adella's arrangements.
(www.familyfuneralhome.net)
Published in the Rapid City Journal on
10/13/2009
