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Submitted: 12/9/21 • Approved: 12/9/21 • Last Updated: 12/12/21 • R273346-G273208-S3
Mary Wipf
August 4, 1930 - July 18, 2021
Mary Wipf, age 90, passed away on Sunday, July 18, 2021 at Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. A funeral service will be held at 1:00 pm on Friday, July 23, 2021 at Miller Funeral Home, Southside Chapel, 7400 S Minnesota Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD. A visitation will be held from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Thursday. July 22 with a prayer service at 6:30 pm at Miller Funeral Home, Southside Chapel.
Mary was born on August 4, 1930 to Paul and Maria (Hofer) Tschetter at St. Francois Xavier, Manitoba, Canada. When Mary was four years old the family moved from Manitoba to Alsask, Saskatchewan to start Sundale Farms Colony. This was during the depression in the early 1930s. When no crops ever grew, Sundale Farms was disbanded and the family returned to Manitoba. In 1936, the Tschetter family moved from Manitoba, Canada to start a new colony in South Dakota, at New Elm Springs Hutterite Colony, Ethan, South Dakota. Mary was baptized into the communal Hutterite church as a teenager.
Mary was married to Samuel Robert Wipf on November 10, 1949 in New Elm Springs Colony, Ethan, South Dakota. The two had ten children. Samuel passed away on April 12, 1982. In 1974, Mary and Sam left Colony life and settled in Sioux Falls. While raising her ten children, at age 40, she earned her GED and went to Southeast Area Vocational-Technical School for nursing. Mary worked as a nurse for 36 years, ending her career in 2009 when she retired from the Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital due to declining health. Mary remained always a caretaker, willing to help out everyone no matter what it cost her in time or energy. She loved stories, and Hutterite history, always wanting to know “the rest of the story”.
Mary was an avid reader and also loved to write stories for her family. Mary was outspoken, with a lot of self-confidence. She felt comfortable sharing both compliments or criticisms when she so desired.
Mary had a passion for baking and was renowned for her apple pies, molasses cookies, and hummingbird bread. She was an expert jelly maker, and no one can make citrus marmalade like moms. In every recipe she drew precision of all measurements, no shortcuts allowed as she watched over your shoulder.
Mary was a talented seamstress, sewing all her clothes throughout her life up until her passing. No story of Mary’s life is complete without talking about Viva paper towels. She could’ve been a company spokesperson. She used these for... everything.
Mary loved music, especially the German hymns from her colony days. She spent hours reading her old hymnals and rejoiced when she heard the colony choirs sing. She was grateful for her family members who took the time to share their gift of music with her. Her granddaughter Anna Kleinsasser would often stop by with her guitar and sing for Mary. Anna wrote this poem for Mary a few days ago: “May angels sing you to your rest. A song of tenderness. Filled with love from all hearts. Eternal gentleness.”
Thankful to have shared Mary’s life with her are her sons, Samuel Ronald (Emma) Wipf of Old Elm Springs Colony, Parkston, SD, Joseph (Asnath) Wipf, Jacob (Betty) Wipf, also of Old Elm Springs, Paul (Ann) Wipf, and Stephen Jeffrey Wipf all of Sioux Falls, SD; her daughters, Elizabeth (Jack) Flinn of Sioux Falls, Magdalena (John) Marker of Spokane Valley, WA, Rebecca (John Kahalekai ) Garibyan of Lihue, Kauai,HI and Kathryn (Neal) Blackburn of Oklahoma City, OK; forty-three grandchildren and 68 great-grandchildren; her brothers, David, Levi, Darius and Joseph Tschetter; and her sisters, Anna Waldner, Sarah Kleinsasser and Christina Wipf.
Mary is preceded in death by her husband Samuel R. Wipf; her daughter Maria Wipf; her parents Paul and Maria Tschetter; her brothers Michael and Paul Tschetter, and grandson Keith Wipf.
Mary had written down some things she wanted us to share: she wanted her sons in the colony to know how very grateful she is for their love, kindness and support throughout the years. She wrote about her love of God and his presence in her life. And finally, Mary wanted to express her gratitude to the caretakers, to family and friends, as well as previous co-workers for the impact they had on her life. The family extends their heartfelt appreciation to Avera@Home Staff and the Dougherty Hospice House staff for their kindness and care.
In-lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in memory of Mary be made to the St. Francis House.
Contributed on 12/9/21 by 9katz
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Record #: 273346