The Rosary for Netta Blow Grubl, age 97 of Rapid City, formerly of Watauga, Lemmon, and Sturgis will be held at 10:30am Friday, February 2, at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Watauga followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00am. Fr Tony Grossenberg will officiate with burial in St. Michael's Catholic Cemetery at Watauga.


Special music will be provided by Mary Nehl. Serving as casketbearers are Dave Michael, Jim Blow, Nick Nehl, Randy Benson, Kevin Benson, Chuck Even, Chad Skretteberg, and Greg Klusmann.


ANTONETTA MARIE ERZ "Netta" was born March 25, 1909 in Chickasaw County, Alta Vista, Iowa. Netta was baptized in the Catholic Church on March 28, 1909. She was the sixth of nine children born to Joseph and Johanna (Neyens) Erz. In the spring of 1910, the family moved to Watauga, SD by immigrant car on the Chicago Milwaukee Railroad. The family homesteaded on a bare 160 acres of land 2 ½ miles west of Watauga. Netta attended the Matkins school for eight years and one year of high school in McLaughlin and another year of high school in the Presbyterian Church basement in Watauga. She started her hair cutting career by practicing on her brothers and sisters and eventually became the neighborhood barber. People came from all over the community to have their hair cut.


At age 15, Netta met Fred Blow who came to Watauga from Forestburg, SD. They were married in 1926 and went to Forestburg to find work. On May 20, 1927, a son Luverne was born. They rented a farm near Forestburg and in the spring of 1931 moved to Ipswich. In the spring of 1934, they went to the Black Hills where they worked on a ranch near Hermosa. During the winter, they returned to Watauga where a few years later they purchased the Anton Strinys place. It consisted of 160 acres with a nice house on it for $500.00. In 1959, they sold the farm thinking they would retire. They purchased 10 acres with a nice house on it in Boulder Canyon five miles west of Sturgis. At the edge of the Black Hills, they built a 19 unit motel which they operated for nine years. Due to health reasons, they sold the motel and moved into Sturgis. In 1969, Netta started working at the VA Hospital at Fort Meade. She really liked the work and the people. She got her own car to drive to work and it was the first time she felt like she really had a job. In 1973, Fred's health began to fail and he passed away on November 17, 1973.


In December of 1974, she met Paul Grubl and they were united in marriage on April 18, 1975 and went to Hawaii on a honeymoon. Netta was welcomed into the Grubl family with open arms. Mr. Grubl had 1 son Paul Jr., and five daughters, Donna, Lucy, Marie, Dorothie, and Teresa. Netta continued working at the VA Hospital until her retirement in July of 1976. They lived on a farm six miles east of Sturgis. Paul passed away on August 24, 1981. Netta continued living on the farm and in May of 1982 had a farm sale and moved back into Sturgis. In November of 2000, she moved to Lemmon to live in an apartment next to her sister Clara. After falling and breaking her hip in 2004, she moved to Rapid City and lived at Fountain Springs Health Care, There's A Heart Assisted Living Center, and then the Golden Living Center. Netta passed from this life on Saturday evening January 27, at Golden Living Center Prairie Hills in Rapid City.


She was a member of the Sturgis Senior Citizens and very active in their fund raising activities. She enjoyed dancing, playing cards, oil painting, and recycling cards. She was also active in the Antique Auxiliary. She had over 14,000 volunteer hours from the Sturgis R&SVP. She always looked forward to family reunions on the Heart River in North Dakota.


Surviving family members include 3 grandchildren, Vicki Cardenas, Hillsboro, OR; Dave Michael, Cottonwood, AZ, Jim Blow, Mammoth, AZ; 2 daughters-in-law, Fern Blow, Sturgis, SD and Teresa Jolliffe, Mammoth, AZ; 1 stepson, Paul Grubl Jr., Lancaster, CA; 4 stepdaughters, Dorothie Larson, Santa Maria, CA; Teresa Graves, Santa Maria, CA; Donna Koemmpel, Messapequa, NY; Lucy Wetz, Rochert, MN & Mission, TX; numerous step-grandchildren, step great grandchildren, and nieces and nephews.


She was preceded in death by her parents, both her husbands, her son Luverne, a granddaughter Sandra Johnson, 1 step-daughter, Marie Syreika, 3 sisters, Margaret Kiplinger, Clara Schilling, Gertrude Ruhoff, and 5 brothers, Mathias, Michael, Gerhard, Leo and Joseph.


A Grandmother explains how she managed to keep so young at 90, "It takes a long time to get old and I've not had any." This was definitely Netta.


Visitation will be Thursday 1:00 to 7:00pm at the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon.