Funeral services for Dorothy Frey, age 88, of White Butte, SD, will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 20, 2017 at the Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bison, SD. Rev. Adam Pilarski will officiate with burial to be held in the Greenhill Cemetery in Lemmon, SD.

Dorothy Luella (Kriesel) Frey was born July 19, 1928 to Otto and Martha (Zantow) Kriesel at Luther hospital in Watertown, SD. She was baptized and confirmed at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church of rural Mazeppa Township in Grant County, SD. She attended rural grade school through eighth grade at Lura #5 township. Dorothy then attended high school at Northwestern Lutheran Academy at Mobridge, SD graduating in June 1946. Following graduation, she attended Northern State Teacher's College in Aberdeen, SD pursuing a short course teaching certificate for elementary schools. Upon finishing the course, she returned to her parent's farm home and taught grade school at German Town #65 rural school in Codington County, SD.

On June 13, 1949 Dorothy married Calvin Frey, her high school sweetheart, in a double wedding with lifelong friends Ernest Kolb and Darlene Giese at St John's Ev. Lutheran Church, Mazeppa Township, Grant County, SD. Five children were born and raised by the couple in the ensuing years. In the early 1950's Calvin and Dorothy along with Calvin's brother, Otto, began leasing the family farm south of White Butte, SD; and in 1957 they bought the land, cattle, and machinery from her father-in-law, Adam Frey. They operated together partnering in raising grain and livestock until April 1977 when they formed Frey Ranch, Inc. Dorothy was a devoted mother and house wife in raising and caring for her farm family. She had a special love of trees and fostered the planting and caring of very many at the Frey homestead over her life. For these efforts, the Perkins County Conservation District awarded her family the Honored Tree Care Award in 1994.

With her children grown and having more time, Dorothy began to work cooking at the Lemmon Livestock Café. She became well-known for her fine pies and pie crusts. She also cleaned at the Lemmon Livestock Sale Barn which she did for over 15 years while under the ownership of Elmo and Gordie Ulmer. Having been referred by a friend to a job opening at the Hillcrest Care Nursing Home in Hettinger, ND. Dorothy began working in the laundry and housekeeping department. She was employed there for the next 17 years, and finally fully retired in March 2015 at the age of 86.

She was a past member of the White Butte Extension Homemakers Club and the neighborhood couple's pinochle card playing club. Dorothy was raised a Christian of sincere faith and after her marriage, she became a member of Redeemer's Ev. Lutheran Church of White Butte, SD until if closed in 1953. With her family, she joined Redeemer Ev. Lutheran Church of Hettinger, ND. She served as a Sunday School Teacher for many years and a member of the Ladies Aid. With its closing in 2004, she then joined and was a faithful member of Chirst Ev. Lutheran Church of Bison, SD.

Learning she had metastatic cancer in July 2016, Dorothy entered the Five Counties Nursing Home in Lemmon, SD to be cared for and near family and friends. With failing health, she passed from this life to heaven's glory peacefully on Palm Sunday, April 9, 2017 at the age of 88 years, 8 months and 20 days.

Grateful for having shared in her life are her four sons, Lynn, Lemmon, SD, Dean, rural Haynes, ND, Roland, Mobridge, SD and Monte, Hettinger, ND; daughter, Marilyn Schwartzbauer, Bismarck, ND; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; one brother, Gerhard (Joyce) Kriesel, Shoreline, WA; one sister, Betty (Rolla) Stoltenburg, Watertown, SD; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Calvin, in 2011; one brother and sister-in-law, Lyle and Elsie Kriesel; one son-in-law, Robert Schwartzbauer; and one niece, Jeneen Kirschmann.

Visitation with the family present will be on Wednesday, April 19, 2017 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon, SD.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established.