Funeral services for Wilma E. Lillegaard, age 85 of Lemmon, will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, December 19, 2009 at the New Hope Worship Center in Lemmon. Pastor Dan Lindemann and Pastor Bob Johnson will officiate with burial in Greenhill Cemetery in Lemmon.


A family service will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Friday evening at the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon.

Special music will be provided by Marcia and Darrel Klitzke, and Carolyn Penfield.

Serving as casketbearers are Nathan Veitz, Adam Lillegaard, Jay Crane, Matt Krebs, Darrel Klitzke, Delmar Klitzke, Bruce Kile, and Earl Kile.

A memorial has been established to the New Hope Worship Center.

WILMA ELIZABETH KILE was born June 18, 1924 on a farm near Hitchcock, SD to Walter Emroyal and Gertrude (Stephens) Kile. Later they moved to a farm near Lebanon, SD and Wilma attended school in Gettysburg. Her father died in 1940 and the family eventually moved to Lemmon where Wilma's brother was working.

Wilma attended school in Lemmon graduating from Lemmon High School in 1943. Following high school, she worked for George and Mildred Klitzke doing domestic work, babysitting, and taking meals to the harvesters in the fields. Later Wilma worked for Finsand's Hardware. During this time, Clarence B. Lillegard had just returned from Germany and walked into the hardware store. Wilma's heart did a flip-flop.

Wilma and Clarence were united in marriage on the 24th of September in 1946. They lived in the southwest portion of Corson County where they farmed and ranched together. Four children, Eric, Veron, Denise, and Michael were born to this union. Her husband passed away in 1958. They sold the homestead and moved to Lemmon.

Wilma was married to O. Vern Horseley in 1962. They lived in Ft. Pierre, SD where she was a waitress and bartender. Her oldest son, Eric, was serving in the military and Wilma and her three younger children moved to Hettinger and later on Lemmon. She also lived in Portland, OR working for Freightliner Corp. She spent the next 15 years between Lemmon, Portland, OR, and Pocatello, ID before settling in Lemmon in 1997. In 2005, when her health began to fail she moved into the HUD.

Wilma passed from this life on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at the West River Regional Medical Center in Hettinger.

She was a member of the New Hope Worship Center and the Moose Lodge.

She enjoyed doing crafts, making quilts and crocheting, and enjoyed fishing.

Surviving family members include her son and daughter-in-law, Eric R. and Audrey Jeanne (Brown) Lillegaard, Lemmon, SD; Vernon L. Lillegaard, Bismarck, ND; one daughter, Denise E. Lillegaard, McCammon, ID; 7 grandchildren, Dennis Poisel, Diamondville, WY; Michele Poisel, McCammon, ID; David E. Lillegaard, Brandon Lillegaard, Lyndsey Lillegaard, all of Portland, OR; Adam Lillegaard, Hettinger, ND; and Nathan Veitz, Hettinger, ND; eight great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Clarence B. Lillegaard, one son, Michael D. Lillegaard, one granddaughter, Stephanie Vaughan, one sister, Elsie (Kile) Collins, three brothers, William (Bill) Kile, James (Jim) Kile, and Robert (Bob) Kile.

Visitation will be Friday 1:00 to 7:00 pm at the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon and on Saturday one hour prior to services at the New Hope Worship Center.