Dale Eugene Wendling, age 88, of Lake Norden, SD, passed away on Saturday, March 31, 2018, at the Lake Norden Care Center, surrounded by family and friends.
He entered Lake Norden Care Center after being diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer on March 22, 2018.
Prior to that, he and his wife, MaryAnn, lived at The Homestead Assisted Living in Lake Norden.
Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 7, 2018, at the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church of Lake Norden, SD.
Visitation will be at the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church of Lake Norden, on Friday, April 6, 2018, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. and prior to services at the church on Saturday. Arrangements are being entrusted to the Crawford-Osthus Funeral Chapel of Watertown.
Burial will be at the Old Apostolic Lutheran Cemetery in Lake Norden, SD.
Dale was born on April 13, 1929. At a young age, he was adopted by George and Hannah Wendling of Hazel, SD.
He spent his childhood days and grew into manhood in the Hazel area.
As a young man, he studied at the Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN. He spent his life farming until 1971, when they moved from the family farm to Bryant, SD, where they owned and operated a café for several years.
In 2005, they moved to Lake Norden.
On June 5, 1949, Dale married MaryAnn Juntunen in Lake Norden, SD. Of this union, six children were born. He was a member of the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church of Lake Norden and embraced that faith until his death.
Dale is survived by his wife, MaryAnn, of Lake Norden; four sons: Gary (Lynn) Wendling, Douglas (Debbie) Wendling, and Mark (Karen) Wendling, all of Bryant SD, and Darrell (Poppy) Wendling of Moorcroft, WY; one daughter, Dianne (Clare) Johnson, of Lake Norden, SD; one daughter-in-law, Becky Wendling of Lake Norden, SD; one sister, Twyla Gjerde, of Watertown, SD; and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren along with a host of many relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Milton; his eldest son, Craig; and two great-granddaughters.
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