Arnold "Cork" Poppen

Arnold "Cork" Poppen, 96, of Bryant, SD, passed away on Monday, July 22, 2024, at the Good Samaritan Society in De Smet, SD.

Funeral services will be held at 1:00 PM on Friday, July 26, 2024, at Spirit Lake Presbyterian Church in rural De Smet, SD. Pastors Jerod Jordan and Dick Poppen will officiate with music provided by Dianne Larson as organist. Active pallbearers will be Adam Stoebner, Jason Stoebner, Jeff Poppen, Tyler Poppen, Jason Burns, Shaun Drummond, Cody Lammers, Brooks Kleffman, and Jason Clemens with honorary pallbearers being Jamie Lammers, Amber Burns, Amy Drummond, Sarah Lutes, Heidi Clemens, Heather Kleffman, Tanya Poppen, and Laura Stoebner. The service will be livestreamed and recorded via the Crawford-Osthus website.

Burial at Spirit Lake Cemetery following the service.

Visitation will be held from 5:00-7:00 PM on Thursday, July 25, 2024, at Crawford-Osthus Funeral Chapel in De Smet, SD.

The family requests donations be made to the Spirit Lake Presbyterian Church in Cork’s memory.

On March 3, 1928, Arnold “Cork” Anton Poppen was born to Anton and Laura (Schubert) Poppen at his parent’s home in Spirit Lake township near De Smet, SD.

He was baptized and confirmed at the Spirit Lake Presbyterian Church where Arnold remained a devoted member throughout his life. Arnold was an elder, trustee, and board member of the Spirit Lake Cemetery Board. Cork and his two sisters attended school where their parents had attended, Shady Lawn School District 8. He graduated from De Smet High School and began working to someday inherit the family farm. On March 19, 1950, Arnold and Illdena were married in Willow Lake, SD. The couple would raise three children: Duane, Gordon, and Janice- all of whom attended Shady Lawn School District 8 as well.

Family, farming, and hunting were Cork’s life. Cork was proud to inherit from his father and grandfather the family farm which recently became a Century Farm. Cork kept active in the community as a member of the Shady Lawn School District 8 School Board, the Spirit Lake Township Telephone Board, and the Federal Home Administration. He also acted in the De Smet Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant and taught dance lessons for many years as well as managed the Willow Lake Girls Softball Team where his wife was a player. In his free time outside of farming and supporting his community, Cork loved to hunt- specifically geese at sunrise. However, at age 92, he was particularly proud to have hunted a five-point deer!

Before Illdena and Arnold moved into the Bryant assisted living, Arnold retired from the farm and filled that time with the careful care of their home’s large lawn and his wife’s flower garden. The couple of seventy-four years also loved to restore and refinish furniture together. Cork was a role model in his family, church, and community and will be dearly missed.

Arnold is survived by his wife, Illdena of Bryant, SD; children: Duane (Doris) Poppen of Aberdeen, SD, Gordon (Chrystal) Poppen of Harrisburg, SD, and Janice (Russ) Stoebner of Sioux Falls, SD; grandchildren: Heidi (Jason) Clemens, Jeff (Tanya) Poppen, Heather (Brooks) Kleffman, Tyler Poppen, Jamie (Cody) Lammers, Amber (Jason) Burns, Amy (Shaun) Drummond, Adam (Laura) Stoebner, Jason Stoebner, and Sarah (Cody) Lutes; and nineteen great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Anton and Laura (Schubert) Poppen as well as his sisters, Vera Grensberg and Irene Cramer.

Arrangements by Crawford-Osthus Funeral Chapel                                                        www.crawfordosthus.com

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