Diane K. Rogers, age 74, of Dell Rapids, passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 3, 2021, at her home in Dell Rapids. A memorial gathering with family will be held from 5:00-6:30 PM Wednesday, July 7, 2021, at the Minnehaha Funeral Home in Dell Rapids. Interment will follow at approximately 7:00 PM at the Trent (Sunny Side) Cemetery in Trent, SD.
Diane was born in Madison, SD, on December 10, 1946, to Louis and Viola (Kahl) Gednalske. She attended school in Dell Rapids and continued her education by attending community college in Sioux Falls where she earned a degree in accounting. Throughout her life, Diane held a variety of jobs, but primarily she dedicated her life to being a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She welcomed her children’s friends as well and looked after them as her own. Diane loved gathering with family and sharing a never-ending supply of hugs.
Diane had several talents and hobbies, and many of them allowed her to enjoy time with her family and friends. Diane loved to bowl and play horseshoes, pool, darts, bingo, cards, and board games. She was also a talented painter, possessing a natural gift of making objects look unbelievably real. Diane was always up for a cup of coffee or a road trip. She liked to travel and for years, Diane would ride the bus and then fly to Texas to stay with family. Diane took pride in her home and her yard, insisting on keeping up with the yardwork and gardening. During the week of her passing, she insisted on pruning her rose bush and cleaning the stones in her fairy rock garden. Diane had a firecracker personality but was also very sweet, with a warm, glowing smile that brightened the room. Once Diane was diagnosed with cancer, she did not fear death because she knew she would soon be with her son Otey.
Survivors include her children: Tammy (Steve) Wendell, Trent, Lisa (Jeff) Nielsen, Trent, Merry (special friend Chuck) Rogers, Sioux Falls, Kenny (fiancé Chloye) Rogers, Sioux Falls, and Ann (Dan) Schmidt, Sugar Land, TX; grandchildren: Jerica (Nick) Johnson, Jace Blair, Jordon Rogers, Jasmine (Logan) Cochran, Daniell Rogers, Tyler Sparks, Michael Schmidt, and Andrew Schmidt; great grandchildren: Isabelle, Emmett, and Glaydon; brothers: LeRoy Gednalske, Flandreau, Ron (Jean) Gednalske, Harrisburg; and sisters-in-law: Bette, Janice, and Jackie Gednalske.
She was preceded in death by her parents; son, Otey Rogers; and brothers: Richard, James, and Robert Gednalske.