Alice M. Burggraff, 84, of Colton, passed away on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at the Dells Area Health Center in Dell Rapids. Her Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 9, 2017 in St. Joseph the Workman Catholic Church at Huntimer.  Visitation on Friday will be from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. at Kahler Funeral Home in Dell Rapids and will resume at the church at 4:00 p.m. The Christian Wake Service will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the church with a family rosary to follow.

Alice Marie Penning, daughter of Nicholas and Elizabeth Penning, was born on September 13, 1933 on the family farm north of Dell Rapids. She attended and graduated from St. Mary High School. She graduated from  General Beadle Teacher’s College in Madison, SD and started teaching at the South Dakota School for the Deaf. She married Joseph Burggraff on June 2, 1954 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Dell Rapids. She moved with Joe to North Carolina while he was stationed there. The couple moved back to South Dakota and made their home on a farm near Hartford until 1958, when they moved to their farm near Colton. She and Joe farmed and raised their family. Joe passed away in 2015.

She was a member of St. Joseph the Workman Catholic Church and Altar Society.  She spent countless hours volunteering as a CRE teacher at the church. She enjoyed gardening, quilting and maintaining the family farm with Joe.

Alice was preceded in death by her sons, Jason, John, and Teddy; and daughter, Elizabeth; husband Joe in 2015 and nine of her siblings.
She is survived by her children, Ginger Ellis of Newport News, VA, Randy (Sheila) of Aladdin, WY, Lee of Dell Rapids, Jo (Kyle) Olson of Black Hawk, Bernie (Larry) Taylor of Newport News, VA, Justin (Alvina) of Sturgis, Mary (Joe) Bohlmann of Belle Fourche, Charlie (Bobbie) of Colton, Willson (Alesha) of Monticello, MN, Anita (Wayne) Tidemann of Rapid City, Wade (Jolene) of Colton, Josh (Melissa) of Colton, and Christy (Anthony) Oberg of Colton; her 46 grandchildren and 27 great grandchildren; her two brothers and two sisters; and many nieces and nephews.