Agnes Stevens

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Agnes Stevens, 86, of Faulkton, passed away Sunday, October 2, 2016 at the Faulkton Area Medical Center.

Funeral Mass was held at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, October 6, 2016, at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Faulkton, with Fr. Christopher Hughes officiating. Burial followed in the church cemetery. A wake service was held at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 5, 2016 at the church, with visitation one-hour prior.

Agnes J. Stevens was born on December 16, 1929 along with her twin sister, Margaret Dahlhauser, to Frank and Stella Farrell on their farm in Elkader, Iowa. Agnes and Margaret were one of three sets of twins, along with five single siblings.     After graduating high school, she moved to Rochester, MN to attend St. Mary's Nursing School. Upon graduation, she worked at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, where she had a patient named Duane Stevens. A year later, on August 18, 1952, they married and moved to Faulkton, SD for a short time and then to the Stevens' farm east of Faulkton. Here they raised ten children and taught them the importance of love of God above anything else, the courage to forgive, to love one another always, and to pray unceasingly. She returned to nursing in 1972 and worked for many years at the JP Shirk Memorial Home. They retired from farming and moved to Faulkton, due to Duane's health, in 2002. Duane passed away in August of 2003 and Agnes stayed in their house until 2008 when she moved to The Meadows Assisted Living Center then eventually to the Faulkton Health Care Center where she lived at the time of her death.

Agnes loved playing sports and started a girls’ softball team in Miranda, SD; where she played along with her daughters.   She also started the Miranda Ladies Neighborhood gathering which has met once a year for the past 11 years and has grown considerably. She celebrated every child's birthday and every holiday with such excitement it was as if royalty was arriving! She would take her kids, and any neighbor kids who wanted to go, swimming at Lake Gerken. With ten children, very often they would bring a friend or two home and she loved it! She counted the shoes in the hall in order to set the table for breakfast! She was the very best loving, hard-working, giggling, cooking (she could knead bread dough so fast you could hardly see her hands), energetic, spiritual Mom, and blessed her husband and ten children every day with her presence. 

Agnes is survived by her children: Maureen Eiesland, Rapid City, SD, Colleen Stevens, Buffalo Gap, SD, Erin (Jeff) Talbot, San Gabriel, CA, Kathleen (George) Ybanez, Eugene, OR, and Shannon (Kevin) Miles, Sioux Falls, SD, Patrick Stevens, Cresbard, SD, Timothy (Roxanne) Stevens, Escondido, CA, and Kelly Stevens, Springfield, SD; thirty grandchildren; thirteen great-grandchildren; sisters: Estelle (Vern) Holtz, San Gabriel, CA, and Margaret (Art) Dahlhauser, Nashville, TN; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her wonderful husband, Duane Stevens; her oldest child, Michael; her youngest child, Theresa; her grandsons, Cody Neilan and Colby Eiesland; brothers: Conrad, Frank, James, Raymond, Timothy, Thomas, and Danny; sister, Dorothy; her parents, Frank and Stella Farrell; and many nieces and nephews.

Cards can be sent to:

-Linda (Mike) Stevens, PO Box 326, Edgemont, SD 57735
-Maureen Eiesland, 1920 Fremont St, Apt. 103, Rapid City, SD 57702
-Patrick Stevens, PO Box 24, Cresbard, SD 57435
-Colleen Stevens, 109 Oak St, Buffalo Gap, SD 57722
-Erin (Jeff) Talbot, 600 West Roses Rd, San Gabriel, CA 91775-2208
-Kathleen (George) Ybanez, 4291 Hyacinth, Eugene, OR 97404-4083
-Tim (Roxanne) Stevens, 946 Paula St, Escondido, CA   92027-1765
-Shannon (Kevin) Miles, 4009 E 20^th St, Sioux Falls, SD 57103-3514
-Kelly Stevens, #35798, Mike Durfee State Prison, 1412 Wood St, Springfield, SD 57062
-Wilkes (Theresa) Children, 29251 Hatari Way, Valencia, CA 91354

Luce Funeral Home of Faulkton has been entrusted with Agnes’ arrangements.