Amy Lake

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Amy M. Lake, 86, of Gettysburg passed away Saturday, April 21, 2018 at the Avera Oahe Manor, Gettysburg.

Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Gettysburg with Pastor David Otten presiding. Burial followed in the Gettysburg Cemetery. A prayer service was held at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at the church with visitation one-hour prior.

Amy came into this world with her twin sister, Elma, on February 9, 1932 in Gettysburg, SD to August and Pauline (Nagel) Maas. She attended grade school at Fuller Country School and high school at Gettysburg, graduating with the class of 1949. After high school, Amy attended Northern Normal College where she received her teaching degree. Amy taught in the Gettysburg area for 5 years after graduation.

Amy married James Arbour Lake on October 23, 1955 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Gettysburg. Amy and Jim started their married life living on the ranch at Lake Hurley. They moved to the family farm east of Gettysburg in 1956 residing there for the rest of their lives. Amy and Jim had 6 children, Fay, Bonny, Joan, John, Patti, and Karen. The love between Amy and Jim influenced and inspired her family.

Amy was a member of the Emmanuel Lutheran Church where she actively served on the LWML, Ladies’ Aide, and as head of the Funeral Committee for many years. She was also a Sunday School and VBS teacher. Amy was a member of the same Bible Study group her entire life.

Amy was active in the community as a member of the Medicine Rock Cow Belles and River’s Edge Extension Club. Amy was president of the Potter County Smokeout Unit, Potter County Unit of the American Cancer Society, and Gettysburg School Board. Amy and Jim were honored as University of South Dakota’s Parents of the Year in 1990.

Amy considered her greatest accomplishment in life was that of being a parent and grandmother. She loved creating personally written stories for her grandchildren. They could not wait to sit on their grandma’s lap and hear the latest Greenie and Beanie Dinosaur story. She loved gardening with her mom, Pauline, playing games with her mother-in-law, Alpha and celebrating special occasions with her siblings and extended family. People were drawn to Amy because they knew they could always find a listening ear.

Amy is survived by her six children: Fay (Ken) Fisher of Sioux Falls, Bonny (Steve) Culhane of Mitchell, Joan (Jeff) Aughenbaugh of Sioux Falls, John (Bridget) Lake of Gettysburg, Patti (Chris) Torbert of Sioux Falls, and Karen (Jim) Ristau of Chamberlain and 18 grandchildren Nathan (Carrie), Sean (Kelsey), and Ian McClanahan, Jeff (Sarah) Culhane and Jennifer (Jon) McNair, Beth (Shannon) Sandoval and Laura Aughenbaugh Steffel, Austin, Alli and Kirstie Lake, Maria, Olivia, and Sam Torbert, and Zachary, Jessie, Gunner, Garret, and Jade Ristau, 3 step-grandchildren, Damien (Jessica) Fisher, Danielle (Tobias) Konechne, and Dana Fisher, 5 great- grandchildren and 4 step-great grandchildren, her sister Elma Mangin of Gettysburg, brother, Kenneth (Dorothy) Maas of Aberdeen, sister-in-law, Miriam Maas of Gettysburg, 15 nephews and nieces and her AFS son, Andrew Dwyer of Australia.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Jim, her parents, August and Pauline Maas, her brother, Vernon Maas, father and mother-in-law, Jay and Alpha Lake, brothers-in-law, Boyd (Lillian) Lake and Richard Mangin, sister-in-law, Dellene (Charles) Schilling.

Luce Funeral Home of Gettysburg has been entrusted with Amy’s arrangements.