Betty Kleinschmidt

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Betty Kleinschmidt, 91, of Harrold, passed away Sunday, November 3, 2024, at Peaceful Pines Senior Living in Fort Pierre, with her family at her side. 

Funeral service will be 10:30 a.m., Saturday, November 16, 2024, at the Harrold Gym with Pastor Allison Galbreath officiating.  Burial will follow at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Blunt. A visitation will begin at 5:00 p.m., followed by a 6:00 p.m. prayer and Eastern Star service, on Friday, November 15, 2024, at Luze Funeral Home in Highmore.

Betty Lou Kleinschmidt was born Betty Vogelgesang on September 18, 1933, and was one of nine children raised on a farm near Highmore, South Dakota. She graduated high school in Highmore and married Roland Kleinschmidt on September 4, 1952, a week after his proposal and three weeks before he left for basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, during the Korean War. Betty joined Roland once he found an off-base apartment, with Roland cleverly sneaking off base at night to be with her following bed check. They shared 72 cherished years of marriage, settling on a farm south of Harrold and raising three children.

As a young child, Betty faced the challenges of polio with resilience, learning to walk again, which shaped her strong work ethic and solidified her determined nature. She was very independent and found it hard to ask for help. At her home at Pheasant Crossing, south of Harrold, she cultivated a garden full of vegetables and flowers. When she wasn’t tending to the farm/ranch, she enjoyed crafting, sewing, playing cards, square dancing, and collecting rocks. Betty was talented at crocheting and created many tablecloths and doilies for her children and grandchildren. Her legendary apple pies were crafted with homegrown apples. While most of her life was spent at Pheasant Crossing, their son, Lee, would care for their place while they traveled a bit. They saw much of the continental United States, Hawaii, London, Caribbean cruise, and a trip to California and Arizona with special friends, Arnold and Dorthy Webb.  Betty played an active role in managing the farm’s strenuous tasks and always ensured that all of the daily chores were complete.

She was a member of the Harrold Methodist Church and the Eastern Star Rising Sun Chapter for 70 years, serving as Worthy Matron for many years and as Grand Esther in the Eastern Star Grand Family. 

Her legacy continues through her husband, Roland; her children, Ginger (Mike) Johnson of Sturgis, Cindy (Johnny) Maclin of Rapid City, and Lee (Dawn) Kleinschmidt of Harrold, South Dakota; her siblings, Hazel Brauer of Andover, MN, and David Vogelgesang of Atwater, MN; eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. Betty will be fondly missed by her family and friends.

Betty was preceded by her parents, Robert and Ines Vogelgesang; her siblings: Leota, Mary, Ines, Joyce, Celia, and Henry; her in-laws, Ben and Marie; and two grandchildren, Jonathan and Casey.

Luze Funeral Home of Highmore has been entrusted with Betty’s arrangements.