Leota Ryman
August 23, 1926 ~ April 16, 2015
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Leota M. (Sollie) Ryman, 88, of Gettysburg, passed away Thursday, April 16, 2015 at Avera Mary House in Pierre.
Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, April 25, 2015, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Gettysburg with Pastor Daniel Tews officiating. Burial followed at 2:30 p.m., April 25, 2015 at the Warner Cemetery, Warner. Visitation was held from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., Friday, April 24, 2015 with a 7:00 p.m. prayer service, all at the church.
Leota (Sollie) Ryman was born on August 23, 1926 to Elmer and Mae (Elliott) Sollie in Aberdeen, SD. She attended Highland Country School and graduated from Warner High School in 1944. Following graduation from high school, Leota was employed as a secretary at Aberdeen Central High School and also at an insurance company for four years.
Leota married Jack Ryman on June 11, 1948. They resided on the family dairy farm near Mansfield for seven years. They moved to Stratford, Ferney, and finally Gettysburg in 1966. There Jack was employed as general manager of Potter County Grain. Leota worked for the Farmers Home Administration until 1979. During the 1980’s, she shared her passion for painting by operating a ceramics studio in her home.
Leota loved and prayed for her family daily. She was a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church where she served on altar guild since 1966 and taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School for many years. She studied the Word of the Lord faithfully for 28 years with her good friends in her Wednesday afternoon Bible Class.
Her favorite hobbies included fishing on the Missouri River, tending her flower gardens, feeding the birds, and watching her grandchildren participate in sports events. She cherished memories made with Jack “snowbirding” in Arizona for thirteen winters following retirement.
She is survived by her daughters: Jacalyn (Bob) Smith, Sandi (Dave) Soyk, Judy (John) Nielsen, and Deb (Kris) Nafziger; her twelve grandchildren: Jesse (Kristen) Soyk, Trevor (Laura) Soyk, Jaime (Matthew) Smith Gardner, Jodi Smith, Justin Smith, Nathan Soyk, Kaitlin Soyk, Tate Nafziger, Destry Nafziger, Cole Nafziger, Jayde Nielsen, and Skylar Nielsen; two great-grandchildren: Noah and Anderson Jack Soyk; one sister, Fern (Kaven) Wiehr; and two sisters-in-law: Lois Sollie and Marjorie (Dean) Wiedebush.
Leota was preceded in death by her husband Jack, in 1998; an infant son, Roger; her parents; and her brother, Virgil Sollie.
Luce Funeral Home of Gettysburg has been entrusted with Leota’s arrangements.
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We are so very sorry to hear that Leota passed away. She was such a sweet lady and such a good friend to my mom Elsie Shoup. Mom loved her very much. Our prayers and sympathies are with the family!
My thoughts and prayers are with you. Your grief is shared by many as Leota was not only a big part of your life, but the lives of Many in Gettysburg.
Much Sympathy,
Kelli
My father adored Leota since childhood, but I could not have imagined how much this cousin would mean to me with the miles and years between us. However, after our reunion in 2011, she and I shared a special bond, and I delighted in finding her regular e-mails. Her notes spilled family history and details of grandchildren’s visits, their accomplishments and sports activities, which she loved attending, and her family’s many acts of kindness. She loved a good joke and shared many, including some great Biblical humor. She had enough love for all our generations and a heart full of gratitude for her abundant life in South Dakota. She worked hard, without complaint, as folks of her generation did, and she appreciated all that she had. She homesteaded a place in my heart where it will always be warm, with songs of thanksgiving. I hope all who loved her are comforted in knowing her faith was strong; she loved well and was well loved.
our sympathies to your family. May God bring peace and comfort to you all.
May God’s continued blessings be upon the whole family and His great grace for all!
My deepest sympathies during this difficult time.