Luella Barbalace
June 4, 1914 ~ January 30, 2010
Funeral services were held at 2:00 p.m., Monday, February 8, 2010 at the United Church of Faulkton with Pastor Paul Smith officiating. Burial will follow in the Miranda Cemetery.
Luella Barbalace was born June 4, 1914, the oldest child of Fred and Eleanor Harmon of Mellette, where she attended high school. She was the last surviving member of her high school graduation class.
Luella had a remarkably good voice and was a frequent soloist at weddings and funerals.
After high school, Luella worked as a telephone operator until she married the Faulk County Sheriff, Louis “L.J.” Sievers, in 1942. They occupied the apartment behind the county jail while he was sheriff, and later they farmed near Miranda, SD. With the end of his life imminent, L.J. bought a house for Luella in Faulkton.
L.J. passed away in 1959 and soon after she married Floyd Blauert, who moved into Luella’s house at Faulkton. For a time, Luella worked with Floyd at his grocery store in Miranda. Floyd passed away in 1978.
In 1984, Luella married her pastor, Don Barbalace, and they moved to Aberdeen, SD. Except for the time spent in various parsonages, that is where they made their home together until Luella entered a nursing home in 2008.
With Don, Luella made two trips to Europe, seeing seven countries there, plus four trips to Canada and several trips across most the US from Colorado to the east coast. On those trips, she proved to be an energetic companion, never giving out from the long walks they entailed.
By all accounts, Luella was a kind and gentle soul, appreciative of others and always interested in people, and was a very astute judge of character. She had a remarkable talent for remembering faces and people’s history, including where they lived long ago. She was strong emotionally and physically, smart, funny, and practical. Even when Alzheimer’s Disease robbed her of her memory and dignity, she remained as sweet and loving as ever. Luella loved children and would have made a wonderful mother, but never had any children of her own.
A life-long Methodist, Luella was a member of the Mellette M.E. Church and later transferred to the Miranda UMC, to Faith UMC in Aberdeen, and then to the United Church of Faulkton. She was also a member of the American Legion Auxiliary.
Her memory will be cherished by her husband, Don Barbalace of Aberdeen.
Luella was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Fred, and two husbands.
Luce Funeral Home of Faulkton has been entrusted with Luella's arrangements.
MINISTER
Pastor Paul Smith
PALLBEARERS
Bob Seaton
Jon Seaton
Dwight Hossle
Justin Barbalace
Chuck Huss
David Speck
HONORARY PALLBEARER
Bob Cooper
ORGANIST
Marlene Hammond
SOLOIST
Chris Hammond
INTERMENT
Miranda Cemetery
Miranda, South Dakota
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Dear Family
I want to express my sincere sympathy for the loss of your loved one. You can be assured that comfort and hope are found in the pages of the Bible. In the Bible book of Psalm 55:22 you can read “GOD will sustain you”. I hope this message brings you a measure of comfort.
Sincerely
Mrs. Sandi Watkins
Dear Don, My prayers are with you upon the passing of Luella. You had many good and faithful years together. I remember well Luella in the years I served in Rockham and at Faulkton. Blessings. Gary W. Rae
Don, my thoughts and prayers are with you. Over the past five months, Luella had become one of the highlights of my day as her face always lit up when I would approach her at the nursing home! Although it has been very different to walk down the hall and know that we will never have any of our conversations again, I know that she is in a much better place and is no longer suffering. God Bless!
Luella was my favorite Sunday School teacher when I was a little girl growing up in Miranda. Now she’s probably teaching the little children up in heaven.
It was a joy to know her. She was a very lovely person inside and out.