Charlotte E. Kuechenmeister, age 94, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 12, 2021, at Good Samaritan –Luther Manor in Sioux Falls.
Her funeral will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, October 16, 2021, at Hope Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls, with graveside services to follow at Hills of Rest Cemetery, Sioux Falls. Visitation will be on Friday, October 15, 2021, at George Boom Funeral Home & On-Site Crematory, Sioux Falls, from 5:00-7:00 PM. Visit www.georgeboom.com for an online guest book and a link to live stream the funeral.
Charlotte Elizabeth Smith, daughter of Harry Smith and Margaret (Dohlmann) Smith, was born on June 17, 1927, in Steen (Rock County), Minnesota. She grew up farming with her family and attended country school.
She was united in marriage to Orville Kuechenmeister on September 8, 1949, at Zion Lutheran Church in Hardwick, Minnesota. Her daughters remember her saying they were the first couple married in the newly built church. After they were married, they made their home in Sioux Falls, where Orville worked as a laborer and Charlotte spent most of their married life as a homemaker. They were blessed with three daughters, Alvina, Debra and Gail. In later years she held jobs at Harold's Photography and in the housekeeping departments of both McKennan and Sioux Valley hospitals.
At the age of 80 she sold her house in Sioux Falls and moved to a townhome in Brandon, South Dakota. In 2019 she returned to Sioux Falls to live at Luther Manor.
Charlotte enjoyed crocheting and embroidery and inspired in her daughters a passion for the same. Through the years she loved having rummage sales where she also sold her doilies and homemade banana bread. Someone told her once that she was known as “the doily lady on 26th Street.” She always had her radio tuned to KXRB listening to her favorite disc jockeys and old time country music. And she never missed watching episodes of "Polka Time" on PBS.
Grateful for sharing her life are her daughters, Alvina Knode and her husband, Stan, of Sioux Falls, Debra Tangeman of Sioux Falls, and Gail Boever and her husband, Kevin, of Sioux Falls; her granddaughter, Beth Regener and her husband, Scott, of Mantorville, Minnesota; great-grandchildren Ben and Joel Regener; sister Margaret Swenson and her husband, Robert, of Luverne, Minnesota; brother Harry Smith and his wife, Carol, of Slayton, Minnesota; many nieces, nephews, and a host of other relatives and friends.
Charlotte was preceded in death by her husband, Orville Kuechenmeister; her parents, Harry and Margaret (Dohlmann) Smith; sister Ann Hoven; and her son-in-law, Kenny Tangeman.
The family would like to express a special thank you to the wonderful staff of Luther Manor nursing home for the loving care they provided to Charlotte, especially during this time of COVID.