Leonard Raether, 96, of De Smet

Posted

DE SMET — Leonard Herman Raether, 96, of De Smet, passed away Wednesday, July 19, 2017, at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home in De Smet.
Memorial service will be 2 p.m., Tuesday, August 22, at the American Lutheran Church in De Smet with fellowship to follow. A private family burial will be held the following day in the Restlawn Memory Gardens at Huron. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m., Monday, August 21, at the American Lutheran Church in De Smet.  
Leonard was born on October 6, 1920, on a farm near Selby the eldest son of Herman Raether and Margaret (Bruckner) Raether. He attended elementary school in Sanborn County followed by high school in Aberdeen, graduating from Aberdeen Central in 1937. Upon graduation Leonard returned home to farm with his parents near Esmond. There he met Vera Lorenz, daughter of Paul Lorenz and Emma (Weitzel) Lorenz. Leonard and Vera married November 29th, 1945 in New Ulm, Minn.  After a couple of years of working in Huron and farming with his parents, Leonard and Vera began their own farming career near Iroquois, where they farmed and raised two children, Jerry Raether and Cheryl (Raether) Rockwood. In 1988, they retired and moved to De Smet.
Leonard is survived by his wife of 71 years, Vera (Lorenz) Raether; son, Jerry (Jane) Raether of Ogallala, Neb.; daughter, Cheryl ((Stephen) Rockwood of Poway, Calif.; grandchildren, Todd (Jennifer) Raether of Gordon, Neb.; Joel (Kim) Raether of Denver, Colo.; and Michael Bryant of Lakewood, Colo.; sister, Margaret (Raether) Heavirland of Vancouver, Wash.; stepbrother, Dale (Sue) Raether of Belen, N.M.; stepsisters, Betty (Raether) Shafer of Carmichael, Calif., and Darlene (Raether) Knouse of Milwaukee, Wis.; sister-in-law, Faye (Lorenz) Fisher of New Brighton, Minn.; one stepgrandchild, six great-stepgrandchildren, three stepgreat-great-grandchildren; and, his many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; stepmother, Mary (Bruckner) Raether; brother, Herbert Raether; sister, Florence Ruby; stepbrothers, Herman, Jr. Raether, and Leander Raether; in-laws, Paul Lorenz and Emma (Weitzel) Lorenz; brothers-in-law, Kenneth Heavirland, Danny Knouse, Adrian Ruby, Stu Shafer, William Cronin, Harry DeJong, Wayne Fisher, Clarence Lorenz, and Jabe Lorenz; sisters-in-law, Betty Raether, Pat Raether, Lucille (Lorenz) DeJong, and Fern (Lorenz) Cronin; and one stepgrandchild.
Leonard was a proud farmer and father who worked from dawn to dusk to provide a home for his family. Never once did a chore go undone. He taught conservative values and was a determined man who didn’t expect others to do for him. Baseball, country dancing, golf and hunting were his passions. He served as a board member of the Kingsbury County, CC. Leonard and Vera are members of the American Lutheran Church of De Smet.  
In lieu of flowers, memorials should be given to the De Smet Good Samaritan Center or the De Smet Library.
Visit osthusfuneral.com
Paid Obituary