Obituary of Rowena Vera Meredith

Rowena Vera (Allen) Meredith, age 85 of Yankton, SD, passed away Sunday, May 17, 2015 at Avera Yankton Care Center, Yankton, SD. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM, Thursday, May 21, 2015 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Rev. Mark Lichter officiating. Following the Mass, cremation will take place and a private family burial will be held. Visitations will begin at 5 PM, Wednesday, May 20, 2015 at the Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home and Crematory, Yankton with a 7 PM rosary followed by a 7:30 Scripture service. Visitations will resume one hour prior to the service at the church. On-line condolences can be sent at www.opsahl-kostelfuneralhome.com. Rowena was born September 3, 1929, in Shelton, NE, the daughter of Ernest and Bertha (Doane) Allen. She grew up in Edgar, Nebraska and graduated from Edgar High School in 1947. She was united in marriage to Maurice William "Bill" Meredith at Clay Center, NE on August 18, 1950. To this union six children were born: Teresa, Peggy, Jane, Maurice William II, Mary and Norma. Rowena devoted her life to her family and making a home for them - nothing was more important to her. Rowena worked at the LT&T Phone Company in Nebraska City, NE, as an operator, at Gurney's and Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton. She was a member of Sacred Heart Parish and Catholic Daughters of America. She enjoyed fishing, playing cards and bingo and any activity she could share with her family, including serving as a leader for both Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. She was an avid baseball fan - after her son's Little League teams, the Minnesota Twins was her favorite team. Rowena is survived by her husband, Bill of Yankton, SD; daughters: Teresa (Wally) Bosch of Yankton, SD, Peggy (David) Sorensen of Yankton, SD, Jane Fender of Vermillion, SD, Mary (Maria Humphreys) Meredith of Minneapolis, MN and Norma (Ron) Bartikowsky of Yankton, SD; son, Maurice (Teresa) Meredith of Springfield, SD; 8 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; 1 great-great-grandson; 1 step grandchild and 4 step great-grandchildren. Rowena was preceded in death by her parents; her stepfather, Charles Cottle; sisters: Phyllis, Bernice, Helen and Shirley; brother, Philip; grandson, Jamie, son-in-law, Randy Fender and 1 step grandchild.