Obituary of Veronica C. Lillie

Veronica C. Lillie, age 99, of Yankton, SD, passed away Friday, August 22, 2014, at the Avera Sister James Care Center, Yankton, SD. Funeral services will be 10:30 AM, Tuesday, August 26, 2014 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Yankton, SD with Rev. Robert Wullweber officiating. Burial will be in the Sacred Heart Cemetery, Yankton, SD. Visitations will begin at 5:00 PM, Monday, August 25, 2014 at the Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home & Crematory, Yankton, with a rosary at 7:00 PM followed by a Scripture service at 7:30 PM. Visitations will resume one hour prior to the service at the church. Veronica was born October 7, 1914 at West Point, NE to William and Justina (Struif) Goeken. The family moved to Petersburg, NE and then to Crofton, where she attended country school and St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in Crofton, NE. On September 29, 1937 she married Gerald Lewis Lillie at St. Rose of Lima Church, Crofton, NE. They farmed near Burbank, Clay County SD before moving to Oregon and finally to Yankton in 1943. After eight years of marriage, her husband, Gerald died at age 40 on June 28, 1945. They had four children together. She was left to raise four children, aged between two and six years by herself. She had little formal education. She worked from home until her children were out of grade school. Courageously, she worked tirelessly at various jobs to keep her family together, including Sacred Heart Hospital and Sacred Heart Catholic Church. She was very successful in this endeavor, as all of her surviving family will affirm. She was a devout Catholic, was very active in Sacred Heart Catholic Church activities and was a member of St. Benedict Oblate. Her home was the meeting place for many of her children's friends who remain close to the family. Veronica is survived by her children: Merlin (Marilyn) Lillie of Surprise, AZ, Dale (Maria) Lillie of Tulsa, OK, Donna Phillips of Sioux City, IA, and Sharon (Jerry) deLaubenfels of Council Bluffs IA; 11 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; 2 great great-grandchildren; sister Mary Ann Loecker of Yankton, SD and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, 6 brothers, 5 sisters and 1 great great-grandson. She died within 45 days of her 100th birthday.