BRANDON — Lois M. Rounds, 91, of Brandon and formerly of Huron, passed away on Tuesday, May 19, 2020, at Avera Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls.

A private family service will be held on Saturday, May 23, 2020, at Welter Funeral Home with burial at St. Paul’s Cemetery in Iroquois.

Lois Marie Bartels was born on March 9, 1929, to Charles and Hazel Bartels on their farm outside of Gettysburg. With a natural take-charge attitude, Lois kept all the farm animals in line, except for the goose. He would chase her around the farmyard with his wings spread wide and neck stretched out as he nipped at her legs.

Charlie and Hazel moved their family to Mobridge in 1938, where Lois attended school, graduating from Mobridge High School in 1947.
Charlie and Hazel were determined that their children would attend college, so after graduation, Lois was off to Huron to attend St. John’s Medical Center (now known as Huron Regional Medical Center). It was while she was in Huron that she met Robert (Bob) Rounds.

Bob and Lois were married on August 5, 1954, at the priest’s residence in Cavour. They settled in Iroquois, until Bob joined the Army. From then on, this little military family moved around the country experiencing the beauty of each area where they were stationed.

No matter where they landed, Lois would head out to the nearest hospital, introduce herself, give them her resume, and walk out with a job. Places where she nursed include Huron, Mobridge, Hawaii, Excelsior Springs, Mo., Mt Clemens, Mich., Newburgh, N.Y., Langdon, N.D., and finally returning to Huron until she retired in 2000. It’s hard to explain all the knowledge and experiences this woman gathered and the many hats she wore at these hospitals…from helping open the first ambulatory surgical center in the nation, to helping babies come into this wonderful world, even in a pickup, to doing an emergency tracheotomy on a patient. Lois’ passion was nursing and she made the nursing world and her family proud.

When Lois wasn’t working, she made sure her five children were cared for, loved, and could always find humor in everyday life. As she always told us, “Bloom where you’re planted.”

Grateful for having Lois in their life are her children, Julia (Jim) Deis, Diane (Doug) Olson, Valerie (Tom) Olson, Janine (Dane) Witzel, and Robert, Jr. ; grandchildren, Jolene (Vic) Simon, Jaclyn (Richard) Miller, Jayne (Theodore) Harwood, Jennifer (Brock) Kreutzfeldt, Jerrica (Jacob Cruse) Deis, Josh Olson, Adam (Heather VanLith) Olson, Erik (Jenni) Olson, Lyndsay (Ryan Bartz) Olson, Charlie Olson, Chris (Katie) Olson, Katherine (Jeffrey) Dempsey, Andrea (Mark) Hensrud, Brandon Witzel, Travis (Heidi) Witzel, and Kyle Witzel; great-grandchildren, Gage Deis, Jesse and Zoe Miller, Jameson and Treyson Kreutzfeldt, Hazel Deis-Harwood, Alexa, Hunter, and Brody Olson, Brooke, Dayton, and Aspen Olson, Morgan Grell and Izabella Bartz (coming soon), Mikaela, Levi, Eliot, Jakob, and Ben Olson, Jack and Lauren Dempsey, and Charlee Jo and Soren Hensrud; her brother, Terry (Rosie) Bartels; brother-in-law, Jim (Janice) Rounds; sister-in-law, Marge Blue; and many wonderful nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Bob Rounds; her brother, Donald Bartels; a sister, Shirley (and Mel) Sodergren; and her beloved Rounds brothers-and sisters-in-law, G.

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