WESSINGTON — Stanlee Lakner, 88, of Wessington, in the early morning hours of Friday, Jan. 5, 2018, quietly slipped away to join his red haired, freckle faced girl for all eternity at the Good Samaritan Society in Miller.
His funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Wessington, with Father Paul Josten as celebrant. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery, Wessington.
A Rosary service will begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the church, followed by a 7 p.m., prayer service.
Stanlee Joseph Lakner was born Feb. 1, 1929, to John and Elizabeth (Wernsmann) Lakner on the family farm north of Wessington. He grew up there and attended Brown School through eighth grade. His high school years were spent at Wessington High School, where he graduated in the spring of 1947. He was offered the opportunity to go to college but opted to do what he loved most, and that was to be a farmer.
On June 21, 1949 he married his red haired girl, Mary Anne Lichty, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Wessington.
They honeymooned in the Black Hills and returned to their home on the Lakner farm and farming with his dad and brother. In 1957, he and Mary Anne made a decision to strike out on their own. With a big leap of faith and little money to spare, they purchased the “Sam McGirr” farm three and a half miles north of Wessington. It proved to be a good decision and they went on to build a very successful farming operation.
Stanlee was a lifelong active member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus. All seven children attended Wessington schools. He and Mary Anne were loyal supporters of the school and all its activities.
After retiring from active farming, Stanlee and Mary Anne were blessed to enjoy many years of fishing and camping, as well as traveling to visit their children scattered all over the country.
Stanlee is survived by his seven children: Kathleen (Ron) Innes, Oro Valley, Ariz., Linda (Tim) Englert, Wadsworth, Ohio, Jim Lakner, Wessington, Joan (Paul) Caskey, Madison, Wis., Jeff (Myrna) Lakner, Wessington, Lisa Medrano, San Antonio, Texas, and Christine (Bradley) Cordts, Germantown, Tenn.; 13 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; three sisters, Luane Lichty, Vivian Jones and Patricia Naber; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Anne; parents John and Elizabeth; and two brothers, Roger and Clayton.
The family requests memorials to a charity of your choice.
Reck Funeral Home of Miller has been entrusted with Stanlee’s arrangements.
Visit www.familyfuneralhome.net
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