October 13, 1936 –October 1, 2024
Gertrude (Volden) Jung, 88, fomerly of Isabel passed away on October 1, 2024, at The Meadows in Ashland, NE after a long battle with dementia.
Memorial Services will be held on November 9, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at the Community Center in Isabel, with Reverend Jim Schmelling officiating. Gert’s family is asking anyone who has one of her quilts to bring it to the service as a demonstration of the number of people blessed by her over the years. Inurnment at Black Hills National Cemetery, near Sturgis, will take place at a later date.
Gertrude Christine Volden was born on October 13, 1936, in Dupree to Christ and Agnes (Drageset) Volden. She joined a brother, Edwin.
The family of four lived in Four Bear, Red Scaffold, and Whitlock Crossing in a handmade mobile home as Christ worked as a carpenter on the Old Cheyenne Agency Reservation building schools, hospitals, and homes. In 1940, the family moved back to the Isabel area to the Old Malice place for a short time before moving to the Griffin homestead which they called home for three years. Eventually, Agnes and the children settled down in Christ’s original homestead while he traveled around the country working as a traveling carpenter.
Gert went to the Bloom School in the Gopher/Glad Valley area of Ziebach County through eighth grade. Her family moved to Isabel in 1950. After graduating from Isabel High School in 1954, she attended 10 weeks of college at Northern State College in Aberdeen, which qualified her to teach school, which became her lifelong passion. She worked as a school teacher at the Grondahl School in Ziebach County for one year.
While attending high school, she met Phillip Jung. The couple married on June 14, 1955, at the Our Savior Lutheran Church parsonage in Timber Lake, and made their home on Phillip’s family farm, where they raised six children while farming and ranching.
She taught for a year at Pleasant View School in Corson County (1957-58).
As a dedicated farm wife, she took on numerous responsibilities, including raising bum lambs, calves, pigs, and chickens. At times, she cared for over 100 bum lambs, and every spring, she welcomed 400 chickens. She sold eggs year-round.
In May 2000, Gertrude and Phillip moved to Isabel to live with Agnes Volden. Gertrude worked at the Isabel Cafe and occasionally assisted with cooking at the Senior Center. She also cleaned at Northwest Area Schools and the Isabel Day Care for several years.
Gertrude was an active member of Peace Lutheran Church in Isabel. Her dedication earned her recognition from the Northwestern Lutheran Academy in Mobridge, for over 17 years of service as a Sunday School teacher and various leadership roles.
She was a longstanding member of the Corson County Extension Club, Liberty Belles, for 25 years, during which she held positions as president and treasurer. She served on the election board for many years.
Gertrude’s hobbies included sewing and cooking. She was known for her cinnamon rolls, hamburger buns, donuts, and more. She showcased her sewing skills by making, altering, and repairing clothing as well as assembling quilts, and is well known for her jean quilts, which she gifted for high school graduations and weddings. She was particularly proud of the soldier quilts she made and donated.
Gertrude loved spending time with her family. As her dementia advanced and she needed assistance, she lived with family for four years before moving to The Meadows in Ashland in January 2020, where she remained until God welcomed her into Heaven.
Gert is survived by her six children: Mark (Laramie) Jung of Hamilton, OH, Rhonda Zierolf and Cynthia (Cindy) Custer of Parker, AZ, Sharon (Kevin) Noffke of Ashland, Larry (Leah) Jung of Isabel, and Jason (Gail) Jung of Hudson, WI; 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren; siblings Edwin Volden of Forest Grove, OR, Carol (Kenneth) Carpenter of Rapid City and Verna (Erdean) Olsen of Piedmont; six sisters-in-law: Jean Jung of Colorado Springs, CO, Agnes Marquis of Casa Grande, AZ, Barbara Jung of South Bend, IN, Elizabeth Hall and Armella (Mel) Wallstrom of Fountain Valley, CA, and Patricia Pexa of Hermosa.
Gert was preceded in death by her husband Phillip; her parents; her sister Helen Anderson; her sonsin- law David Butler, LeRoy Custer and Skip Zierolf; and her grandson Matthew Butler.
Memorials will be distributed to local Early Childhood Centers in the area and to Peace Lutheran Church in Isabel.
(Larry and Leah Jung’s address is 12594 237th Ave., Isabel, SD 57633)