July 16, 1920 – September 15, 2025
Funeral services for Violet Rost, 105, of Isabel will be at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, October 2, 2025, at Peace Lutheran Church in Isabel. Burial will follow at Hillview Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home.
Visitation will begin at 6 p.m., Wednesday, October 1, 2025, with a prayer service at 7 p.m. at Peace Lutheran Church.
Violet Florence (Ochsner) Rost went to be with her Lord and Savior on September 15, 2025, in Belle Fourche.
She was born at Gopher on July 16, 1920, the second child of Jacob and Minnie (Troutman) Ochsner. She attended Pleasant View School and graduated from Isabel High School in 1938. She attended Northern State College in Aberdeen and received a one-year teaching certificate in 1939. She would later return to Northern and received a bachelor’s degree in teaching in 1972.
On October 12,1940, Violet married John Rost of Isabel. They established their home on the Rost ranch south of Isabel. They raised cattle, did farming and raised four children and two nieces: Kenneth, Curtis, Denver, Marcia, Sheri and Laurie.
Violet taught for 40 plus years at several different country schools including Center, Wilson, Grondahl, Liebelt, Firesteel and Isabel. She was also the Dewey County Librarian for years after retiring from teaching.
Violet was a loving wife and mother, always baking and cooking for hired men and friends. She invited neighbors over to help eat leftovers. On Sundays she always fixed fried chicken and pies. She did a lot of gardening, canning produce, making jelly and always picking weeds and mowing the lawn.
She was an active member of the Peace Lutheran Church, the Isabel Alumni Association and the Senior Citizens Center. Violet loved music and loved to dance, especially waltz. When John and the three boys played for dances, she was always there to help them with the music. John and the boys played by ear, so when they could not think of how a song started, Violet would hum a few bars to start the song.
Violet is survived by her daughters, Marcia (Mike) Maher of Isabel, Sheri (Kent) Allen of Akron, IA, and Laurie Schell of Rapid City; one brother, Clarence Ochsner of Oregon; daughters-in-law Kathy Rost of Spearfish and Marilyn Rost of Ellensburg, WA; 16 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and 6 great-great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband John, her three sons, Kenneth, Curtis and Denver, three sisters, five brothers and one grandson.
(Marcia Maher’s address is Box 175, Isabel, SD 57633)