Rita Wieseler WYNOT — Rita Clara Wieseler, 94, Wynot, died Sept. 29, 2024, at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, Yankton, S.D.

Mass of Christian Burial was Oct. 4 at Holy Family (Sts. Peter and Paul) Catholic Church, Bow Valley, with the Rev. Marcus Knecht officiating.

Burial was at Sts. Philip and James Cemetery, St. James.

Pallbearers were Rita’s grandchildren.

Honorary pallbearers were Rita’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Visitation and a vigil service were Thursday, at church, and continued one hour prior to services at the church. Arrangements were under the direction of the Wintz Funeral Home, Hartington.

Rita was born June 27, 1930, to William and Clara (Ahlers) Es kens at her family home north of St. James. She grew up in the St. James area and graduated in 1948 from Holy Trinity High School, Hartington. She taught school, was a church organist, and enjoyed gatherings at Homewood Park. She met Marvin T. Wieseler at Sts. Philip and James Church and they married May 6, 1952. They moved to the Wieseler family farm southeast of St. James, where they would live out their lives.

Rita sang in the choir at Sts. Philip and James Parish, was a member of the Altar Society, and was later involved in the St. James Marketplace. She enjoyed playing the piano and accordion, and tending her garden and baking. With her determination of faith, she made sure all seven of her children attended Catholic school for 12 years. She exhibited a quiet strength that helped her weather the joys and hardships of farm life.

Rita is survived by seven children, Thomas (Vicky) Wieseler, Mt. Vernon, Iowa; Gary (Cindy) Wieseler, Leigh; Dan Wieseler, Wynot; Deanna (Larry) Bauer, McCook Lake, S.D.; Mary (Wayne) Elliot, Omaha; Judy (Bruce) Wright, Beaumont, Texas; Jan (Pete) Dysart, Richfield, Minn.; 16 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; brother, William Eskens Jr., Jefferson City, Mo.; and a sister-in-law, Marlene Eskens, Coleridge.

She is preceded in death by her parents, William and Clara Eskens; her husband, Marvin, Jan. 12, 2020, at the age of 93; siblings, Mary Ann Schurman, Arnold Eskens, Verena Bruening and Alice Meyer; and grandson, Nicholas Wieseler.