Laura Elaine Garness

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Laura Elaine Garness, 54, of Baltic, died Sunday, January 3, 2016 at Covington Heights in Sioux Falls, SD.

Memorial services will begin at 4:00 PM Wednesday, January 6, 2016 at River Community Church, Dell Rapids, SD. Memorials may be directed to Christ Fellowship Church, Baltic or a fund established in Dustin's name.

Laura Elaine (Myers) Garness was born in Ortonville, MN on December 16, 1961; the second child of William and Virginia (Thronson) Myers. Laura lived in Milbank, SD and graduated from Milbank HS in 1980. She studied at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN from 1980-1982. She then lived in Sioux Falls, SD and attended Stenotype Institute. She moved to Baltic, SD in 1987. Her son Dustin Kirby Garness was born in 1988.

Laura was employed as a manager at First Premier Bank in Dell Rapids, and then worked at home as a medical transcriptionist. She loved her job for the Baltic School District as a para-professional and a bus driver for special needs children. While in Baltic she opened her home to many foster children.

Laura was an active member of Christ Fellowship Church and founded the Baltic Community Garden.

Laura was preceded in death by her father William Francis Myers.

She is survived by son, Dustin Garness and wife Hezel, Hartford, SD; mother, Virginia Myers, Custer, SD, brother, William A. Myers and wife Suzanne Keithley-Myers, Duluth, MN; sister, Carla Brown and husband Joseph, Gretna, NE; sister, Deborah Vigants and husband Peter, Brandon, SD; 4 nieces, 9 nephews, 2 grand-nieces, and 1 grand-nephew.