Ramona Lou Van Asselt

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Ramona Lou Van Asselt, age 89, of Colton, died on Sunday, November 25, 2018, at Dow-Rummel Village in Sioux Falls. Funeral services will begin at 10:30 AM Friday, November 30, 2018, at First Lutheran Church, Colton. Visitation will be from 5:30-7:30 PM Thursday, at the Minnehaha Funeral Chapel, Colton. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to First Lutheran Church or the Minnehaha Lutheran Cemetery Upkeep Fund.

Ramona Lou was born on February 8, 1929 to parents Herman and Hilda (Peterson) Clauson on a farm outside of Colton, SD.  Her entry into this world was dramatic as she surprised her parents, arriving 2 months early during a snowstorm.  Due to the weather, her mother was not able to make the trip to the hospital in Sioux Falls.  Her father brought the town doctor to the farm where she arrived, weighing just 4 pounds.  They had to lay her on the oven door that first night to keep her warm.

After graduating from Lyons High School in 1946, she attended Augustana College.  She met the love of her life, William Van Asselt at the Arkota Ballroom, while she was living in Sioux Falls and working at Northern States Power Company.  William would later tell us that he had noticed Ramona as a young girl at the country mailbox she would walk to with her grandfather, but did not know who she was until years later.  They were married on October 18, 1953 and danced together for 61 years until William passed away on December 13, 2014.

Ramona enjoyed being a mother and was an excellent cook.  Some of our favorite things that she would make were her delicious cinnamon rolls and her famous Special K bars.

She was an active member of the First Lutheran Church in Colton where she served as a Sunday School teacher, participated in Ladies Aid, and Circles. During her last 4 years while a resident at Dow-Rummel Village, attending Bible Study and Sunday services in the Chapel were very important to her.  She rarely missed a Sunday service.

She was also a member of the American Legion Auxillary and looked forward to attending Birthday Club each month with her friends.  Ramona was a 4-H leader for many years. She enjoyed attending fairs, camping, traveling, and wintering in Arizona. She loved taking pictures and I am sure if you were around when she had her camera, we have a picture of you.  One favorite memory is Ramona playing her piano on Christmas Eve with the family singing Christmas carols.

Grateful for having shared her life are her children, Rhonda (Dave) Anderson, Sioux Falls, SD; Mark (Peg) Van Asselt, Colton SD; Mary (Mike) Will, Colton SD; Tom Van Asselt, Colton, SD; 10 grandchildren, Heidi (Justin) Heckenlaible, Kristi (Steve) Cott, Alicia Anderson, Brady (Hailey) Will, Brittany and Taylor Will, Austin, Alex, Tanner and Derek Van Asselt; and 4 great grandchildren, Trey Heckenlaible, Paige Walker, Jackson and William Cott, and a sister-in-law, Marge Hinde, Tucson, AZ.

She preceded in death by her husband, William, her parents, two infant sisters and daughter-in-law, Darla Van Asselt.