Lucille Minnie (Gehring) Gehring

Lucille M. “Minnie” Gehring, formerly of Howard, South Dakota and Englewood, Colorado passed away on Friday, July 6, 2018 at the age of 98 in San Antonio, Texas, where she resided the past five years.

Lucille was born August 17, 1919 in Howard, South Dakota.  The second child of Albert and Rosa W. (Hildebrand) Gehring, Lucille grew up on the family homestead southwest of Howard.  She graduated from Burbank High School in 1937.  Lucille went on to attend South Dakota State College at Brookings, South Dakota, graduating in 1944 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics and later completed additional graduate studies.

Following WWII, Lucille worked in what was then the child care center of the Public Welfare Department of the City and County of Denver.  In 1948, Lucille transferred to the University of Denver where she taught preschool and Kindergarten at the University’s Children’s Clinic.  Lucille’s passion was teaching and in 1956, Lucille began teaching preschool and Kindergarten in the Englewood School District at Duncan and Cherry Land schools.  In 1984, after almost forty years of teaching and touching the lives of hundreds of her students, Lucille retired.  Following her “retirement”, Lucille worked at the Swedish Child development Center in Englewood.

Though she resided in Englewood most of her life, she remained a self-confessed “farm girl from Howard, South Dakota” and made yearly trips back to the family farm.

Lucille loved to entertain and enjoyed setting a formal table for her dinner guests.  She graduated from the Jeanne Stewart School of Modeling Art and the Arthur Murray International Dance Studio where she learned ballroom dance.  Lucille loved music, poetry and wrote a children’s book and composed accompanying music.  During her teaching career, Lucille incorporated music in her curriculum as a teaching tool.

In real retirement, Lucille loved cooking, gardening and embarked on traveling.  Among her many trips, she rafted the Colorado River, traveled to Israel, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, cruised the Mississippi River and through the Panama Canal.

Keen witted, inquisitive and outspoken, Lucille always enjoyed keeping in touch with family and friends.  She read the newspaper daily, watched television and kept abreast of current events about which she liked to engage people in spirited discussions.

In addition to her parents, Lucille was preceded in death by her sister, Velma Rose Booze of Madras, Oregon and brother, Harold Emil Gehring of San Antonio, Texas and brother, Milton Lewis Gehring of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Lucille is survived and will be missed by her niece, Diane Beth Sisk of Madras, Oregon and nephews, Harold Erich Gehring and wife Carol of San Antonio, Texas, John Gunter Gehring and wife Cookie of San Antonio, Texas; Douglas Dwyane Booze and wife Pat of Seattle, Washington and Mark Aaron Booze of Grand Junction, Colorado; Phillip Kappen and wife Diana of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Paul Kappen and wife Julie of Mitchell, South Dakota and David Louis Gehring and wife Mariolina of Long Island, New York. Lucille is also survived by numerous grandnieces and grandnephews. Lucille will be remembered by all for the cards they received from her over the years on birthdays and holidays. She will also be remembered by family and friends alike for the delicious stollen bread and lebkuchen she baked and sent out each year at Christmas time.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in her name to South Dakota State Foundation General Scholarship Fund, 815 Medary Ave., Box 525, Brookings, SD 57007

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