Linda Toews, 68, of De Smet, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her family in the early morning hours of January 10, 2024.

Her funeral service was held at 10:30 AM, Sunday, January 14, at the Faith Mennonite Church, rural Iroquois. Burial followed in the church cemetery.

View Linda's Funeral Folder

A visitation was held from 10:00 to 10:30 AM prior to the service at the church on Sunday.

Her visitation was held from 2:00 to 4:00 PM, Saturday, January 13, at the Kuhler Funeral Home, and then continued from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Faith Mennonite Church.

Linda Faye Toews, my wife, our mother, and grandmother, was born May 4, 1955, to Roy E. and Dessie (Ratzlaff) Wiebe in Huron, SD.

Highlights of her growing up years were singing for part harmony with her siblings and traveling together as a family to visit uncles, aunts, and cousins. She attended first grade in the Neiling Country School, and then in Bancroft and Yale, SD.

Upon accepting Christ as her personal Savior, she was baptized into the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite on March 26, 1968. Mom's Christian life was important to her. We all admired her determination and courage. She had a strong faith in God and in the power of prayer.

On March 4, 1983, she was joined in marriage to me, Wesley Toews. Together, we enjoyed raising our family of four children on our farm near De Smet, SD. Reaching our 40th anniversary last spring was a special goal of hers. She faithfully supported me in church responsibilities. The Prairie Haven Congregation was very special to her. She took a keen interest in the young families there and enjoyed sewing day each month. She joined the group on singing evening as long as her health allowed.

Linda had a heart for others and loved to fill her dining room table with friends and family. One of her mottos was "simple elegance" and that is how she lived. Mom loved green grass and trees and old-fashioned comfort food.

We children have many happy memories of carefree childhood days. Mom was a teacher at heart and was always showing us how and why something should be done. She made sure we learned how to sew, even if it meant she did the housework while we fixed our mistakes, so we understood the concept. It was important how flour was added to the cookie dough, and how it was placed on the pan. She taught us to read music and a love of singing. Our house was full of books, and we remember many winter evenings listening to Mom read aloud.

Her eleven grandchildren were very precious to her. She spent hours shopping for the perfect birthday and Christmas gifts for each one. Tea parties, story time, and the playhouse in the big red barn were expressions of her love for them.

Grateful for having shared her life are her husband, Wesley, of De Smet, SD; four children: Kevin and Jane Toews, and their children, Addison, Wyatt, Brooklyn, and Mason, of Red Oak, IA; Janelle and Ross Isaac and their children, Daria, Clark, Lane, and Avonlea, of Grandview, MB; Jennifer and Daryl Koehn and their children, Alyssa, Nicole, and Bryce, of Livingston, CA; Monica and Merrill Wiggers of Moundridge, KS; her mother-in-law: Olive Toews of De Smet, SD; Mom and Dad's siblings: Marilyn and Kenneth Fricke, Delton and Valerie Wiebe, Danny and Sharon Wiebe, Edith and Rod Yost, Murray and Shanon Toews, and Brian and Nan Toews; and many nieces and nephews.

Linda was preceded in death by her parents, her father-in-law, one brother, and one sister-in-law.

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