Pearl Sizer

Former area resident, 87

LAKE ANDES, S.D. - Pearl Mae Sizer, 87, of Lake Andes, formerly of Gibbon, Neb., died Friday, July 12, 2013, at Lake Andes Health Care Center.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Faith United Church in Gibbon. Burial will be at White Hill Cemetery in Kearney County, Neb.

Visitation will be from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the church.

Koehn Bros. Funeral Home in Lake Andes is in charge of arrangements.

She was born April 4, 1926, in Minden, Neb., to Edward and Marie (Larsen) Petersen.

On Feb. 9, 1947, she married Allen Sizer. He died Feb. 18, 1984.

Survivors include her children and their spouses, Edward and Linda Sizer, Larry and Leanna Sizer and Daniel and Margaret Sizer, all of Fort Mill, and Ann Marie and Randy Vesely of Lake Andes; 18 grandchildren; 17 grandchildren-in-law; 24 great-grandchildren; and sister, Delores Petersen, who lived with her in Gibbon after Pearl's husband passed away.

She was born on Easter Sunday. She graduated valedictorian of her class at Minden High School in 1942. She went to work for AAA for 15 months and then attended Kearney State College. During World War II, she worked at the Kearney (Neb.) Air Base. Her best friends introduced her to their brother, Allen Sizer, whom she married. They had four children, Edward, Larry, Daniel and Ann Marie and lived in Gibbon for more than 50 years.

Pearl worked for Baldwin Manufacturing for many years and in 1972 went to work for the U.S. government Job Corps in Chadron, Neb. In 1975, her career took her to Grand Island, Neb., where she worked as a contract specialist for the Department of Veterans Affairs. She retired with 29 years of government service in 1994.

Pearl and Allen enjoyed spending time with their family, boating, camping and following and enjoying music of their children's band, The Third Dimension, and the Sizer Family Band as they practiced in the house and played all over the Midwest in the 1970s and 1980s. Pearl recently enjoyed their music when they entertained in December at the nursing home in Lake Andes.

Pearl was a member of Gibbon Presbyterian Church where she and her family sang in the choir. She loved to cook, entertain guests and be host for Bible studies. She loved going to garage sales, to shop and was known for telling stories and laughing at her own jokes.

Pearl took college courses her entire life and enjoyed education. She was proud to have graduated from a two-year course of ministerial training at Spiritual Life Training Center on Jan. 10, 1993. She loved to read and study the Bible that has since been ingrained in her heart.

Pearl lived in Gibbon until she moved to Fort Mill, S.C., and then to Good Samaritan Center in Wagner, then moved to the Lake Andes Health Care Center until she went to her heavenly home.

In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents and a great-granddaughter, Abigail Hayvn Pace.