Anna Ellen Burt

Aberdeen - Anna Ellen Burt, 90, of Aberdeen died Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2006, at Avera St. Luke's Hospital. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 14, 2006, at First Assembly of God, U.S. Highway 281 and Fairgrounds Road, Aberdeen, with Rev. Brad Kingsriter officiating. There will be a luncheon and time for fellowship immediately following the service at the church. Burial will be at the Mellette Cemetery, Mellette, S.D., at 2 p.m. Visitation will be 3-7 p.m. Sunday at Miller-Huebl Funeral Home, 1111 S. Main St., Aberdeen, with a public prayer service being held at 7 p.m. Visitation will also be one hour prior to the service at the church on Monday. The family requests in lieu of flowers, donations to be given to David & Carolyn Nelson's ministry in the Ukraine through the First Assembly of God Church, Aberdeen, S.D. Anna Ellen Gange was born Feb. 11, 1916, at Chelsea, S.D., to John and Anna H. (Clark) Gange. She attended school at Chelsea and Bemidji, Minn. Anna married Samuel Raymond Burt on Feb. 17, 1933, at Mellette, S.D. They lived in the Mellette area for several years before moving to Aberdeen. They then moved to Warner, S.D., in 1946. Samuel died on Dec. 10, 1968. Anna returned to Aberdeen in 1978. She was employed at St. Luke's Hospital, Dakota Midland Hospital and Americana Healthcare Nursing Home before becoming self-employed as a home health care giver until she retired during her early 80s. As a young woman, Anna enjoyed serving as a teacher in the children's Sunday school. In 1974, she joined the Assembly of God Church in Aberdeen and remained a member until her death. Not only did Anna play the guitar in the Sunday school classes, she also played the violin, mandolin and piano with her family's band at barn dances in the 40s. Anna enjoyed a variety of crafts, such as crocheting afghans and sewing quilts; giving them as gifts or donating them to various organizations and groups. But most of all, Anna loved being a wife, mother and grandmother. Her memory lives on with her sons: Roy Cyril (Irene) Burt of Warner, S.D., Raymond Samuel Burt of Mellette, S.D., Roland Russell (Millie, deceased) Burt of Aberdeen, William “Bill” Lloyd (Geri) Burt of Las Vegas, Nev., and James “Jim” Richard (Janet) Burt of Overland Park, Kan.; her daughters: Marie Darlene (Ed, deceased) Wilson of Mansfield, S.D., DixieAnn Cusey of Aberdeen, Jessie Elizabeth Loebs of Corsicana, Texas, and Gee-Gee Faye (Walter, deceased) Kitzler of Belton, Mo.; 42 grandchildren; 82 great-grandchildren and 39 great great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, six brothers, five sisters, two sons-in-law, one daughter-in-law, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Casket bearers will be Rocky Wilson, Bob Ernst, Roger Norton, Floyd Moler, Aaron Johnson and Douglas Kitzler. Honorary casket bearers will be all of her family and friends. Anna will always be remembered as a giver and not a taker. If Anna had an opportunity to share one more thing with us, perhaps it would be Psalm 34:1 as paraphrased in one of her Bibles, “The shortest way and surest way to spiritual victory 'Make it a rule to Praise God for everything that happens to you.' ”