Charlotte Brandt

Charlotte “Lottie” Martha Demke was born January 1, 1918, on a farm in Alban Township, Grant County, South Dakota, the second daughter of Emil and Lena (Weide) Demke.  She was baptized and confirmed in the Christian Faith.  She attended Big Tom and Willow Bend country schools in Alban Township.  After graduating from the 8th grade, she stayed home at the family farm, helping her mother and caring for her father who was very ill.  She learned to cook and bake and garden from her mother, who was regarded as a fabulous cook and hostess. 

 

Lottie and her husband Walter knew one another since childhood when their families were neighbors south of Big Stone City, but during their grade school years the families moved.  Even though Lottie and Walter lived some distance apart, their paths continued to cross, and it was on a summer day in 1938, when both were working at the Big Stone Canning Factory, the Lottie asked Walter if he would like to share her lunch, because she knew he was working a double shift and was probably very hungry.  They were married March 15, 1939, and farmed south of Big Stone City for three years.  In 1942, they bought a farm west of Clinton.  The family joined Trinity Lutheran Church of Clinton in 1953, where Lottie and Walter served as Luther League Counselors, and Lottie was active in a Circle and Ladies Aid.

 

Lottie was a marvelous cook and a wonderful hostess, but her greatest skill was in baking and gardening.  Her specialties were her cakes, donuts, and pancakes.  Her flower gardens were heavenly, overflowing with color and beauty.  Her yard was like a park and people would drive by the farm to see her flowers.  She and Walter hosted many picnics and family reunions over the years.  Family and friends loved to gather at their farm. 

 

Lottie always recognized the needs of others and responded to those needs with compassion and understanding and most of all, her prayers.  She was a women of faith who believed prayer could move mountains.  She felt deeply that God had called her to a life of serving and helping others, especially her family.  Her children say it was an honor and a privilege to have her as their mother, her grandchildren say she was “the best grandmother ever” and her great grandchildren loved her dearly.

 

When Walter died in 1996, Lottie continued to stay on the farm.  In 2005, she moved to Assisted Living in Clinton where she moved down the hall from her sister, Edna.  When her health declined in 2007, she moved to Grace Home in Graceville. 

 

At the age of 91, on April 10, 2009, Lottie departed this life to be in the presence of her Lord.

 

Survivors include her son, Rodger and his wife Linda of Clinton; daughter Shirley of St. Louis Park, MN; grandchildren: Brent of Aberdeen, SD, Lisa and husband Dan on Moorhead, MN; great-grandchildren: Nicholas Brandt, Gabrielle Charlotte Brandt, and Megan Markert; sister Edna of Clinton, MN; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

 

She is preceded in death by her husband, her mother and father, one sister, two brothers, and two grandchildren. 

 

Lottie will be sadly missed and remembered with love and thankfulness by her family and friends.  The family is so grateful to the staff of Grace Home for their wonderful care of their dear mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. 

 

Our great loss is heaven’s gain.