Carol Jeanne Stellner

The funeral service for Carol Jeanne Stellner, 81, of Aberdeen, SD, will be 11:00am, Saturday, June 17, 2023 at New Life Fellowship, with Pastor Rodney Johnson officiating. Burial at Riverside Memorial Park, Aberdeen.
Visitation will be from 3:00-7:00pm, Friday, June 16, with family present from 5:00-7:00pm, followed by a prayer service and time of sharing at 7:00pm, at Spitzer-Miller Funeral Home, 1111 South Main Street.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Aberdeen Christian School.
Carol Jeanne Stellner, 81, of Aberdeen, went home to be with the Lord on June 12, 2023. She was born August 17, 1941, in Huron, SD, to Homer and Pearl (Davidson) Krentz. She grew up on a farm south of Doland with her two older brothers and attended grade school in a little country school. She graduated from Doland High School. Growing up she loved to read and enjoyed reading her entire life. Every Saturday she would go to Doland and take home many books to read. She was also involved in 4-H and each year entered a lamb named Willie!
She also loved sports and played on the farm with her two older brothers. She watched them play all their sports and always felt slighted because of the lack of sports for girls, until a girls' softball team was formed and she started playing softball with Huron. Being a great athlete, it's no surprise that she was selected for the all-star team at the state tournament. That next fall she moved to Aberdeen and attended Northern State College where she continued playing softball and met and married her softball coach, Bill Stellner. This is when she was introduced to bowling as Bill was heavily involved in bowling and in running bowling tournaments.
They were blessed with two children, Kenny and Vickie. When they entered school, Carol went back to college and earned a degree in physical education and sociology. She substitute taught in the Aberdeen and Roncalli school districts and the School for the Blind and taught PE at Presentation College for eight years. During that time, she was also hired as promotional manager at the Village Bowl and held that position for 37 years. She was either running local bowling tournaments or helping Bill run state ones. She was active in the local women's bowling association for many years. She and Bill were both inducted into the SD Bowling Hall of Fame and the SD Softball Hall of Fame. In the summer she played tennis and golfed. She also coached the Aberdeen Central girl's tennis team for two years.
When her kids started playing sports, she loved watching them. She followed her husband, kids, and later her grandchildren in their activities. She rarely missed an event. After Bill died in 2002, she always said it was her kids and grandkids that saved her life!
In 2009, she met and married Ray Pfeifle. He taught her to fish which was a great joy to her, not being able to bowl or golf any longer due to health. They spent many hours fishing together. They also enjoyed watching the Twins and Vikings, golf (Tiger Woods), and especially their grandchildrens' sports! She loved her seven grandchildren with a passion and had a special relationship with them all.
Besides her athletic accomplishments and love for her family, Carol will most be remembered for how many friends she had. She was always up for getting together with friends!
Carol is survived by her husband Ray Pfeifle (Aberdeen); children: Kenny Stellner (FL) and Vickie (John) Rohrbach (Aberdeen); grandchildren: David, Michael, Jordan, Matthew, Jessica, Andrew, and Joy; three stepdaughters: Cindy (Chris) Coughlin (NJ), Debbi (Jeff) Bumpous (Bath), and Pam (Brent) Trapp, (Aberdeen); stepson Randy (Lisa) Pfeifle (MN); step-grandchildren: Nicole and Abigail Coughlin, Nicholas and Nathan Pfeifle, Zack and Brandon Bumpous, Shae Miller and Ethan Feist; and seven nieces and nephews: Jody, Brian, Scott, Kelly, Steve, Laura and Mary Krentz.
She was preceded in death by her parents Homer and Pearl, her two brothers, Bruce and Wayne, and her first husband William (Bill).
Pallbearers: Grandsons David, Michael, Matthew, and Andrew Rohrbach and Jackson Isakson.