Elsie A. Huntley

Elsie A. Huntley, age 86, of Yankton, South Dakota, died Saturday, March 29, 2025, at Avera Sister James Care Center in Yankton.

Funeral Services will be 11:00 AM on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Yankton with Reverend Jeff Otterman officiating. Burial will be in West Our Savior’s Lutheran Cemetery in rural Menno, South Dakota. Visitation is from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at the Wintz & Ray Funeral Home in Yankton, with a prayer service at 7:00 PM.

The service will be live streamed and can be viewed at www.facebook.com/WintzRay.

Elsie A. Huntley was born November 9, 1938 on the farm north of Yankton, South Dakota to Carl and Gena (Larson) Gran. She was baptized and confirmed at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Growing up on the farm, part of her daily routine was to help with the chores: milking cows, feeding the pigs and chickens, gathering eggs and sometimes herding the cattle in the ditches. She attended Scotland High School and graduated in 1956. In the fall, she went to Sioux City, where she attended National Business Training, a six-month secretarial course. In 1957, she began working at the Fred Leach Insurance Agency and was employed there for about nine years. During that time, she met and married Charles Huntley. Over the years they were blessed with four children: Joan Marie, Lori Lynne, Susan Renee and Chad James. In 1969 she began a nearly 20-year career working with management at Cimpl Meats. She also worked at M.T. & R.C. Smith Insurance before retiring in 2001.

Elsie was a hardworking, easy-going, faithful wife. She was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church and enjoyed camping with her family, league bowling, going to dances and playing pinochle. She never got angry and her favorite quote was, “To trust is not to worry, to worry is not to trust.”

Survivors include her four children: Joan (James) Steckelberg of Yankton; Lori (R. Todd) Rothenberger of Yankton; Susan Huntley of Yankton and Chad Huntley of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; 13 grandchildren; 20 great grandchildren; three great-great grandchildren and sister-in-law, Lorna Cameron of Aransas Pass, Texas.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Charles; sister, Juliette Kamm; and two brothers: Wilmer and Clarence Gran.