Marlene Mae Stepka

Marlene Mae Stepka died on September 13, 2025 at the Good Samaritan Care Center, Tyndall, SD at the age of 84 years.

Visitation will be held 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., with a 7:30 p.m., rosary and wake service, Thursday, September 18, at St. Leo Catholic Church in Tyndall.

Funeral Mass will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, September 19 at St. Leo. Interment will be at St. Leo Catholic Cemetery, Tyndall.

Marlene was born to Joseph and Hattie (Becvar) Honomichl in Wagner, SD on October 23, 1940. She grew up on a farm northeast of Wagner, SD and attended school at Wagner, graduating in 1960. She had various jobs in the area, one of which was caring for an elderly Tyndall resident in her home north of Tyndall. It was while working in the Tyndall area that she met the love of her life, Ray Stepka. They were married on June 1, 1968 at the Catholic Church in Dante, SD. They made their home on the farm north of Tyndall where they lived and became members of St. Leo's Catholic Church. Together they had three children: Beverly, Yvette and Kevin.

Marlene worked alongside her husband, helping on the farm. She worked hard to keep a tidy home while also raising three children and doing various household chores. She helped to raise chickens, pigs and cattle. She enjoyed gardening and often had a large garden in which she canned the bounty for winter. She enjoyed baking cookies, cakes and kolaches and also prepared homemade meals from scratch for almost every meal. She also did some sewing, embroidery and quilting for the family. She was an animal lover and often took her small dog Rascal for walks on the farm. She enjoyed cats and often fed the strays that would wander onto the farm. Any time there was an orphan calf born it was mainly her responsibility to bottle feed and raise it. She loved life on the farm.

Marlene enjoyed spending time with her children and grandchildren. She also recently became a great-grandmother. She especially enjoyed having everyone over to the farm to celebrate the holidays. Easter was one of her favorite times as she made Easter baskets for all of the grandchildren to enjoy. She was happiest when she had her entire family surrounding her. She always remembered everyone's birthday and made sure they were sent a birthday card or made them a homemade birthday cake.

The couple was very active with the church and attended Mass almost every Sunday until Ray's illness prevented them from doing so. They were married for 50 years at the time of Ray's passing, which happened four days after their Golden Anniversary. Due to his failing health they had left the family farm to go live in North Point Assisted Living Center in Tyndall. It was very hard for both of them to leave the farm that they both loved and worked on so many years together. In September of 2023 Marlene then moved to the Good Samaritan Center, also in Tyndall.

Marlene is survived by children of Beverly (Rick) Fischer of Alcester, SD, Yvette Stepka of Yankton, SD, and Kevin (Leann) Stepka of Tyndall, SD; her brother, Larry Honomichl, Wagner, SD; grandchildren, Thadeus and Alyssa Giedd of Sioux Falls, SD, Wyatt (Ramzee) Stepka of Sioux Falls, SD, Ty and Grant Stepka of Tyndall, SD; great-grandchildren, Henley Giedd of Sioux Falls and Adam Stepka of Sioux Falls.

Marlene is preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Robert and Leonard Honomichl and parents-in-law, James and Anna (Kocer) Stepka.