Rhys E Oelke

Click here to watch livestream On June 3rd, a warm sunny day, Rhys Oelke, age 74 left his earthly home in Belle Fourche, SD surrounded by family. Rhys was born in Elgin, North Dakota August 23, 1950 to Ervin and Goldie (Bartels) Oelke. He was raised and educated in Hettinger, ND. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and being with friends. On October 7, 1978, he married Carla (Diede) Oelke at the Lutheran Church in Hettinger. Two sons were born to this union, Brian and Chad. Rhys loved his family and was so supportive and proud of his sons. Rhys loved people, animals, and life. He was outgoing, hardworking, social, and fun loving. He continued his favorite hobbies from childhood of horse back riding, fishing, and hunting, which he passed on to his sons and grandchildren. In 1992, Rhys achieved his nursing license and education. He worked at Belle Fourche Long Term Care for 20 years. Prior to being a nurse, he worked for Cenex in Hettinger and Minot, ND along with short term jobs along the way. He said the residents he cared for were his friends with great stories. He learned from all of them. Rhys is survived by his wife of 46 years Carla of Belle Fourche; sons, Brian (Sara) of Sioux City, Iowa and Chad (Courtney) of Gillette, Wyoming and four grandchildren, Nick, Addison, Jacob and Chelsea of Sioux City, Iowa; brothers, Reid (Lauree) of Ely, Nevada and Robert (Vickie) Grunstead of Sparks, Nevada; sister, Jody (Al) Lefebre of Hettinger, ND along with nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Billy Oelke; two half siblings, Ryan and Rebecca. An open house memorial will be held Wednesday, June 25 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Kline Funeral Chapel in Belle Fourche. An open house memorial will be held at the Hettinger Senior Citizen Center in Hettinger, ND on Saturday, June 28th at 1:00 pm An online guest book is available at klinefuneralchapel.com