Martha Esther Whiting

KYLE - Martha Esther (Clifford) Whiting was born April 23, 1916, to John M. and Emma Clifford, at their home close to Rockyford on the White River. She is one of 10 children. She attended grade school at Washington County Public School, located on Cane Creek near the old John Pourier ranch. Her family lived on the ranch located on the White River near the mouth of the Medicine Root. She attended high school at St. Francis Mission School, where she met Lawrence Whiting, whom she married, July 6, 1936, at St. Barbara's Catholic Church on the White River in the badlands North of Kyle. They lived on the White River Ranch until the US Government forced them to move in July of 1942. They moved to a place about 7 miles south east of Kyle where they lived for a time. In 1946 they moved to Rapid City and in 1959 they moved back to Kyle so Martha could help take care of her aging parents. They had six children during their marriage which lasted for 66 wonderful years, until Lawrence died in December of 2002. Martha waited patiently for Lawrence to take her to heaven; she died in her son Joseph's arms, at Bennett County Health Care Center in Martin, on Saturday, July 31, 2004, at the age of 88. She is survived by sisters, Mitilda Valandra of Denver, Colorado, Francis Turgeon of Mesquite, Nevada, Regina Turgeon of Fort Meade, South Dakota and Isabelle Janis of Manderson, South Dakota; daughters, Marie (Annette) Moore of Avenger, Texas and Gloria Valdez of Manhattan, Kansas; sons, Lawrence (Sonny) of Wasilla, Alaska, Joseph of Kyle, South Dakota, Robert of Paducah, Kentucky and Clifford of Wanblee, South Dakota. She has fifteen grandchildren and twenty-five great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, August 4, 2004, at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church Hall in Kyle, South Dakota, with the Rev. Frank Schmitt, S.J., officiating. Interment will be at St. Stephen's Catholic Cemetery, Kyle. A one-night wake, starting at 1 p.m. will be held at the church hall on Tuesday, August 3rd. Funeral arrangements have been placed in the care of Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge, SD.