Betty Ann Helen Juntunen Watertown, South Dakota, formerly of Bryant, South Dakota

Funeral Service 10:30 A.M., Monday, August 14, 2017 St. Martin's Evangelical Lutheran Church Watertown South Dakota

Visitation 3:00 P.M. to 5 P.M. Sunday at Geise Funeral Chapel in Estelline, SD

Interment Hillcrest Cemetery Estelline, South Dakota

Betty Ann Helen (Blumeyer) Juntunen was born on January 4, 1935 in Estelline, South Dakota, the daughter of Amos and Anna (Rust) Blumeyer. She passed away, surrounded by loved ones, on Saturday, August 5, 2017, at the Estelline Nursing and Care Center at the age of 82 after a hard fought battle against congestive heart failure.

Betty attended Preston 109 grade school and was a graduate of Estelline High School in 1953. After graduation she worked in Estelline at the Farmers State Bank. She was united in marriage to Don Juntunen on June 17, 1956, in Estelline, SD, where they resided for several months. They moved to rural Vienna, SD in 1957, where they began farming. In 1992, they moved into Bryant, and they continued to farm. Betty was employed by Prairie Lakes Hospital in 1996 and worked for ten years before retiring.

Betty was a member of St. Martin's Evangelical Lutheran Church and Ladies Aide in Watertown, SD. She was a long time member of the Hamlin Merry Mixers Extension Club as well. Betty had many gifts and enjoyed many hobbies, which included her favorite, gardening. She was known as the "flower lady" when she moved into Bryant and turned her corner city lot into an amazing display of beautiful flowers. Her children remember summers filled with flowers and delicious home grown vegetables and winters of home canned goodness. Many hours of Betty's time was shared with her daughters and granddaughters as she taught them her sewing skills. She enjoyed helping and watching her husband and children prepare and show purebred sheep at different sheep shows and sales. Betty thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Some of her greatest joys were watching her children and grandchildren in many 4-H and school activities.

Thankful to have shared her life are her two sons, Duane Juntunen and David Juntunen (Colleen) all of Vienna, SD; two daughters Gwen Taylor (James) of Estelline, SD, Cathy Popham (Bob) of Hayti, SD; 12 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, and a host of relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband Don Juntunen, parents Amos and Anna Blumeyer, and one sister Cleone Heibult.