Funeral Service
2:00 P.M., Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Evangelical Covenant Church
Lake Norden, South Dakota
Pastor Warren Vendt, Officiating

Interment
Lake Norden Baptist Cemetery

Visitation
5:00 PM to 8:00 PM Tuesday at Geise Funeral Chapel in Lake Norden


Sylvia Eleanor (Bajuniemi) Larson, daughter of Levi and Marie (Juntunen) Bajuniemi, was born October 15, 1914, at Lake Norden, South Dakota. She graduated from Lake Norden High School in 1932 and attended South Dakota State College for one year before returning home to care for her mother. She was united in marriage to George Larson in June of 1936. Together they operated Larson Hardware until Georges death in March of 1958. After his death, Sylvia spent the next 20 years as a girls dorm resident supervisor at Bethel College in St. Paul, Southern State College in Springfield, Sioux Falls College and finally at Augustana College in Sioux Falls. She also spent a number of summers working at the YMCA Camp of the Rockies in Colorado.

After retiring she lived in Lake Norden for a number of years. In 1985 she moved to Sioux Falls where she lived with John and Shirley in her own apartment. They returned to Lake Norden in 1998, where she again had her own apartment in John and Shirleys home. She died on Friday, March 27, 2009 at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls at the age of 94 years, 5 months and 12 days.

Sylvia was a long time member of the Lake Norden Baptist Church, where she taught Sunday School for many years, was active in ladies aid and was a member of the Neighborhood Friendly Circle Club. She was an outstanding cook. One of her greatest pleasures was to bake cookies and prepare meals for friends and relatives. Christmas goodies were her specialty. In recent years she spent her spare time knitting dishcloths. Visitors were generally given at least one when they came to visit her. Sylvia loved the Lord, and wanted to share His love through her service to others.

Grateful for having shared her life are one daughter, Jane Faulstich and her husband Norbert of Custer, SD; two sons, John Larson and his wife Shirley of Lake Norden, Robert Larson and his wife Pamela of Elkin, NC; seven grandchildren, Heidi (Faulstich) Ode and her husband Thomas of Brandon, SD, Tammy (Faulstich) Eppens and her husband Bob of Ogden, UT, Mike Larson and his wife Amy of Steamboat Springs, CO, Wanda (Larson) Drake and her husband Brad of Lake Norden, Bob Larson and his wife Karolee of Butte, MT, Kevin Isaac and Karim Isaac; 17 great grandchildren, Tyler, Paul, Christian, Calvin, Kathryn and Lincoln Ode, Ashleigh (Eppens) Haas, David Eppens, Emily, Matthew, Joseph and Olivia Larson, Sylvia and Haven Larson, and Chris, Samantha and Elijah Drake.

She was preceded in death by her husband George, her parents, and two brothers, Leo and Vaino Bajuniemi.