Glenda Lanning

Glenda Lanning, age 79, of Yankton, South Dakota, passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 22, 2024, at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM on Monday, August 26, 2024, at St. Benedict Catholic Church in Yankton, with Reverend Tom Anderson officiating. The service will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/WintzRay/live.  The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on Sunday, August 25, at the Wintz & Ray Funeral Home in Yankton, followed by a rosary and vigil service at 7:00 PM.

Glenda Roberta Lanning was born on October 15, 1944, in Hot Springs, South Dakota, to Glen and Loleta (Roberts) Berendes. She spent her early years in the Winner and Colome areas before her family relocated to Yankton, where she graduated from Mount Marty High School. On August 22, 1962, she married Larry Lanning in Yankton, and together they made Yankton their lifelong home.

Throughout her life, Glenda worked in various capacities, including positions at Concord Nursing Home, Bev’s Greenhouse, Westside Market, Tinkerbell Daycare, and a fabric store. However, she found her true calling as a librarian at the Yankton Library, where she spent the majority of her career. Glenda had a deep love for reading, which she passed on to her children, and was passionate about sharing this love with others through book reviews and helping people discover their next great read. She also generously volunteered her time reading to the Sisters at Sacred Heart Monastery and serving as a Eucharistic Minister, bringing the Eucharist to the homebound.

Glenda was deeply involved in her community, actively participating in the prayer line, the Catholic Worker House, and volunteering with the ERTH and Al-Anon programs. She was a talented knitter, creating many cherished hats and prayer shawls for her family, friends, and to comfort local citizens in need. Above all, Glenda was devoted to her family and treasured the time she spent with her grandchildren.

Glenda is survived by her loving husband of 62 years, Larry Lanning of Yankton; her three children: Tony (Jackie) Lanning of Brookings, SD, Shawna (Tom) Peterson of Long Grove, IL, and David (Nichole) Lanning of Brookings; her son-in-law, Brian Pearson of Sioux Falls; and her seven beloved grandchildren: Sarah, Conor (Brianna), Sophie (Alex), Claudia, Finn, Holden, and Dani.

She is now reunited with her late daughter, Annie Lanning, and her mother, Loleta Johnson.