Mary Dreesen

Mary Dreesen, age 99, of Yankton, South Dakota, died Friday, April 11, 2025, at Avera Sister James Care Center in Yankton.

Mass of Christian Burial will be on her 100th birthday, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at 10:30 AM at St. Benedict Catholic Church in Yankton with Reverend Bob Lacey officiating. The Mass will be live streamed and can be viewed on Mary’s obituary page at www.wintzrayfuneralhome.com. Burial will be in the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Yankton. Visitation is from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at the Wintz & Ray Funeral Home in Yankton, with a rosary and vigil service at 7:00 PM.

Mary Dreesen was born on the family farm east of Hartington, Nebraska, on April 16, 1925, to Joseph and Margaret (Leffelman) Hahn. She grew up on the farm and attended Branch Country School. She graduated with a Normal Education Certificate from Holy Trinity High School in Hartington in 1942. She then taught at various country schools in Cedar County from 1942 to 1948, while attending classes at Wayne State College to keep her teaching certificate current. She married the love of her life, her blue-eyed sailor, Edwin Dreesen on October 18, 1948 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Wynot, Nebraska. They moved to South Dakota to farm in the Wakonda/Irene area, where Mary took great pride in raising her family. Once her children were grown, Mary went to work at Dale Electronics in Yankton, which she continued for 13 years. They moved to Irene, South Dakota in 1984 and then to Yankton, South Dakota in 2004.

Mary was a former member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Wakonda, St. Columba Catholic Church in Mayfield and currently a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Yankton. She was involved with Catholic Education Classes, the Ladies Auxiliary at St. Columba, and also volunteered at The Banquet in Yankton as well as a poll worker during elections. She continued her love of teaching, helping her children with their schoolwork. She was a great cook who could make something out of nothing and a master bread maker. But at the heart of everything, she was Momma Mary. She was a caring, selfless, angelic woman who always put her family first, even before housework.

Survivors include her eight children: Tom Dreesen of Meckling, South Dakota; Chuck (Betty) Dreesen of Lakewood, Colorado; Denise (Pat) Cody of Yankton; Marlys (Rod) Kaiser of Yankton; Teresa (Roger) Wood of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; John (Paulette) Dreesen of Yankton; Mary Jo (Steve) Kiehne of Elgin, Minnesota, and Mark (Marlene) Dreesen of Brockway, Montana; son-in-law, David Healy of Mission Hill, South Dakota; 29 grandchildren; 52 great grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Edwin in 2006; daughter, Margaret “Gigi” Healy; granddaughter, Jill Kaiser and eight siblings.