Kent Wintersteen, Olivet
Kent Wintersteen, 83, Olivet, died Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, in Freeman.
- Kent Wintersteen
Kent Wintersteen, 83, Olivet, died Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, in Freeman.
He was born on June 19, 1929.
Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Olivet United Methodist Church with the Revs. Dan Flyger and Tom Peterson officiating.
Visitation will be from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. today at the church and one hour prior to the service Saturday at the church.
Aisenbrey-Opsahl-Kostel Memorial Chapel, Menno, is assisting with arrangements.
Kent was born in Olivet to Warren and Leota (Barth) Wintersteen.
He married Shirley Grimm on Aug. 26, 1950, in Olivet.
To this union, three daughters and two sons were born.
He joined the U.S. Army on Sept. 27, 1951, and was honorably discharged on Sept. 11, 1953.
As a young boy, Kent was intrigued by Indian designs because he liked the solid colors.
To this day, he has one of the most extensive privately owned and historically significant collection of Indian artifacts in the Midwest, with the majority of his pieces displayed at the Heritage Hall Museum in Freeman.
Kent was a rancher all his life, with a devotion to God, family and the land.
Thursday, Dec. 31, 1987, was the last day of a 34-year career with the U.S. Rural Postal Service. He rode his last mile on his Arabian horse to replicate the Pony Express.
In his early years, he was a Boy Scout Troop Master, involved in the Youth Fellowship Group and a Sunday School teacher.
He was a member of Olivet United Methodist Church, Women’s Christian Temperance Union, Arabian Horse Association, Miracle of Jesus Pageant on the banks of the James River, Marchiannia cattle producer and charter member of the Olivet Community Center.
Kent is quoted on his Indian artifact collection in an article reproduced from LIVING HERE Magazine. “The afternoon light is fading as Wintersteen abruptly concludes his narrative. Sinking into his easy chair, he sighs heavily. He is surrounded by tales and treasures of a bygone era. He is thinking about life … and he is thinking about death. ‘My wife, Shirley, has been gone for ten years,’ he says, his voice thick with emotion, ‘and I miss her very much’. Wintersteen fingers a well-worn Bible on a side table, ‘I have no fear of death whatsoever. I have the promise of seeing my wife again. Sometimes I feel a little bit guilty … because I look more forward to seeing my wife than to seeing the Lord.’ ”
He will be remembered the most by his grandchildren for their visits to Isenglass Hill and the “rainbow tree.”
He is survived by his sons, Kent (Lynn) Wintersteen Jr., Olivet; and Robert (Maggy) Wintersteen, St. Charles, Ill.; daughters: Sharee (Larry) DenHerder, Sioux Center, Iowa; Kris (Lee) Larson, Freeman; and Cinda (Scott) Kutil, Castlerock, Colo.; grandchildren: Ross (Dena) DenHerder, Reid (Rhiannon) DenHerder, Maggie (Chad) Phelps, Thaddeus (Tammy) Larson, Tiffany (Andy) Bauman, Evan Wintersteen, Ellie Wintersteen, Joshua (Ryan) Wintersteen, Latisha (Bill) Mecha, Gavin (Allison) Kutil, Chelsie Kutil and Emily Kutil; and six great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, sister, Mary Weber; and brother, Maurice Wintersteen.
Memorials can be directed to Compassion Radio, P.O. Box 2770, Orange, Calif., 92859-0700; or Olivet Community Center, P.O. Box 85, Olivet, S.D., 75052.
Tags: obituaries, olivet
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