Arlene Larson

Arlene Larson, age 94 of Summit, SD, passed away on June 30, 2025, in Watertown, SD.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, July 7, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at Hope Lutheran Church in Summit. Visitation will be at the church on Sunday from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Visitation will continue at the church on Monday one hour prior to the service. Burial will be at Lebanon Lutheran Cemetery, rural Summit.

The service will be livestreamed, recorded and viewable below this obituary.

Arlene Iris Larson was born on July 6, 1930, in Lura Township, Grant County, SD (rural Summit). She was the daughter of Albert and Amanda (Quitsch) Krause. She attended country school near her home. She lived and worked for one year in Minneapolis, MN, then returned to South Dakota. She was united in marriage with Alfred Larson, of rural Summit, on October 23, 1949, at Summit Lutheran Church.

Arlene and Alfred farmed together. She was a dedicated, hard-working wife and mother. Arlene milked cows by hand, plowed fields, hauled hay bales, drove truck next to the silage cutter, picked rocks, and did whatever else needed to be done. Arlene did all this while still caring for and raising their three children: Donna, Sandra, and Michael.

Arlene and Alfred were a team force within their home as well. Arlene was a gifted cook and baker, serving delicious meals. She washed the dishes and Alfred always dried them. Arlene grew a large vegetable garden and had a beautiful flower garden. She was well known for her incredibly delicious homemade buns, cookies, and cinnamon rolls. She raised chickens, and fresh eggs were always available. She took special delight when she received scratch tickets for her birthday. She and Alfred also loved to dance, and they attended dances as often as possible.

Arlene Larson is survived by three children: Donna (Harlan) Olson of Ortley, SD; Sandra (Charles) Gaikowski of Waubay, SD; and Michael (Sherrie) Larson of Summit, SD; 14 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; and one sister, JoAnn Boelkes of Clark, SD. She was preceded in death by her parents: Albert and Amanda; her husband in 2000, Alfred; five sisters: Esther, Alvina, Alice, Delores, and Mavis; four brothers: Clarence, Melvin, Lester, and Harold.

The service will be livestreamed and recorded and will be viewable at the bottom of this page. Our mission is to deliver the highest quality shared video experience for visitors to our website. However, there may be instances when network issues arise, causing the livestream to be unavailable. In such cases, we are promptly alerted and work to resolve the problem. If we are unable to restore the livestream, a recorded version of the service will be made available for viewing at any time on our website.