Arlene Svanda

Arlene Svanda was born Sunday, December 23, 1928 in Wagner, South Dakota to Edward and Hattie Nedved. She passed away in the early morning hours of March 8, 2020 at the Tyndall Good Samaritan Society at the age of 91.
Arlene grew up on a farm south of Wagner with her older siblings and attended school through the eighth grade at Ree Country School near their home.
She married Wilbur Svanda of Tyndall on January 3, 1952 at the Wagner Methodist Church while he was on furlough from the Army. She remained in Wagner and worked at Buche’s Grocery Store for a few months before joining him at Ft. Lewis, Washington. She often spoke fondly of the friends they met while living on base.
Arlene and Wilbur worked side by side on the Svanda family farm north of Tyndall; doing chores, helping milk the Holstein dairy herd and raising their two sons. In her later years she also worked the night shift at the Concord Nursing Home in Yankton.
In her spare time, she loved gardening, canning, baking and caring for flowers around the farm. Arlene was an Eastern Star member for over 50 years, belonged to the VFW auxiliary and Tyndall Presbyterian Church.
In July of 2007, after complications following surgery, she was unable to care for herself and entered the Tyndall Good Samaritan shortly before her husband passed away. She remained there until her death.
Arlene is survived by her sons, Roger (Connie) and Warren of Tyndall; her three grandchildren Christopher (Jamie), Cory (Tabitha) and Carly, all of Sioux Falls and her great grandchildren, Carter and Nicole.
She was preceded in death by her parents, siblings Virginia (Ed) Slama, Franklin and Bob and all of her in-laws.