LouElla Gulbranson Janklow Nace, 106, of Flandreau, South Dakota passed away Saturday, December 26, 2020 while at home with family. LouElla was born in Moody County on February 11, 1914, to John and Olive (Amundson) Gulbranson. She was the second oldest of ten children. After working her way through high school and earning money for nursing school, she enrolled in Lutheran Deaconess Hospital in Chicago, graduating in 1936 as a Registered Nurse. She met and married Arthur Janklow, and they had six children: Willa, William, Arthur, JoAnn, Fredric, and Lou. Arthur Sr. and LouElla, along with their six children, relocated to Nuremberg Germany while he was serving as a United States prosecuting attorney for the Nuremberg Trials. He died unexpectedly in 1950, and LouElla and her six children (ages 1 to 10) returned to the United States via a cargo plane. To support her family, she worked three different nursing jobs in Chicago, often sleeping for only an hour at a time, yet still found time to teach Sunday school. In 1954, due to her father's failing health, LouElla and family moved back to Flandreau, SD, where she would meet and marry Lloyd Nace and raise their son, Lloyd, along with three foster children. Her husband, Lloyd Sr. passed away in 1973.
"God would provide" has always been her motto. When she returned to Flandreau in 1954, she purchased the local nursing home, which had only three patients. She worked any position needed – from maintenance to laundry – in addition to serving as a full-time nurse and administrator. She would often work through the night and be back on the floor in the morning for her shift. With her faith and hard work, her business grew. Her perseverance and tenacity were legendary. After facing countless setbacks in state approval for new building plans essential to accommodate her growing business and foreseen federal mandates, LouElla traveled to Pierre, knitting needles and Thermos in hand, and refused to leave the state office until the building plans were approved. As the founder of Riverview Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, her skilled nursing facility would ultimately grow to license 83 beds and include home health, rehabilitation, and independent living. A trailblazer in geriatrics, she traveled extensively, working at the state and national levels to organize nursing homes into a collective voice, while advocating for physical therapy, optimized nutrition plans, and patient-centered, home-like care for all of her residents. She was president of the board of directors of SDHCA from '57-'59. She didn't take a back seat to anyone.
LouElla never failed to find time to volunteer. While in Germany, she worked with the Red Cross and Salvation Army to organize the distribution of clothing from America. Back home, she extended herself during many South Dakota tragedies, including the Rapid City flood and the Spencer tornado. In 1976 and 1982, she was a main organization support for her son Bill's successful campaigns for Attorney General and Governor of South Dakota, later supporting his additional successful gubernatorial campaigns in 1994 and 1998. After "retiring," she left the comforts and safety of home to travel to Africa as a missionary nurse. She worked in Liberia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Somalia, Uganda, and Kenya. She was the only medical provider within 200 miles, doing everything short of major surgery – and delivering over 250 babies. When nearly 70 years old, she returned once again to Africa to work as a liaison between the United Nations and the Government of Somalia. After she discovered her assigned duties were "only paperwork," she quit her position and relocated to the Ethiopian border so she could provide essential clinical medical support rather than shuffle paper. Notwithstanding the Somalian war conditions, she told her family to "not worry" simply because there was a white cross painted on her vehicle roof (although she often drove a motorcycle instead). During this last trip, she met what would become her "Filipino family" - a group of nurses who affectionately came to call her "Mama Lou." Many would ultimately emigrate to the United States, along with their families, to provide nursing care at Riverview. She opened her home to anyone who needed a place to stay. When she returned to the U.S. from Africa, her adventures didn't stop. She smuggled Bibles into Russia in the height of the cold war and traveled extensively through Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Asia. For her volunteer efforts, LouElla was honored with the Jeffersonian Award.
Her faith was the cornerstone of all she did, and LouElla often said that her next step would occur "as the Spirit moved her." Even through her 90s, she would frequently drive solo back and forth between her South Dakota and Florida homes, visiting friends and relatives along the way. She would bake 20-30 loaves of banana bread at a time for Riverview, cook gallons of soup and spaghetti sauce for the Salvation Army in Archer, FL, and make sandwiches to hand out to the homeless. She would sew cloth bags filled with essentials and send them overseas. She let her nursing license go inactive at age 96 and was, at that time, the oldest practicing licensed nurse in South Dakota. Once a nurse, always a nurse.
By age 102, she had finally slowed down enough to start getting her nails manicured. At age 104, she was still "holding court" and presiding over her large family dinners. At age 106, she was still grabbing her great-grandchildren by the arm to confirm that they were "on the winning team," at "the top of their class," and going to be "boss of the world." She prayed for everyone, voraciously read, and always said that her work on this earth wasn't finished until "her eyes grew dim" and her "hands grew slack." So when that occurred in the morning on December 26th, she peacefully left this earth to finally see her savior, Jesus Christ, face to face. Her last earthly words were "Glory to God in the Highest".
LouElla is survived by five children: Willa Faris, TN; JoAnn (Ron) Lind, Fredric Janklow, Lou Janklow, and Lloyd Nace, Jr., all of SD; daughters-in-law Mary Dean and Mary Ellen, both of SD; along with many beloved grandchildren, great-grandchildren, extended family, and her Filipino and African family. LouElla was preceded in death by her husband Arthur Janklow Sr., husband Lloyd Nace Sr., son William, son Arthur, grandson Robert, all nine siblings and her parents.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, January 2, 2021, at Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Flandreau, with burial in Union Cemetery, Flandreau. Visitation will be preceding services at the church. Livestream will be available at www.skrochfc.com. Masks and social distancing are requested.
Any donations would be sent to the Sioux Falls Salvation Army and the Emmanual Adventist Academy in the Philippines.
SERVICES
Funeral Service
Saturday, January 02, 2021
2:00 PM
Our Savior's Lutheran Church
505 S Wind Street
Flandreau, South Dakota 57028
Get Directions on Google Maps
"God would provide" has always been her motto. When she returned to Flandreau in 1954, she purchased the local nursing home, which had only three patients. She worked any position needed – from maintenance to laundry – in addition to serving as a full-time nurse and administrator. She would often work through the night and be back on the floor in the morning for her shift. With her faith and hard work, her business grew. Her perseverance and tenacity were legendary. After facing countless setbacks in state approval for new building plans essential to accommodate her growing business and foreseen federal mandates, LouElla traveled to Pierre, knitting needles and Thermos in hand, and refused to leave the state office until the building plans were approved. As the founder of Riverview Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, her skilled nursing facility would ultimately grow to license 83 beds and include home health, rehabilitation, and independent living. A trailblazer in geriatrics, she traveled extensively, working at the state and national levels to organize nursing homes into a collective voice, while advocating for physical therapy, optimized nutrition plans, and patient-centered, home-like care for all of her residents. She was president of the board of directors of SDHCA from '57-'59. She didn't take a back seat to anyone.
LouElla never failed to find time to volunteer. While in Germany, she worked with the Red Cross and Salvation Army to organize the distribution of clothing from America. Back home, she extended herself during many South Dakota tragedies, including the Rapid City flood and the Spencer tornado. In 1976 and 1982, she was a main organization support for her son Bill's successful campaigns for Attorney General and Governor of South Dakota, later supporting his additional successful gubernatorial campaigns in 1994 and 1998. After "retiring," she left the comforts and safety of home to travel to Africa as a missionary nurse. She worked in Liberia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Somalia, Uganda, and Kenya. She was the only medical provider within 200 miles, doing everything short of major surgery – and delivering over 250 babies. When nearly 70 years old, she returned once again to Africa to work as a liaison between the United Nations and the Government of Somalia. After she discovered her assigned duties were "only paperwork," she quit her position and relocated to the Ethiopian border so she could provide essential clinical medical support rather than shuffle paper. Notwithstanding the Somalian war conditions, she told her family to "not worry" simply because there was a white cross painted on her vehicle roof (although she often drove a motorcycle instead). During this last trip, she met what would become her "Filipino family" - a group of nurses who affectionately came to call her "Mama Lou." Many would ultimately emigrate to the United States, along with their families, to provide nursing care at Riverview. She opened her home to anyone who needed a place to stay. When she returned to the U.S. from Africa, her adventures didn't stop. She smuggled Bibles into Russia in the height of the cold war and traveled extensively through Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Asia. For her volunteer efforts, LouElla was honored with the Jeffersonian Award.
Her faith was the cornerstone of all she did, and LouElla often said that her next step would occur "as the Spirit moved her." Even through her 90s, she would frequently drive solo back and forth between her South Dakota and Florida homes, visiting friends and relatives along the way. She would bake 20-30 loaves of banana bread at a time for Riverview, cook gallons of soup and spaghetti sauce for the Salvation Army in Archer, FL, and make sandwiches to hand out to the homeless. She would sew cloth bags filled with essentials and send them overseas. She let her nursing license go inactive at age 96 and was, at that time, the oldest practicing licensed nurse in South Dakota. Once a nurse, always a nurse.
By age 102, she had finally slowed down enough to start getting her nails manicured. At age 104, she was still "holding court" and presiding over her large family dinners. At age 106, she was still grabbing her great-grandchildren by the arm to confirm that they were "on the winning team," at "the top of their class," and going to be "boss of the world." She prayed for everyone, voraciously read, and always said that her work on this earth wasn't finished until "her eyes grew dim" and her "hands grew slack." So when that occurred in the morning on December 26th, she peacefully left this earth to finally see her savior, Jesus Christ, face to face. Her last earthly words were "Glory to God in the Highest".
LouElla is survived by five children: Willa Faris, TN; JoAnn (Ron) Lind, Fredric Janklow, Lou Janklow, and Lloyd Nace, Jr., all of SD; daughters-in-law Mary Dean and Mary Ellen, both of SD; along with many beloved grandchildren, great-grandchildren, extended family, and her Filipino and African family. LouElla was preceded in death by her husband Arthur Janklow Sr., husband Lloyd Nace Sr., son William, son Arthur, grandson Robert, all nine siblings and her parents.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, January 2, 2021, at Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Flandreau, with burial in Union Cemetery, Flandreau. Visitation will be preceding services at the church. Livestream will be available at www.skrochfc.com. Masks and social distancing are requested.
Any donations would be sent to the Sioux Falls Salvation Army and the Emmanual Adventist Academy in the Philippines.
SERVICES
Funeral Service
Saturday, January 02, 2021
2:00 PM
Our Savior's Lutheran Church
505 S Wind Street
Flandreau, South Dakota 57028
Get Directions on Google Maps
LouElla Gulbranson Janklow Nace, 106, of Flandreau, South Dakota passed away Saturday, December 26, 2020 while at home with family. LouElla was born in Moody County on February 11, 1914, to John and Olive (Amundson) Gulbranson. She was the second oldest of ten children. After working her way through high school and earning money for nursing school, she enrolled in Lutheran Deaconess Hospital in Chicago, graduating in 1936 as a Registered Nurse. She met and married Arthur Janklow, and they had six children: Willa, William, Arthur, JoAnn, Fredric, and Lou. Arthur Sr. and LouElla, along with their six children, relocated to Nuremberg Germany while he was serving as a United States prosecuting attorney for the Nuremberg Trials. He died unexpectedly in 1950, and LouElla and her six children (ages 1 to 10) returned to the United States via a cargo plane. To support her family, she worked three different nursing jobs in Chicago, often sleeping for only an hour at a time, yet still found time to teach Sunday school. In 1954, due to her father's failing health, LouElla and family moved back to Flandreau, SD, where she would meet and marry Lloyd Nace and raise their son, Lloyd, along with three foster children. Her husband, Lloyd Sr. passed away in 1973.
"God would provide" has always been her motto. When she returned to Flandreau in 1954, she purchased the local nursing home, which had only three patients. She worked any position needed – from maintenance to laundry – in addition to serving as a full-time nurse and administrator. She would often work through the night and be back on the floor in the morning for her shift. With her faith and hard work, her business grew. Her perseverance and tenacity were legendary. After facing countless setbacks in state approval for new building plans essential to accommodate her growing business and foreseen federal mandates, LouElla traveled to Pierre, knitting needles and Thermos in hand, and refused to leave the state office until the building plans were approved. As the founder of Riverview Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, her skilled nursing facility would ultimately grow to license 83 beds and include home health, rehabilitation, and independent living. A trailblazer in geriatrics, she traveled extensively, working at the state and national levels to organize nursing homes into a collective voice, while advocating for physical therapy, optimized nutrition plans, and patient-centered, home-like care for all of her residents. She was president of the board of directors of SDHCA from '57-'59. She didn't take a back seat to anyone.
LouElla never failed to find time to volunteer. While in Germany, she worked with the Red Cross and Salvation Army to organize the distribution of clothing from America. Back home, she extended herself during many South Dakota tragedies, including the Rapid City flood and the Spencer tornado. In 1976 and 1982, she was a main organization support for her son Bill's successful campaigns for Attorney General and Governor of South Dakota, later supporting his additional successful gubernatorial campaigns in 1994 and 1998. After "retiring," she left the comforts and safety of home to travel to Africa as a missionary nurse. She worked in Liberia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Somalia, Uganda, and Kenya. She was the only medical provider within 200 miles, doing everything short of major surgery – and delivering over 250 babies. When nearly 70 years old, she returned once again to Africa to work as a liaison between the United Nations and the Government of Somalia. After she discovered her assigned duties were "only paperwork," she quit her position and relocated to the Ethiopian border so she could provide essential clinical medical support rather than shuffle paper. Notwithstanding the Somalian war conditions, she told her family to "not worry" simply because there was a white cross painted on her vehicle roof (although she often drove a motorcycle instead). During this last trip, she met what would become her "Filipino family" - a group of nurses who affectionately came to call her "Mama Lou." Many would ultimately emigrate to the United States, along with their families, to provide nursing care at Riverview. She opened her home to anyone who needed a place to stay. When she returned to the U.S. from Africa, her adventures didn't stop. She smuggled Bibles into Russia in the height of the cold war and traveled extensively through Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Asia. For her volunteer efforts, LouElla was honored with the Jeffersonian Award.
Her faith was the cornerstone of all she did, and LouElla often said that her next step would occur "as the Spirit moved her." Even through her 90s, she would frequently drive solo back and forth between her South Dakota and Florida homes, visiting friends and relatives along the way. She would bake 20-30 loaves of banana bread at a time for Riverview, cook gallons of soup and spaghetti sauce for the Salvation Army in Archer, FL, and make sandwiches to hand out to the homeless. She would sew cloth bags filled with essentials and send them overseas. She let her nursing license go inactive at age 96 and was, at that time, the oldest practicing licensed nurse in South Dakota. Once a nurse, always a nurse.
By age 102, she had finally slowed down enough to start getting her nails manicured. At age 104, she was still "holding court" and presiding over her large family dinners. At age 106, she was still grabbing her great-grandchildren by the arm to confirm that they were "on the winning team," at "the top of their class," and going to be "boss of the world." She prayed for everyone, voraciously read, and always said that her work on this earth wasn't finished until "her eyes grew dim" and her "hands grew slack." So when that occurred in the morning on December 26th, she peacefully left this earth to finally see her savior, Jesus Christ, face to face. Her last earthly words were "Glory to God in the Highest".
LouElla is survived by five children: Willa Faris, TN; JoAnn (Ron) Lind, Fredric Janklow, Lou Janklow, and Lloyd Nace, Jr., all of SD; daughters-in-law Mary Dean and Mary Ellen, both of SD; along with many beloved grandchildren, great-grandchildren, extended family, and her Filipino and African family. LouElla was preceded in death by her husband Arthur Janklow Sr., husband Lloyd Nace Sr., son William, son Arthur, grandson Robert, all nine siblings and her parents.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, January 2, 2021, at Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Flandreau, with burial in Union Cemetery, Flandreau. Visitation will be preceding services at the church. Livestream will be available at www.skrochfc.com. Masks and social distancing are requested.
Any donations would be sent to the Sioux Falls Salvation Army and the Emmanual Adventist Academy in the Philippines.
SERVICES
Funeral Service
Saturday, January 02, 2021
2:00 PM
Our Savior's Lutheran Church
505 S Wind Street
Flandreau, South Dakota 57028
Get Directions on Google Maps
"God would provide" has always been her motto. When she returned to Flandreau in 1954, she purchased the local nursing home, which had only three patients. She worked any position needed – from maintenance to laundry – in addition to serving as a full-time nurse and administrator. She would often work through the night and be back on the floor in the morning for her shift. With her faith and hard work, her business grew. Her perseverance and tenacity were legendary. After facing countless setbacks in state approval for new building plans essential to accommodate her growing business and foreseen federal mandates, LouElla traveled to Pierre, knitting needles and Thermos in hand, and refused to leave the state office until the building plans were approved. As the founder of Riverview Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, her skilled nursing facility would ultimately grow to license 83 beds and include home health, rehabilitation, and independent living. A trailblazer in geriatrics, she traveled extensively, working at the state and national levels to organize nursing homes into a collective voice, while advocating for physical therapy, optimized nutrition plans, and patient-centered, home-like care for all of her residents. She was president of the board of directors of SDHCA from '57-'59. She didn't take a back seat to anyone.
LouElla never failed to find time to volunteer. While in Germany, she worked with the Red Cross and Salvation Army to organize the distribution of clothing from America. Back home, she extended herself during many South Dakota tragedies, including the Rapid City flood and the Spencer tornado. In 1976 and 1982, she was a main organization support for her son Bill's successful campaigns for Attorney General and Governor of South Dakota, later supporting his additional successful gubernatorial campaigns in 1994 and 1998. After "retiring," she left the comforts and safety of home to travel to Africa as a missionary nurse. She worked in Liberia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Somalia, Uganda, and Kenya. She was the only medical provider within 200 miles, doing everything short of major surgery – and delivering over 250 babies. When nearly 70 years old, she returned once again to Africa to work as a liaison between the United Nations and the Government of Somalia. After she discovered her assigned duties were "only paperwork," she quit her position and relocated to the Ethiopian border so she could provide essential clinical medical support rather than shuffle paper. Notwithstanding the Somalian war conditions, she told her family to "not worry" simply because there was a white cross painted on her vehicle roof (although she often drove a motorcycle instead). During this last trip, she met what would become her "Filipino family" - a group of nurses who affectionately came to call her "Mama Lou." Many would ultimately emigrate to the United States, along with their families, to provide nursing care at Riverview. She opened her home to anyone who needed a place to stay. When she returned to the U.S. from Africa, her adventures didn't stop. She smuggled Bibles into Russia in the height of the cold war and traveled extensively through Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Asia. For her volunteer efforts, LouElla was honored with the Jeffersonian Award.
Her faith was the cornerstone of all she did, and LouElla often said that her next step would occur "as the Spirit moved her." Even through her 90s, she would frequently drive solo back and forth between her South Dakota and Florida homes, visiting friends and relatives along the way. She would bake 20-30 loaves of banana bread at a time for Riverview, cook gallons of soup and spaghetti sauce for the Salvation Army in Archer, FL, and make sandwiches to hand out to the homeless. She would sew cloth bags filled with essentials and send them overseas. She let her nursing license go inactive at age 96 and was, at that time, the oldest practicing licensed nurse in South Dakota. Once a nurse, always a nurse.
By age 102, she had finally slowed down enough to start getting her nails manicured. At age 104, she was still "holding court" and presiding over her large family dinners. At age 106, she was still grabbing her great-grandchildren by the arm to confirm that they were "on the winning team," at "the top of their class," and going to be "boss of the world." She prayed for everyone, voraciously read, and always said that her work on this earth wasn't finished until "her eyes grew dim" and her "hands grew slack." So when that occurred in the morning on December 26th, she peacefully left this earth to finally see her savior, Jesus Christ, face to face. Her last earthly words were "Glory to God in the Highest".
LouElla is survived by five children: Willa Faris, TN; JoAnn (Ron) Lind, Fredric Janklow, Lou Janklow, and Lloyd Nace, Jr., all of SD; daughters-in-law Mary Dean and Mary Ellen, both of SD; along with many beloved grandchildren, great-grandchildren, extended family, and her Filipino and African family. LouElla was preceded in death by her husband Arthur Janklow Sr., husband Lloyd Nace Sr., son William, son Arthur, grandson Robert, all nine siblings and her parents.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, January 2, 2021, at Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Flandreau, with burial in Union Cemetery, Flandreau. Visitation will be preceding services at the church. Livestream will be available at www.skrochfc.com. Masks and social distancing are requested.
Any donations would be sent to the Sioux Falls Salvation Army and the Emmanual Adventist Academy in the Philippines.
SERVICES
Funeral Service
Saturday, January 02, 2021
2:00 PM
Our Savior's Lutheran Church
505 S Wind Street
Flandreau, South Dakota 57028
Get Directions on Google Maps
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