A joint memorial service celebrating the lives of Irene Zimmerman Howell and Robert Dean Howell, of Aberdeen, will be 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, December 28, 2016, at Schriver’s Memorial Mortuary & Crematory, 414 5th Avenue NW, Aberdeen, with Pastor Chris Strohm officiating.

Spring burial will take place at the Butler Cemetery in Butler, SD.

Irene was born November 18, 1925 in Oak Gulch Township near Crandall. She was one of 11 children born to Frank and Emma (Stern) Loterbauer.

Irene married Raymond Petersen on December 20, 1941, who later was killed in the Battle of Saint-Lô in Feance. To this union was born a daughter, Virginia. On June 3, 1946 she married Lloyd “Bud” Zimmerman. They made their home in Butler until buying the Chris & Trean Wingard farm in Valley Township. Never afraid of hard work, Irene worked along side her husband in the fields and tending the livestock. Randy and Brent were born to this marriage. Lloyd passed away in 1970.

Irene's life focused on care giving. From nurturing newborn calves and pigs on the farm to taking in and feeding friends and family, Irene was at her finest when she could help someone in need. In the late 1960’s, she worked as a CNA at Sun Dial Manor in Bristol. Following Lloyd’s death, she was one of the pioneer VISTA workers in the area, traveling the entire State of South Dakota helping the impoverished. When she moved to Webster, she worked for Doctors Lovering, Bell, Nelson and Vogelgesang in the Day County Medical Center.

Irene married Bob Howell on May 20, 1978, after which the couple moved to Tucson, Arizona. Irene continued her lifelong vocation of care giving in various nursing homes there, and was widely sought out for private care by families who knew her. Bob & Irene moved back to Aberdeen in 2004, where she became known for her gardening, flowers, baking, canning and cooking skills. No one ever left Irene’s kitchen hungry.

Irene passed away Thursday, December 15th in Aberdeen.

She is survived by her children, Virginia (Harold) Pemble, Randy Zimmerman and Brent (Vickie) Zimmerman and their children and grandchildren; her stepdaughter, Doreen (James) Collins and two granddaughters; her brothers Glenn (Jeanette) Loterbauer and Robert (Rita) Loterbauer; her sister-in-law Donna Johnson and brother-in-law, Dennis (Claudia) Howell.

She was preceded in death by her husbands, parents, stepson Robert Howell Jr., and siblings Donald Loterbauer, Rachel Reiprich, Francis Dewey, James Loterbauer, Edward Loterbauer, Alice Miller, Raymond Loterbauer and Lester Loterbauer.

Adapted from Schriver's Memorial Mortuary and Crematory obituary