Esther Kuper

Esther May Kuper passed away on Friday, October 21, 2022, at Dow Rummel Village. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, October 27th at 11:00 am at Turner County First Evangelical Church, Davis, SD. A private burial will be held prior to the funeral. In lieu of flowers memorials can be made to Turner County First Evangelical, Lennox Senior Center or any other charitable organization. Esther was born on the family farm North of Lennox on November 17, 1928, to Gilbert and Dora Andreessen Schoffelman. She attended the Schoffelman school through 8th grade and then Lennox High School, graduating in 1946. After high school she began work at the grocery store in Lennox. She told of times when the customer line would get long so the owner would ask her to add orders mentally. The owner asked her to do this saying that she never found Esther to make an error. When the Postmaster asked Esther to work for him, she left the grocery store to begin a 27-year career with the Postal Service. She married Norman Kuper in January 1949, and they were blessed to have 68 years together. Norman and Esther farmed in the area for many years starting near Chancellor and moving to Davis in 1965. Esther left the post office for a period of time to stay at home helping Norman on the farm and raising their children. After the youngest began school, she returned to the Post Office where she served as a clerk in Lennox and Sioux Falls as well as serving as the interim Postmaster for several towns before retiring in 1992. Following her retirement, she enjoyed gardening and used her green thumb working at DeLoof's greenhouse. In 1999, Norman and Esther moved their home to Lennox. There she continued her passion for gardening by tending to a beautiful flower garden raising a wide variety of flowers with her favorite being her peony bushes. She enjoyed volunteering at the Good Samaritan Center where she brought residents to the beauty salon. She assisted at the Lennox Senior Center and also spent many years volunteering for RSVP having been awarded Volunteer of the Year. Esther looked forward to fall and sharing her time at the Turner County Fair where she tended to the Open Class building. Norman and Esther enjoyed traveling and were able to see many parts of the country over the years. She loved to read, make jelly, can fruit, and bake cookies for her grandchildren. It was one of her greatest joys (and to Norman's chagrin) to have her children and grandchildren come home and ransack the cupboards and freezer for her homemade cookies and bars. She and Norman enjoyed doing puzzles together to pass time in the colder months. Survivors include her children Loren (Marjean) Kuper of Blackhawk, Venita (Jim) Winterboer of Brookings, Jody Kuper of Milbank, and Tami (Wes) Harms of Harrisburg, SD. Esther is survived by eleven grandchildren and eighteen great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Norman and daughter-in-law LeAnn. She was the last living family member of the Schoffelman family, surviving her sisters Hilda Jelsma, Laura Kuper, and brothers Aldrich, John, Elmer, and Henry. Services will begin at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, October 27, at Turner County Evangelical Presbyterian Church, rural Davis, with private burial preceding the service in the Lennox Cemetery. Visitation with the family present, also at Turner County Evangelical Presbyterian Church will be 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday. Memorials may directed to the Turner County Evangelical Presbyterian Church or the Lennox Senior Citizens.

Esther Kuper

November 17, 1928 - October 21, 2022

Explore Obituaries &
Upcoming Services