Alice Mae (Thormodsgaard) Loneman was born October 24 1937, to Edwin & Lillian (Beeler) Thormodsgaard in their home in Union County near Spink, South Dakota. She was baptized and confirmed at the Brule Creek Lutheran Church, rural Elk Point, SD.

Alice Attended North Spink Rural School. She attended Augustana Academy in Canton, SD, graduating in 1955.

As a child, she always enjoyed going to Grandpa & Grandma Thormodsgaard's for Christmas Eve. Grandma always had tasty Norwegian Goodies that Aunt Selma and Aunt Myrtle Pete assisted her in baking. After the evening meal, they would gather in the living room where her grandpa would read the Christmas story from the Bible. The cousin's took turns reciting their Sunday School Christmas pieces while standing by the beautifully decorated tree. During the year they always looked forward to Aunts, Uncles, and cousins coming to their home to visit. The girl cousins would always go to Alice's room upstairs. Cousins Carol and Janet loved to play with her dolls.

After high school, she worked for the K&K Co. in Akron where she was bookkeeper and clerk. However, she knew she did not want to spend the rest of her life selling dresses to women.

Through the encouragement of her parents and high school teacher, Miss Berge, who was a missionary from Bolivia, she decided to go to college. She enrolled at Southern State College in Springfield, SD where she secured a degree in education in 1958. She studied for two years and three summers. During this time, she worked in the college bookstore. She accepted a teaching position at the Greenfield Rural School, Clay Co., SD, the fall of 1960. This was a great experience for her as she was able to teach all eight grades during her three years. She decided she liked working with the younger children, especially first grade.

After attending more summer school, she was able to graduate August 6, 1963, with a BS in Education. She taught first grade in Centerville from September 1963 to May 1978. During this time, she did some traveling during the summers. With her parents, she toured the Black Hills area, visited relatives in Washington and California. She took educational tours in Alaska, Bicentennial tour to the East, and Northwest tour which included parts of Canada.

Alice married Francis Loneman on July 16 1978. They lived in Armour, SD. She worked at the Delmont School District. One year was at a rural school on the Hutterite Colony which was an excellent experience. Two years were spent in the Delmont School teaching the Title Program in math and reading.

During the summer she and Francis traveled to Hawaii on an educational tour. In the fall of 1981 they moved to Hawarden, IA where they operated a hardware store until the summer of 1985. They moved to Dupree for one year where Alice taught second grade. With all the snow that winter, we had the opportunity to go to New Mexico to teach. In 1986 they moved to Grants, NM. She taught third grade for one year at the St. Teresa School in Grants. From 1987 to 1992, she taught at the Acoma Pueblo School which was an enjoyable experience.

From 1992 to 1999, she taught first grade at the Chichiltah/Jones Ranch School on the Navajo Reservation in Vanderwagon, NM. She really enjoyed her work with the Navajo children and has remained friends to many of her Navajo co-workers. They enjoyed returning to school each fall to help judge the science fair. It was so nice seeing the progress of the students and visiting with friends. After thirty-five years of teaching, she retired in May 1999. The Navajo faculty presented her with a farewell pot luck dinner and a beautiful Pendleton Indian Friendship blanket.

In her retirement she pursued some of her hobbies including needlepoint, counted cross stitch, and embroidery work. She enjoys baking and reading good books. She was a secretary to the Ladies Church Guild and taught Sunday school.

In December 2007, they moved to Centerville and so enjoyed being back in the area. After moving back Alice was able to reconnect with many friends, family and past students. Over the years she and LeAnn made many trips to Dollar General and Burger King where she enjoyed her twist in a dish.

In 2022 Alice moved to the Centerville Care and Rehab Center where she enjoyed attending chapel, doing (and collecting) word searches, and attending coffee time where she most generally could be found having any sort of sweet treat, especially ice cream.

She was proceeded in death by her parents, brother Elvin, and husband Francis. She is survived by cousins and friends.

Funeral services will be 1PM Thursday, August 22, 2024 at Scandia Lutheran Church, 251 Broadway, St., Centerville, SD  57014. Burial will follow at Pleasant Hill United Brethren Cemetery, rural Spink, SD. Memorials can be directed to Scandia Lutheran Church or Pleasant Hill United Brethren Cemetery, 31027 476th Ave., Alcester, SD  57001. Sympathy cards may be mailed in care of Alice to PO Box 56, Centerville, SD  57014. Services will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/ScandiaLutheranChurch/