Roma M. Halvorson, 93, of rural Wakonda, South Dakota died of natural causes Sunday, October 22nd 2023 at the Centerville Care and Rehab Center.  Funeral services are scheduled for Friday, November 3rd at 10 am at Pleasant Valley Lutheran Church of rural Vermillion, with a visitation and prayer service on Thursday evening, November 2nd, from 5pm to 7pm, also at the church. Burial will be at Riverview Cemetery, rural Centerville, South Dakota.

Roma Mae Dibbert was born February 12, 1930, at home in rural Osmond, Nebraska, to George and Lillie (Hitz) Dibbert, just two days before their first anniversary.  She was baptized into the Lutheran faith at just a few days old, due to fears of a scarlet fever outbreak at the time.  She was the oldest granddaughter on both sides of the family and her favorite childhood memories were of being out on the farm with her dad and spending long visits at the neighboring farms of her numerous aunts and uncles.  The family welcomed a baby brother, Ronald, forever known as Bud, in 1933, and the two siblings were devoted to each other.

The Great Depression was a tough time to grow up, and the Dibberts moved several times during Roma's childhood, first in northeastern Nebraska, then to South Dakota in 1940, living for a time at what is now the Experiment Farm in rural Beresford.  Roma attended country schools and Centerville High School, graduating in 1948.  Following graduation, she attended a summer session at General Beadle College (now Dakota State University) in Madison, South Dakota, earning a second-grade teaching certificate.  She was always proud of her connection to Dakota State and was thrilled when her son Keith and several grandchildren attended her Alma Mater.  She taught country school for a year in Hooker, South Dakota, earning enough money to buy a bedroom set after her wedding.

She met Robert Halvorson at the skating rink in Centerville as a young teenager; he was the older brother of one of her best friends and classmate, Miriam.  Bob and Roma dated throughout her high school years, their first dates consisting of ice cream at the drugstore after her confirmation classes on Saturday nights…while her parents waited for her in the car.  Despite only being three years older, he was already a graduate of Centerville High School and was farming with his dad and older brother Harold before being drafted into the Army at the end of WWII.  They were married June 19, 1949 at Meldal Lutheran Church of rural Irene, SD, and lived in the second house on the home place north of Irene for four and a half years while Bob farmed in partnership with his father.

They welcomed their first children, daughter Judy and son Jerry in 1950 and 1951, with Duane following in 1954.  By that time, Bob and Roma had struck out on their own, buying a farm southeast of Wakonda, complete with a farm house that had begun life as a country school house and was in a near-constant state of remodel as the family grew. They lived for the rest of their lives on the farm, planting corn, soybeans, oats and alfalfa and raising cattle, hogs, chickens, and children.  Keith was born in 1959, followed by Arlen in 1961, Paul in 1963 and Amy in 1965.  Just five years later the next generation began to arrive, as grandchildren were welcomed into the family and yet another card table was required to seat everyone for holiday dinners.

Roma was proud to be a farm wife, and was happiest outside with her flowers and chickens and her massive vegetable gardens, or in the feedyards choosing which animals were ready to ship.  She floundered a bit as a new bride, however, having to learn to cook and sew from her mother-in-law after she was married.  She always said that her mother wouldn't let her learn, as ingredients were still being rationed during and after WWII and she wasn't trusted not to waste them.  Roma vowed that her children wouldn't start at such a disadvantage, and enrolled the kids in 4-H clubs and had them running mixers and stirring pots on the stove when they were so small that step stools were required to reach the work surface.  Likewise, swim lessons, piano lessons, judging teams and dozens upon dozens of entries at the county fair ensued, as Roma insisted on her kids having the things that hadn't been available to her as a child.  She was active in Extension Clubs and was a fixture in the Open Class section of the Clay County Fair for decades, serving as superintendent of the floriculture section and garnering ribbons for her baked and canned goods, vegetables, and even modeling the best-of-show dress in the Sew Your Own style show.

She began baking and decorating cakes in the 1960s, which grew into a cottage career in the ensuing years, delivering and setting up custom wedding cakes throughout the area.  She was proud to have created the cakes for each of her children's weddings, as well as a massive church-shaped cake for Pleasant Valley's centennial celebration. She and Bob loved to travel the country visiting their kids and grandkids and she was always up for a spur-of-the-moment road trip.

Bob retired from active farming after his 80th birthday, but Roma took more convincing.  They remained on the farm where she busied his retirement years by having him learn to help her sew quilts for grandchildren weddings and graduations.  After his passing in January of 2021, she continued to grow and can her own fruits and vegetables, kept a handful of chickens as pets, and monitored the farm grounds while riding her four-wheeler up until last month. She entered the Centerville Care and Rehab Center when it became too difficult to live alone on the farm, and it is fitting that she spent her final few weeks across from Centerville High School, of which she always spoke with such affection.

Roma is survived by her children: Judy (John) Walker of Windcrest, TX; Jerry (Nan) of Omaha, NE; Keith (Daisy) of Fond du Lac, WI; Arlen (Candy) of Edmond, OK; Paul (Paul Scarlata) of Haymarket, VA; and Amy (Tom) Montoya of Rapid City, SD.  Also her grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchild: Jeanne (Jimmy) Rizzo of La Vernia, TX and Grayson (Shannan) Levy and Hazel of Aiea, Hawaii, Remy Levy of Auburn AL, Audrionna and Ashlyn Rizzo, both of LaVernia, TX; Heather Walker of Keller, TX and Zachary of Tulsa, OK; Sally (Mike) Wischmann and Benjamin, Ellison, and Lucas of Cumming, GA; Jill (Jeff) Frederick and Henry, Harrison, Evelyn and Theodore of Omaha, NE; Erik (Alecia) Halvorson and Kacie and Korbin of Washington, MO; Tim (Abby) Halvorson and Harper, Willow and Reese of Beresford, SD; Nick (Ashley) Halvorson and Noah, Griffin and Amelia of Beresford, SD; Dylan (Randi Lease) Halvorson and Leady and Dillion of Sioux Falls, SD; Kimberly (Josh) Davis and Cora, Collin and Collette of Jenks, OK; Valerie (Terry) Horton and Liam and Vivienne of Edmond, OK; Lori (Andy) Lambert and Rebecca and Jemma of Edmond, OK; Andrew Montoya of Maryland Heights, MO; and Natalie Montoya of Rapid City, SD. Also, brother- and sisters-in-law Lorraine Dibbert of Sioux Falls, SD; Bonnie Torczon of Platte Center, NE; and Helge Jr. and Patty Halvorson of Yankton, SD; honorary son Jay (Becky) Jensen of Irene, SD; as well as a host of cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 71 years, Robert; parents, George and Lillie Dibbert and brother Ronald; son Duane and daughter-in-law Patricia; in-laws Helge Sr. and Florence Halvorson; brothers- and sisters-in-law Harold and Lucille Halvorson, Ward and Olava Freeburg, John and Miriam Nelson, Helen Halvorson, and Clarence Torczon.

Memorials may be directed to The American Legion; Pleasant Valley Lutheran Church; Riverview Cemetery Association of Centerville, SD; or Abbott House in Mitchell, SD.