Obituary of Christine Suzanne Vellek

Christine S. Vellek, age 87 of Yankton, SD passed away with her daughters at her side on Monday, May 1, 2017 at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, Yankton, SD. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 6, 2017 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Yankton, SD with Rev. Larry Regynski officiating. Burial will be in the Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery, Yankton, SD. Visitations will begin at 5:00 p.m., Friday, May 5, 2017 at Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home & Crematory, Yankton, SD with a Rosary at 6:45 p.m. and a Scripture service at 7:00 p.m. Visitations will resume one hour prior to the service at the church. On-line condolences may be sent at: www.opsahl-kostelfuneralhome.com.

Christine was born August 6, 1929 in Yankton, SD to Adolph and Anna (Wuestewald) Sieler.  She married Steve Vellek on January 1952 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and they lived happily together for 60 years.  Christine and Steve were truly soulmates.  Christine enjoyed being a wife, mother and grandmother.  She enjoyed having coffee and visiting with neighbors and playing cards with her cousins and talking about old times.  Christine also loved to play pinochle, bingo, going bowling and going to the Senior Center.  She was a member of the Red Hats of Yankton, and a volunteer on the funeral committee at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.  She enjoyed the company of Jamica, the grand-dog.  She enjoyed teaching her grandson, Aaron to play cards, gardening and listening to Aaron play his violin and always loved a good conversation.

Those who will cherish her memory and will miss her dearly are her daughters, Nancy (Trent) Nelson of Sioux Falls, SD and Mary Ann (Patrick) Cummins of O’Fallon, IL; grandson, Aaron Cummins of O’Fallon, IL and her long time neighbors of Yankton, SD. 

Christine was preceded in death by her husband, Steve; her infant daughter, Teresa; her parents, Adolph and Anna; sister, Jeanette Sieler and brother, John Sieler.