Marguerite Oligmueller, age 93, of Sioux Falls, SD, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Ava's House Hospice Facility in Sioux Falls.

The Funeral Mass at 10:30 AM on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, will be livestreamed.

To View the Livestream of the Funeral Mass, CLICK HERE

Marguerite Loretta Thernes was born on November 20, 1932, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Frank and Margaret (Poth) Thernes. Upon graduating from Seton High School, she took her first job as a secretary at the headquarters for Kroger grocery stores.

While visiting her sister Catherine in South Dakota, Marguerite met and fell in love with a young cowboy, Leonard Oligmueller. After a long-distance courtship, Marguerite and Leonard were married in St. Lawrence Church in Cincinnati on September 29, 1956. They moved to the Oligmueller family ranch near Highmore, South Dakota, where they farmed, ranched, ran a successful custom farming business, and raised their four boys and three girls.

In addition to the ranch, Marguerite was very involved at Immaculate Conception Parish, where she was church treasurer, a catechism teacher, and a dedicated member of the Altar Society. She also actively participated in Hyde County and South Dakota Right to Life organizations.

In 1978, Marguerite began working as a secretary to the superintendent of Crow Creek High School, where she worked for a number of years. She was also elected and twice re-elected to the Hyde County School District's school board, and she served on the Associated School Boards of South Dakota.

In 2001, Marguerite and Leonard moved to Sioux Falls after selling the ranch, giving them much more time to dote on their grandchildren, and she was a committed Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in Minnehaha County as well as a faithful volunteer at St. Michael Catholic Parish.

Marguerite was a skilled baker and loved to share her creations with friends and family, especially around Christmas. She readily engaged her wonderful sense of humor and was a collector and teller of "dad jokes" before they were popular. Many friends spent hours sitting on the barstools in her kitchen sharing laughs and stories, and if you ever left her house hungry, it was your own fault.

She is survived by her children: Deb Bennett and husband Jim, Jeff and wife Charleen, Mike, Lisa, Julie Kellen and husband Scott, Dave and wife Keri, and Steve and husband Steve Crusenberry; eight grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Leonard; parents Frank and Margaret Thernes; and four siblings: Catherine Gallagher and husband Jack, Anna Thernes, Hilda Thernes, and Frank Thernes and wife Anita.

A visitation, with family present, will be held from 5:00 - 7:00 PM on Monday, July 6, 2026, at Miller Funeral Home - Westside (6200 W 41st St) in Sioux Falls. A prayer service and rosary will follow starting at 7:00 PM.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 AM on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at St. Michael Catholic Church (1600 S. Marion Road) in Sioux Falls. Burial will follow at St. Michael Catholic Cemetery in Sioux Falls.

The family requests that memorial donations be directed to Ava's House Hospice Facility, whose exceptional care brought comfort to Marguerite and her family during a difficult time.