Elaine E. Ahlers, age 91 of Flandreau, passed away Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at Edgewood Vista in Flandreau.

Elaine Ella was born February 5, 1926 in Auburndale, Wisconsin to Leo M. and Ella J.J. (Helms) Seitz. She attended McKinley Country School and Stratford High School in Stratford, WI. Elaine moved to Portland, OR with her sister, Verna, and worked in the mail order department for Montgomery Ward until a blind date with Donald Ahlers changed everything. They were married in Vancouver, WA on October 1, 1949. Don and Elaine moved to a farm one mile north of Flandreau where they lived until they moved into town in 2014. They celebrated 65 years together in 2014. She was a member of Ss. Simon and Jude Catholic Church, Catholic Daughters and Altar Society. Elaine enjoyed gardening, square dancing, needlework, and quilting.

Her children are grateful for all the things she taught them about gardening with or without a hoe, sewing with or without a pattern, cooking with or without a recipe, and medical care without WebMD. They all learned good penmanship from endless pages of writing phrases like “I will pick up my pajamas” and “I will not fight with (insert name here)”.They also excelled in verbal communications and the Ahlers version of “sign language.” These skills are currently being passed onto her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Elaine is survived by six children, Jean (James) Foster, Mountain Home, TX; Sharon Nelson, Rapid City, SD; Richard (Mary), Marshall, MN; Carol (Stuart) Kitayama, LaSelva Beach, CA; Darrell (Edith), Conifer, CO; Susan Ahlers, Burnsville, MN; 12 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; sister, Verna (Aulney) Brown; brother, Harold (Joyce) Seitz; sisters-in-law, Delores Seitz and Helen Seitz and many nieces and nephews.

Elaine was preceded in death by her husband, Donald, son-in-law, Wayne Nelson and siblings, Gladys Austin, Marvin, Kenneth, Donald, and Ray Seitz.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, November 13, 2017 at Ss. Simon and Jude Catholic Church with burial in the church cemetery. Visitation will be 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday with a 4:00 p.m. prayer service followed by a rosary at Skroch Funeral Chapel. www.skrochfc.com