Sheron L. Gulbranson

Posted

Sheron L. Gulbranson, 84, of Brookings, passed away, Monday, July 20, 2020 at the Brookings Hospital.
Sheron Lorraine (Wandell) was born in Goldendale, WA on Nov. 15, 1935 premature and was incubated on an oven door. She went to 1st grade at McKinley in rural Toppenish, WA.
In 1944 they moved to South Dakota, living northwest of Flandreau where her dad farmed with her uncle.  She went to country schools (Riverview and Dexter) 2nd grade thru 8th grade and Flandreau High School. After her parents moved to Sioux Falls to run a restaurant, she moved in with her cousin so she could complete her schooling at Rutland. Here is where she met the love of her life, Merle. After graduation she helped in her parents’ restaurant (White Castle) until she got married to Merle A. Gulbranson September 2, 1956. They made their home in Crooks, Colton and north of Brookings before they bought a farm in 1960. In 1961, the couple bought Purina feeds with her brother-in- law Harold which included mobile feed grinding around the Brookings area, then took over Purina Produce in Flandreau until 1970. They lived on the farm until 1989 when they sold it and moved to Brookings.
While her husband was able to get various jobs to support the family along with farming, she was a stay at home mom. She tried keeping her kids busy while they were at home. During the summer they would take the horses to Flandreau or wherever, or ride bicycle to White. She taught the kids to cook, sew, and be creative with their minds, etc. She taught them to respect their elders and not to forget them. Sheron started working for the nearby turkey farm after raising the last of the 8 kids. She also worked at Daktronics working there until retiring in 1997. Being retired she still helped out with the family, grandkids and taking care of pets. When her husband retired, they traveled a bit by themselves and with grandkids. They celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2016 and Merle A. passed away June 4, 2018.
Sheron is survived by 8 children: Merle M. (DeAnn), Colman; Craig, Scott (Jill Hankins), Todd (Deborah), Terry (Lori), all of Brookings; Pamela (Bryan Behm) LeVasseur, Omaha, NE; Anna (Les) Bothe, Badger and Sidney, Madison; 16 grandkids and 11 great grandkids.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Paul Everett Wandell, her sister, Charlott “Joan” Jacobson and two grandkids, Leah and Dustin Gulbranson.
Private family services were  held Friday, July 24, 2020.
Burial will at Midway Lutheran Cemetery, rural Colman.
www.skrochfc.com