Arlene Marie Pruess, 75, Sturgis, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 14, 2011, at Close to Home Hospice House in Gillette, WY, after four weeks of her daughter's and in-home hospice care at her home in Sturgis.

Visitation will be Sunday from noon to 9:00 p.m. at Kinkade Funeral Chapel in Sturgis.

Funeral services will be held Monday, December 19, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Sturgis with Rev. Denzel Nonhof and Pastor Harold Delbridge officiating. Burial will follow at Black Hills National Cemetery.

Arlene was born prematurely with her twin brother, Allen, on May 24, 1936, in Philip, SD, to Clifford and Ruth (Coleman) Sanders. She lived in Philip until the age of 11 when the family moved to the family ranch at Enning, SD. Arlene attended the local rural schools until she lived in the dorms and attended Wasta High School. She worked as a waitress for many years while attending school. High School was where Arlene made many life-long friends.

She married Oscar Wayne "Bud" Pruess in June 1955 and three children were born to this union. The family lived in various towns of South Dakota and even spent three years in Modesto, CA. Her heart was always in South Dakota, but she did enjoy that new state experience, especially since their dearest friends also moved there. The family then moved back to Wasta to live closer to family and remained there until moving to Rapid City in 1969.

After being mainly a "stay at home mom," Arlene started working at K-Mart where she was employed for 20 + years, which she was very proud of. She retired in 1986.

Arlene and Bud enjoyed their retirement traveling to see relatives and friends. Their other passions were scouring antique shops and doing crafts and hobbies. They moved to Gillette, WY, in 1989 to be closer to their daughters and grandchildren.

In 1994, they moved to Sturgis, their final move. Arlene and Bud enjoyed the many visits of family and friends to their home. Bud passed away in 1998 and Arlene stayed in her home, which was very important to her, despite many struggles with her health.

She will be greatly missed by her two daughters, Bonnie (Darin) Wulf and Wanda (Ron) Rice, all of Gillette; one sister, Diane "Toots" (Harley) Greenwaldt, Box Elder, SD; three brothers, Ronald "Butch" Sanders, Spearfish, SD, Allen "Ike" Sanders, Three Rivers, MA, and Kenny Sanders, Hurricane, UT; three special sisters-in-law, Carol Sanders, Three Rivers, MA, JoAnn Sanders, Spearfish, and Francie Sanders, Rapid City; grandchildren, Jeremy Wulf, Alyssa Wasick, Robert Wasick, Janae Griffin, Niki Wulf, Trevor Wulf, Tyler Rice, and Shelby Rice; great-grandchildren, Taelor Volk, Jacoby Truman Wulf, Braden Griffin, and Madeline Wulf; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Cliff and Ruth Sanders; her husband, Oscar Wayne "Bud" Pruess; one son, Ronald Wayne Pruess; one brother, Norman Sanders; and one granddaughter, Amy Dawn Pruess.

A memorial has been established to Hospice of the Northern Hills.

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