Rosella Glynn

Rosella Glynn, 97, of White River, S.D. passed away on Tuesday, December 2, 2025 at the Winner Regional Healthcare Facility in Winner, S.D. Funeral service was held on Tuesday, December 9, 2025 at 11:00AM at the White River Methodist Church in White River, S.D. Burial followed in the White River Cemetery. Visitation was held one hour prior to funeral service.

Rosella Genevieve (Reichardt) Glynn was born near Wood, S.D. on April 20, 1928, to John and Anna (Larsen) Reichardt.

Along with older brother Lloyd, she spent her formative years attending various country schools, where they often arrived by horseback. With the family’s moves during those years, Rosie stayed in a dorm so she could attend high school in Murdo. Her Junior and Senior years found her moving back home, where she attended and graduated from White River High School, in 1946. She spent the next two years working as a Stenographer for the Mellette and Todd Counties Social Security Administration.

On October 10, 1948, she wed Derrill Glynn at the White River United Methodist Church. She spent the next 46 years on their ranch in northwest Mellette County, where most of that time was spent growing the best garden, cooking the best meals, sewing the most beautiful quilts, crocheting the most beautiful doilies, and raising the most rambunctious children – Clayton, Roger, Clifford, Karen and Glenda.  Until 1974, this was done while living in the ranch’s sod house, which had been built in 1920 – with no running water or inside bathroom. As the children grew and became more involved in school activities, Rosie and Derrill moved a house that was on a piece of land they had recently purchased, into White River. She and the kids stayed in town during the school week, coming home to the sod house on weekends and during the summer months. With the house in town, she became a school-term-second-mother to Irvin Shouldis and Mugs Fairbanks.

When all the kids had graduated from high school, Rosie and Derrill sold the house in town, and built a beautiful new home on the ranch, where they lived until 1995, when they retired and sold the ranch to their son Roger. Once again, Rosie moved back to White River, where she stayed following Derrill’s death in 2007, until 2014, when she moved one final time to the Golden Prairie Manor in Winner, S.D.

Rosie enjoyed her social life in the Cedar Butte community, which often consisted of many neighbor ladies gathering to help each other serve delicious meals to large branding and cattle-working crews of men. She was also an active member of the United Methodist Church, having served as Financial Secretary, and as a member of the United Methodist Women. She served as a Cub Scout Den Mother, and loved attending gatherings of Cottonwood Ladies Aid, Rebekahs, Sewing Club, Red Hat Club, and the White River Senior Citizens Center.

In her retirement years, she discovered a hidden talent – writing poetry. Her poems began describing stories of her life growing up. With encouragement from her family, she compiled these poems into a booklet, titled My Wood Roots. When this segment of her life was now told and printed, she began writing poems about her and her family’s life as a ranch-wife in the Badlands. These too were printed into a booklet, titled The House that Tuggle Built. These poems and stories are valued pieces of history – sharing what life was like for her in over nine decades of living in Mellette County, S.D.

Rosie passed away on December 2, 2025 at the Winner Regional Hospital in Winner, S.D.

Mourning their loss are her children Clayton of Wright, Wyo.; Roger and wife Joyce of Belvidere, S.D.; and daughter Karen Schmidt and husband Melvin “Junior” of Sioux Falls.  Surviving grandchildren are Roger’s children – Amber (David Johnson) of Sioux Falls, and Matt (Katherine) Glynn of Belvidere; Karen’s children – Wesley (Nancy) Schmidt of Norris, S.D. and Sarah (Shawn) Swanson of Sioux Falls. Great-grandchildren are Amber’s children – Katelyn, Alexis, and Finnley; Matt’s children – Emmett and Mason; and Sarah’s children – Reilly, Cael and Elliott.

Welcoming Rosie into their Father’s Heavenly home are her parents, husband Derrill, son Clifford, daughter Glenda, grandson Michael, daughter-in-law Lois, and brother Lloyd.