Virginia Eva Guptill

Virginia Guptill of Rapid City, South Dakota, died on Saturday, August 24, 2019 at Hospice of the Hills in Rapid City at the age of 94.
Virginia Eva Guptill was born April 2, 1925 in the family farm house in Tyndall, South Dakota to Charles and Sylvia (Dunn) Hisek. At age four, she moved with her family to Buffalo Gap, South Dakota.
She attended a country school at Harrison Flats and graduated from Cathedral High School in Rapid City in 1943. After high school, she worked at the Bell Telephone Company as a Telephone Operator and it was during this time that she was fixed up on a blind date with her future husband, a handsome US Air Force Pilot and WWII veteran, Earl Guptill. The two were united in marriage October 18, 1947 at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Rapid City.
After they were married they lived on Earl’s mother’s place on Potato Creek until they moved to Wall in early 1949. They lived in Wall for six years while Earl made a living flying his airplane doing crop spraying during the summers and coyote hunting in the winters. In 1956, they moved to a farm south of Interior where they raised their six children and built their home while farming, ranching, and raising alfalfa seed. They continued working together on the farm until Earl's death in 1987, after which time, Virginia moved to Rapid City where she lived for the remainder of her years.
Virginia had numerous talents including baking, needlepoint, sewing, gardening, canning, ceramics, and playing bridge. Her family was also blessed with her creative talents. Among other things, she always had a new beautifully crocheted baby blanket at the ready for each new family addition that came along. On the farm she always was always ready for company with delicious food, her famous atomic chocolate cake, and iced tea ready at a moment’s notice.
In her later years, Virginia always kept busy with her multiple volunteer activities. She spent many hours running the rug loom at the Canyon Lake Senior Center and helped with numerous duties while living at the Good Samaritan Society at Echo Ridge. She was a member of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help where she crocheted and donated numerous prayer shawls over the years. She was also a member of the American Legion Auxiliary for 56+ years.
Grateful for sharing her life are her three sons; Leroy (Linda), Jim (Patti), Pat (Mary Lou); three daughters; Karen Langager, Connie (Bernard) Guptill-Cuny, and Carolyn Johnson (Mark Hixson); 17 grandchildren; numerous great-grandchildren; a sister Lucille Streeck; sister-in-law Jean Cutler; and numerous nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband Earl; her parents; son-in-law Harvey Langager, two sisters Laura and Sylvia; one brother Donald; and three grandchildren.
A rosary service will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 29, at Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Rapid City.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, August 30, at Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
Interment will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, August 30 at the Interior Fairview Cemetery in Interior.
Arrangements are with Rush Funeral Home of Philip.