Francis J. Winker
May 9, 1925 - Dec. 20, 2006
MILAN -- Francis Joseph Winker, 81, of Milan died Wednesday at Avera-McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The service will be at 5 p.m. today at Kviteseid Lutheran Church in Milan. There will be a service at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Brookings, S.D. Burial will be at the church cemetery in Brookings.
Visitation will be for one hour prior to the service today at Kviteseid Lutheran Church and prior to the service at the church in Brookings. Arrangements are with Anderson Funeral Home in Montevideo.
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He was born May 9, 1925, in Kingsbury County, S.D., to John and Martha (Feuerstein) Winker. He attended rural and Sioux Falls schools and graduated from St. Agatha High in Howard, S.D., in 1943. He worked at a defense plant in Seattle, Wash., during World War II. He returned to South Dakota in 1946 and worked in mechanics.
He married Georgia (Tillie) Luthi on Nov. 23, 1953, in Woonsocket, S.D. They moved to Brookings in 1956 and he worked for South Dakota State University for more than 29 years. He also operated home businesses and a transmission shop. Georgia died in 1993.
He married Suzi Thompson in April of 1997 in Milan. They lived in Milan.
He was a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Brookings and the Elks Club.
He is survived by his wife; children: Cindy (and Chris) Borges, Scott Winker, LeAnn Winker, all of Dallas, Texas, Lonnie (and Debbie) Winker of Volga, S.D., Brad Winker of Brookings, Tom Winker (and Liz Bara) of Sioux Falls; three stepchildren: Bruce (and Doreen) Thompson of San Diego, Calif., Linda (and Jamie) Smith of Appleton, Wis., Betty (and Matt) Wolkow of LeMars, Iowa; 10 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and five siblings: George Winker, Charles Winker, Ruth Winker, Bridget Hoveland and Mary Ferry.
He was preceded in death by his first wife in 1993, one brother and six sisters.
