Former Washington County resident Darlene E Hagedorn, 67, of Hot Springs, S. D., died March 8, 2004, at the Fall River Hospital in Hot Springs after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, March 12, at the Bethesda Lutheran Church in Hot Springs with Rev. Wayne Ahrens officiating. Interment will be at Evergreen Cemetery in Hot Springs.

Darlene Evelyn Sedlacek was born March 28, 1936, in Fremont, to Emil and Elna (Hansen) Sedlacek. Her early years were spent on a farm south of Hooper. At age 2, she moved to a farm south of Blair where she attended the McCarthy rural school until fourth grade. She spent the first half of fourth grade in Blair, finishing fourth through eighth grade at Telbasta School after moving to a farm near Fontanelle. Following the death of her father, the family moved to Fremont where she attended and graduated in 1953 from Fremont High School.

Following high school she taught rural school for three years north of Blair, two years at the Lallman School east of Nickerson, three years in a rural school south of Fremont. Attending Midland College nights and summers, she completed her bachelor’s degree in education in 1967. She attended church at Fontanelle, where she taught Sunday school and was a member of the Women’s Circle.

Following her rural school teaching experience, she was hired to teach third and fourth grade at Linden Elementary School in Fremont, where she met her husband, Vern. They were married July 154, 1972, in the Fontanelle church. Following their marriage, they joined Salem Lutheran Church in Fremont.

The family moved to Gettysburg, S. D. in 1978 where Mrs. Hagedorn was the copy editor for the Potter County News. The family moved to Hot Springs in 1981. Mrs. Hagedorn worked three years as a temporary clerk in the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center personnel department before becoming the water clerk for the City of Hot Springs. She filled this position, gathering many friends with her smiling face and warm heart, for the past 20 years.

She is survived by her husband, Vern Hagedorn of Hot Springs; a daughter and son-in-law, Vanessa and Chris McClure of Fremont; one granddaughter; a brother, Dale Sedlacek of Fremont; a sister, Helen Hartwig of Aurora, Ill., a nephew and four nieces and their families.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Memorials are suggested to the Bethesda Lutheran Church and School, the Hot Springs High School scholarship fund for a student pursuing a medical field, and the American Cancer Society for pancreatic cancer research.

McColley’s Chapels of Hills in Hot Springs was in charge of arrangements. ~~~Obituary courtesy of the Nebraska Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Public Library, Blair, Nebraska ~~~

FindaGrave #8497702