Eleanore Ruby Whitmyre

Eleanore R. Whitmyre, 106, of Bristol, passed away Monday, August 14, 2023 at Sun Dial Manor in Bristol.

Memorial services will be 1:00 P.M. Saturday, August 26, 2023 at the funeral home and will be livestreamed on Fiksdal Funeral Service Facebook page https://fb.watch/mIqs2WvSf5/. Memorial visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Inurnment will be at Prairie Mound Cemetery near Butler.

Memorials may be directed to Sun Dial Manor, Prairie Mound Cemetery or Avera Hospice.

Eleanore Ruby Herr was born January 11, 1917 to Emil and Augusta (Nolte) Herr at their home west of Butler, South Dakota. She was baptized and confirmed into the Lutheran faith. She attended rural school in Valley Township, and high school at Bristol and Butler. After graduation, she continued her education at Northern Normal and Industrial School in Aberdeen, South Dakota.  She taught at country schools in Day County, where she would use some of her salary to purchase Snicker bars for her students. 

She moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where she attended and worked at the Lutheran Bible Institute.  She was employed at the Evangelism Book Center and Augsburg Publishing House for many years.  After retiring, she volunteered at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis as a patient representative. Many of the patients and family members became lifelong friends. 

In 1993 she was one of ten people in Minnesota to receive the McKnight Foundation Award in Human Service, given each year to unsung Minnesotans who have shown extraordinary personal dedication to meeting the needs of others.  Quoting Eleanore’s supervisor, “She is what humanizes health care in our big hospital.  Eleanore’s caring is best described as an unconditional love.” 

In 2001 she received the Abby Award from Abbott Northwestern Hospital after 20 years of volunteering.  She was the first person to put in over 20,000 hours of volunteer service. 

She returned to South Dakota in 2012.  She entered the Johnson Center at Sun Dial Manor in Bristol in 2013, where she continued to help others.

She enjoyed knitting, counted cross-stitch, reading, walking around Minnesota lakes and spending time with her family and friends.

Eleanore passed away Monday, August 14, 2023 at Bristol, South Dakota at the age of 106 years, 7 months, and 3 days.

Eleanore believed we are to serve others and lived her faith by example. One of her favorite Bible verses was Micah 6:8, “And what does the Lord require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” She was a friend to people of all ages, life-styles and races.  She greeted others with a smile and hug, and always made you feel SPECIAL. Eleanore was a trusted confidante and would tell no one, but would always pray about the situation.  She was a special angel on earth touching so many lives.

Grateful for having shared in her life are her brother, Lester Herr as well as many family members and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her sisters, Edna Jensen and Irene Whitmyre.