Glenda Kay Jerde

Funeral services will be 2pm Saturday, February 28, 2026, at Ortley Free Lutheran Church in Ortley. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Visitation will be 5-7pm Friday, February 27, 2026, with a 6:30pm prayer service at the church in Ortley.

Glenda Kay (Long) Jerde was born on March 2, 1952, in Corvallis, Oregon, to Glenn and Arleen (Painter) Long joining her two older siblings Pamela and Jon. Later, the family returned home to Waubay, South Dakota. This is where she became an older sibling to her beloved sister Joann (Jo). Glenda was baptized at her grandmother Pearl Long’s home in Waubay by Pastor Vik. She was confirmed in her faith at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church.

Glenda graduated from Waubay High School, carrying with her the values of small-town life that stayed with her forever; loyalty, grit, and a deep sense of family and community.

Raised on the family farm, Glenda learned early the meaning of hard work, responsibility, and caring for others; often milking cows and putting up hay right next to her dad and brother Jon. Farm life shaped her into someone steady, capable, and resilient. She did not shy away from hard things - she faced them head-on with strength and quiet determination.

She married Larry Hamman on September 5th, 1970. Together they began building their family. They welcomed three children - Jess, Jason, and Stacey. Glenda was a fiercely devoted mother who loved her children with her whole heart. She created a home filled with warmth, structure, and stability. Her children always knew they were loved, protected, and supported. Larry and Glenda also ran the Fireside Bar in Waubay, SD during these years.

On June 8th, 1978, Glenda married William (Bill) Utne, together they welcomed two daughters, Stephanie and Abby. With their arrival, her family grew to five children. She carried the role of mother with deep pride and unwavering devotion. Being their mom was not just something she did - it was who she was. She gave everything she had to her children, and her love for them never faltered.

Glenda worked hard on the farm, tending a large garden, canning, and caring for her many laying hens. She gathered the eggs each day, carefully cleaned, candled, and sold them to grocery stores, friends, neighbors, and people from church. It was honest work, and she took great pride in providing for her family in the quiet, steady ways that defined her life. During those years on the farm, she also found joy in crocheting and creating ceramics. She had a natural talent for both, and many family members cherish the pieces she lovingly made by hand.

April 8th, 1989, Glenda married the love of her life, Larry Jerde,and relocated to Watertown, SD. Together, they blended their families - her five children and his four daughters, Candace, Tanya, Trisha, and Carmen - creating a family built on a little chaos, a whole lot of love, commitment, and care. Their home was filled with life, laughter, and constant activity. Family gatherings were loud, busy, and full of good food, easily making the kind of memories that would last forever.

Glenda worked alongside Larry in his tax business for many years. Providing the loyalty, support and dependability Larry and many others relied on. She did not seek recognition. She simply showed up and did the work, just as she always had. In addition to her work in the tax office, Glenda also provided home health care for the elderly, a role she took great pride in. She had a natural gift for caring for others, and she gave it freely.

Outside of her responsibilities, Glenda embraced life fully. She loved music and dancing and found joy in those moments of freedom and connection. She loved all animals. However, her love of horses ran deep. Through this bond, she found peace in trail riding. This was something that connected her to her roots and brought her comfort.

She and Larry also shared a love for motorcycles. Together they spent countless hours riding and attending bike rallies, making memories on the open road. Those rides were part of the life they built together; full of adventure, companionship, and love.

Glenda was known for her incredible cooking and baking. Her kitchen was the heart of her home, where she expressed her love through meals shared with family and friends. She brought people together and the coffee pot was never empty. No one ever left her home hungry, and more importantly, no one ever left without feeling cared for. She showed up when needed and would literally give you her last dollar or the shirt off her back. That was simply who she was.

Glenda was honest, strong-willed, and fiercely loyal. She loved deeply and protected the people she cared about without hesitation. She stood beside her family through every season of life.

Despite the hardships she faced, Glenda never stopped loving, never stopped giving, and never stopped showing up.

Her greatest accomplishment and lasting legacy is the family she built and held together. She was their steady center, the one people depended on, the one who made others feel safe, loved, and cared for.

Glenda is survived by her children, Jess Hamman of Sioux Falls, Jason Hamman (Ruth) of Sioux Falls, Stacey Denison (Travis) of Lake Preston and Stephanie Bleeker of Watertown; Larry’s four daughters, Candace Jerde of Watertown, Tanya Jones (Charles) of California, Trisha Jerde of California, and Carmen Jerde of Tempe, AZ. Her grandchildren Jaden, Jasper, and Jonah Denison, Austin, Jace, and Kolby Hamman, Carson Bleeker, Scarlet Wall, Hayden Hamman, Sierra Scholtes, Savannah and Caymon Malone, Kingston Petrich, and Emmanual Jones; Three great-grandchildren, her sister Pam Engstrom of Webster, SD; Brother-in-laws Jerry Town (Lynda) of Waubay, SD, Al Jerde(Dede) of Waubay, SD, Dale Jerde (Brenda) of Watertown, SD; Sister-in-Law Karen Mikkelson of Watertown, SD; nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends who loved her deeply.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Glenn and Arleen Long; her sister Joann (Jo) Town and brother Jon Long; her daughter Abby Utne; her grandparents Orrie and Pearl Long and Jesse and Hilda Painter; the love of her life and husband, Larry Jerde; Mother and Father-in-Law Verle and Shirley Jerde, and Brother-in-Law Dave Engstrom.

Glenda lived a life defined by strength, honesty, hard work, and unconditional love. She was the foundation of her family - steady, reliable, and strong. Her love leaves a lasting impression on the family she raised and in the countless other lives she touched.

We were lucky to call her ours.