Alice Rau

Alice Rau, 100, of Aberdeen, SD, died Sunday, March 5, 2023 at Aberdeen Health and Rehab in Aberdeen.

Alice Pfeifle was born on April 16, 1922 at rural Eureka, SD to Gottlieb and Lydia (Hoffman) Pfeifle. This is the area where she grew up and attended school. She worked for Alonzo Hotel in 1941 and later received her GED as an adult.

On June 16, 1946, she married Gottlieb Rau at Eureka, SD. They made their home in Aberdeen and she did house cleaning for 15 years. In 1969, she worked for Control Data before retiring in 1989. Gottlieb died on January 7, 1987 in Aberdeen.

Alice enjoyed making German dishes such as Kuchen, Pigs in a Blanket, and Dumplings. She spent time gardening flowers, embroidering, and doing ceramics. Later she enjoyed puzzles, watching wheel of fortune and listening to gospel music. Family was very important to her, and she loved spending time with them. She was a member of Calvery Baptist Church where she was involved in the ladies circle and AWANA children’s ministry. She is also a member of the American Legion Auxiliary and was the 2014 Senior Snow Queen at Aberdeen Health and Rehab. When she turned 100, she became a member of the Century Club of South Dakota.

Grateful for having shared Alice’s life are her children: Sharon (Jerry) Kost, Robert (Donna) Rau, and Wesley (Pam) Rau; daughter-in-law; Sharon Rau; grandchildren: Melissa (Drew) Nielsen, Robert A. (Christy) Rau, Stacie (Seth) Miller, Susanna Rau, Scott Rau (Lindsey Larson), Stephanie (Jerry) Gonzaler, and Tonya Wilkerson; 13 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

Preceding Alice in death are her parents Gottlieb and Lydia Pfeifle; husband, Gottlieb Rau; son, Jerry Rau; and siblings: Martha Feickert, Esther Pfeifle, Edmund Pfeifle, and Adeline Lutz.