Gaylene Adel HABER

Gaylene Adel (Hosley) Haber
We give thanks and praise to our Lord for the life of Gaylene Hosley Haber! Gaylene Hosley Haber, 70, peacefully passed away on Maundy Thursday, April 18, 2019 in Sioux Falls, SD.

Public visitation with family present will be from 5:00 – 7:00 pm Tuesday, April 23, 2019, at First Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls. Funeral service will be 10:00 am Wednesday, April 24 at First Lutheran Church with burial to follow at Woodlawn Cemetery. Refreshments and fellowship will take place at First Lutheran Church following the funeral service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to SDSU College of Journalism, Sioux Falls Catholic Schools, First Lutheran Church Missions or Chapter DA PEO Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Gifts can also be sent to First Dakota Bank in memoriam of Gaylene Haber.


Gaylene Adel Hosley was born to Dale and Lorraine (Jones) Hosley on November 10, 1948, in Aberdeen South Dakota. Gaylene attended Putney School thru 7th grade and graduated from Groton High School in 1967. Gaylene was raised on a family farm and was always one to jump in and help in the field or on the ranch. She went on to attend South Dakota State University in Brookings where she met Denton Haber; they were married on August 30, 1969,

They were blessed with their first son, Chad in November 1970. Gaylene graduated from SDSU with a Bachelor’s of Science in Journalism in 1971. Upon graduation, she moved to Fort Sill, OK with her husband and Chad for Denton’s officer’s basic training. After graduating, he was assigned as the Executive Officer within the Officer Student Battalion. On Jan. 1, 1973, Denton was selected for the Presidio of Monterrey Language School so they moved to California. After graduation from the Language School, Denton and Gaylene were assigned to a Nuclear Arms Detachment in Germany. On May 30 1974, in Frankfurt, Germany they welcomed their daughter Heidi. The family moved from Scheidingen to Buren where Denton was an interpreter for the U.S. Army. Gaylene treasured her time in Germany and told stories of her time and continued her relationships with her friends, the Kellerhoff’s, until her last days. The days she shared with Denton in his military career contained her most treasured and often shared memories. She loved being a Military wife.

In Dec, 1976, Gaylene and Denton moved their family back to Brookings, South Dakota. Denton was enrolled in school and Gaylene opened her own store in Brookings, inspired by the Christmas Markets in Germany, called The Linen Closet. Gaylene loved decorating her house, setting a beautiful table to create elaborate dinner parties and holiday celebrations and delighted in Christmas Decorations. In 1978, Denton joined Land O’Lakes and moved his family for a brief time to Alton, Iowa. Gaylene cared for their young family on a small farm outside Alton, doing the chores with her kids while Denton was away with work. While living there they welcomed their third child, John, in Feb. 1979.

Later that year, Land O’Lakes transferred Denton to Sheldon, Iowa. While in Sheldon, Gaylene became Editor for the Daily Newspaper. The family spent their weekends traveling north from Iowa to care for the family ranch in Redfield and Conde until they were in an accident as they traveled back to Iowa after a weekend of branding cattle on May 30, 1983.

In 1985, Denton began a career in the trucking industry and the family moved to Sioux Falls. For two Holiday seasons she opened a Christmas store called the Kris Kringle Market in The Empire Mall. A free standing store outside of Dayton’s filled with German decorations inspired by one of her favorite places in the world Käthe Wohlfahrt in Rothenburg, Germany. Her time as a store owner at The Empire Mall gave her a love for the people that worked there; as she understood how hard it was to work the long Holiday Hours. She could often be seen strolling the halls visiting with all of the employees at each store as she went, sincerely taking an interest in the people’s stories that were working.

Gaylene became editor of the Tri-State Neighbor; a job she gave her heart and keen editorial eye to for several years; grateful for the friendships that grew as she worked. During this time, her mother and father-in-law moved next door and she and her kids helped care for them everyday as her father-in-law battled Alzheimer’s. When she left her position as Editor of The Neighbor, she began selling Outdoor Advertising for Flynn Outdoor. She not only enjoyed this job, but the friends she made. Her three kids attended Sioux Falls O’Gorman and she fell in love with the community of support she found there. Her house had an open door to kids of all ages 24 hours a day. She shared her home and her heart with everyone and always had a Coke in the fridge for anyone that entered. Sioux Falls is full of kids that to this day call her their 2nd Mom or more recently “their” Grandma Gay. Gaylene was a member of the Dakota Bowl Committee for many years, the first Woman to Chair Dakota Bowl in 1997, and O’Gorman Theater Department Volunteer of the Year in 1998.

In 2003, Denton and Gay started Haber Truck and Trailer Sales. Their son John joined them in 2009.

In 2004, Gaylene was diagnosed with stage 4-breast cancer. Supported by her friends and family, she beat the odds and was declared disease free after 9 intense months of treatment. Her father, Dale, passed away in May of 2005, while she was receiving treatment.

Denton and Gay spent the next several years traveling and living life filled with family time, building their business, and trying to help those around them. As a couple, they loved to go out to eat, they believed in supporting their community and the people willing to work so hard. Almost every person that was assigned their table became a lifelong friend by the end of the meal. In February 2013, Denton passed away unexpectedly driving home from work. Her mother Lorraine died of pancreatic cancer 8 months later. Gaylene and John continued to build the business she and Denton started and were just putting the finishing touches on their new location of Haber Truck and Trailer in August 2018, when she was once again diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. She tackled the diagnosis with the same can do attitude as the first time. After exploring all options and taking on an incredibly toxic chemo regime, the battle was to be won a different way this time, peacefully surrendering to the will of the Lord, believing in the promise of the resurrection.

Gaylene was a 50-year member of PEO and served as co-chairman if the guards for the Iowa State Convention, co-chairman for two years for the South Dakota State Convention and helped start two chapters. Gaylene always held the women of her original chapter AC in Groton, close to her heart.

Those close to Gaylene either watched or shared with her the many challenges that came her way. She showed those close to her how to endure to the end and keep going forward with steadfast faith and thanksgiving for all things, thru all things.

Gaylene loved to work. She worked hard at trying to do her best at everything she did. She loved surprising other people with happy little things, never expecting anything in return. Gaylene loved supporting and believing in the dreams of her loved ones and often helped create a plan a to achieve them. She loved every one that worked at Haber Truck and Trailer. She enjoyed filling the candy jar at work, bringing donuts and making sure there was always a Coke available to all her “guys in the shop.” Her favorite past times were attending her grandchildren’s events, theater performances at The Pavilion and concerts at The Denny, anything with flowers and long walks in heels. She treasured time at Pickeral Lake, and traveling the world with family and friends. In the last few years she found extreme joy traveling on Viking Cruises with her beloved friends Jean Kramer and Collette Gesinger.

Gaylene is survived by her children and grandchildren Chad (Annette) Haber: Prescott, Walker, Chancellor; Heidi (Paul) Van Veldhuizen: Jack, Winter, Gabrielle and Sasha; John (Stacy) Haber: Sabrina, Jasmine and Johnathon; brother, David (Jackie) Hosley, Sioux Falls; and lifelong friends, Jean Kramer and Collette Gesinger.

Gaylene is preceded in death by her husband, Denton; parents, Dale Hosley and Lorraine Jones Hosley-Rix-Anderson; grandson, Luke VanVeldhuizen; and many other family members and loved ones.
-------------------------------------------


Section West Lawn

Contributed on 5/1/22 by 9katz
Email This Contributor

Suggest a Correction

Record #: 274037

Don't Follow