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Submitted: 5/15/22 • Approved: 5/19/22 • Last Updated: 5/22/22 • R274087-G274087-S3
Gene K. Venenga
October 2, 1942 - February 6, 2021
Gene K. Venenga, 78, of Renner, South Dakota died on February 6, 2021, at Dougherty Hospice House, Sioux Falls, SD
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 13, 2021 at 10:00 AM at George Boom Funeral Home, followed by burial at Woodlawn Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Friday, February 12, 2021 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM also at the funeral home.
Gene Keith Venenga was born October 2, 1942 in Little Rock, Iowa to Dick and Virginia (Johnson) Venenga. Gene has a daughter, Heather (Rob) Whipple of Watertown, SD and their son Gavin.
Gene was united in marriage with Wanda Mehlhaff on November 23, 1989. Gene is survived by his wife of 31 years, daughter Heather (Rob) Whipple, grandson Gavin; step-daughter Sheila (Dave) Pirrung; granddaughter, Kelly (Lucas) Tolley, great-grandchildren Kaden, Karson, Kinsley and Kael; and granddaughter, Katie (Nick) Wagner and great-grandson Mack.
During Gene’s childhood, his parent’s move back & forth between IA & SD. He attended Whittier Junior High in Sioux Falls and graduated from Ashton Iowa High School in 1960. During high school he was a pitcher for various baseball teams and worked at the Ashton airport where he learned to fly small planes. Gene loved flying and always wanted to fly again.
Sometime after graduation, his parents moved back to Sioux Falls and Gene soon followed. He worked at Business Aviation and joined the National Guard where he served for 6 years.
In September of 1963, Gene “Cowboy” began working at John Morrell & Co. He worked in many departments there, becoming an electrician and then maintenance supervisor for deep chill, engine and boiler and finally pork division second shift. Gene retired in 2005 after 42 years of service. While working at Morrell's, Gene and Wanda acquired and managed several rental properties.
Gene enjoyed taking Kelly and Katie horseback riding at Newton Hills and attended as many softball games as he could. In later years, he looked forward to and enjoyed watching the great-grandchildren play ball.
As a child, his dad made sure he always had a pony or horse. Genes’ love of horses led him to become a calf roper. Gene won numerous trophies and medals in his 20 plus years of roping. Gene was a founding member of Mid-States Rodeo Association, and member of the SDRA and PRCA. He competed twice at the World Quarter Horse Show placing 4th and 6th in 1983 and 1984.
After retiring from rodeo competition, Gene and Wanda traveled to many places with their horses. They rode often in the Black Hills plus Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, North and South Dakota’s Badlands, Missouri’s Mark Twain National Forest and the Arizona desert. They had many adventures including a mule ride to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, riding in the Custer State Park buffalo roundup, touring Boston, New Hampshire and Nantucket, white water rafting, traveling to Cabo San Lucas and St. Maarten, visiting Yellowstone and much more.
For the past 10 years they have wintered in Mesa, Arizona. While there, Gene enjoyed playing shuffleboard every morning, card games, spending time with all their new friends and touring the area.
Gene is also survived by sisters-in-law Mona (Sid) Severson; Ginger (Michael) Fleming; Robbe Mehlhaff; brother-in-law Paul (Laura Rosa) Mehlhaff; many cousins, nieces and nephews and his beloved lap dog Zoe.
Gene is preceded in death by his parents, Dick and Virginia Venenga; brother, Darrell Venenga; parents-in-law, Harry and Janet Mehlhaff; and brother-in-law Jon Mehlhaff.
Memorials may be directed to the family to be donated to McCrossan’s Boys Ranch.
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Section Linden plot # 111
Contributed on 5/15/22 by 9katz
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Record #: 274087