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- Donald and Phyllis Egge lived in Rapid City, Pennington County, South Dakota in 1968. STURGIS — Phyllis Grace Egge, 71, Sturgis, died Monday, April 16, 2001,at Wesleyan Health Care Center in Rapid City. She was born July 6, 1929, in Rapid City, the daughter of William and Lillian (Munson) Bridge. Her early years were spent in Rapid City and Fort Pierre, S.D., and later in Oregon where her family had migrated during the Great Depression. Her mother died while she was a young child, and following her father's death in 1943, she returned to South Dakota and spent her high school years with her uncle, George Bridge, and his family on a ranch in Buffalo County. She attended high school in nearby Gann Valley where she was greatly influenced by her Aunt Pearle Frazier, a teacher and superintendent of schools. Her time in Buffalo County produced many fond memories and humorous stories. She always considered Gann Valley to be her hometown. Phyllis had a lifelong love of learning and a commitment to the importance of education. She attended Springfield State Teachers College and became a country school teacher in Buffalo County and later taught at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. She married Kenneth Kaeppler, a United States Air Force officer and navigator, and her daughter, Elizabeth, was born to this union. Her husband died tragically in a plane crash. Phyllis and Elizabeth moved to Oregon where Phyllis worked for a newspaper. In 1963, she married Donald L. Egge. They had two children, Paul and Anna, and in 1969, they moved to Sturgis, S.D. Phyllis was an avid historian and thoroughly researched her family's genealogy along with local history. For many years she wrote a weekly historical column, 'The Old Brass Key.' She also wrote a book on the old houses of Sturgis and researched the old post cemetery at Fort Meade. Active in the community and an advocate of the arts, Phyllis served on the Sturgis Library Board, the Fort Meade Cavalry Museum Board and was a founding member of the Sturgis Area Arts Council. She was the originator of the Art for Lunch program. She enjoyed painting, and several of her watercolors adorn the walls of her home in Sturgis. Phyllis was an intelligent, optimistic and happy person. Her positive outlook on life and her ability to overcome life's setbacks inspired her friends and family and she brought joy to the lives of those around her. Survivors include her husband, Donald L. Egge, Sturgis; a son, Paul Egge and his wife, Tracy, Rapid City; two daughters, Elizabeth Egge, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and Anna Heckenlaible and her husband, Doug, Sioux Falls, S.D.; and three grandchildren, Leigh Ollila, Rapid City, Matti Ollila, Portland, Oregon, and Nicholas Heckenlaible, Sioux Falls. Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Sturgis, with the Rev. Gary Oreshoski as the celebrant. Visitation will be one hour prior to the services at the church. Interment will be at Black Hills National Cemetery. A memorial has been established. Gifts may be mailed to the Rushmore Bank& Trust, P.O. Box 2290, Rapid City, S.D., 57709. Services are under the direction of the Osheim-Catron Funeral Home, Rapid
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1929 - 2001 (71 years)
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