Earlene Josephine (Wedean) Hullinger, 81 of Murdo and Spearfish, SD passed away unexpectedly but peacefully at Monument Health in Rapid City on July 16, 2022 with family by her side. A private family service will be held at 2 pm on July 30, 2022 at the Isburg Funeral Chapel in Murdo. A celebration of life and open house at 4:30 pm will follow at the Rusty Spur Steakhouse with a meal to be served. Please consider attending to share memories, stories and perhaps a totty with the family in Earlene’s honor!

For those wishing to view the services you can join by live stream viewing in the box below starting at 2:00pm on Saturday.

Earlene was born to Earl and Dorothy (Merchen) Wedean on April 23, 1941 in Winner, SD. She was named after her father, Earl, maternal and paternal grandmothers who both had middle names of Josephine. Earlene began her early years on a ranch near Hamill, SD in Tripp County; in 1942 Louise Kay joined the family. Soon the young family moved to a ranch south of Okaton, SD, near the White River. where her youngest sister, Susan Pauline joined the family in 1945. Earlene attended grade school in Okaton with her sisters where they were known as the Wedean girls. In 1952 before the polio vaccine was available and cases were peaking, Susan contracted bulbar polio and Earlene soon followed with a non-paralytic form of the disease; both girls were sent to the polio unit for children in Hot Springs, SD for treatment and recovery. Earlene’s type of polio primarily affected her muscles, something that bothered her into later years. Both girls recovered and were sent back home to Okaton. In the fall of 1955, with Earlene beginning high school the family moved to Murdo for school purposes while Earl continued to run the ranch commuting back and forth.

After graduation from Murdo High School in 1959, Earlene briefly attended beauty school (as it was called in that day) in Sioux Falls, SD, however, she became homesick and told her mother if she didn’t come and get her she was coming home on the next bus with the last $20 she had left. Earlene then moved to Rapid City and attended National Business College.
Thereafter, Earlene married Curtis “Toby” Iversen in Murdo, SD and welcomed two sons: Shawn Michael in 1960 and Brett Wedean in 1962. The young family spent a short amount of time in California while Toby was in the service. Later, Earlene moved to Rapid City with the boys and worked at the Rapid City Journal in the customer service department. She often told stories about being a single parent during this time, one being Shawn and Brett skipping out of elementary school and upon going home she found them playing in the nearby culvert. She navigated employment and housing struggles during that time frame and eventually, Earlene and the boys moved back to Murdo to be closer to family.

Earlene married Richard Hullinger on June 5, 1973 in Sioux Falls and they welcomed two daughters: Amy Marie in 1974 and Sallie Ann in 1976. Earlene also gained a son with this marriage, Greg Warder, whom she adored and spoke highly of.
Earlene and Richard spent their early married years in Murdo operating numerous businesses: Apco Station, Tee Pee Motel & Campground, and in 1972, along with Clarence and Anna Marie Hullinger, began 1880 Town creation, along I-90 Exit 170. Earlene assisted in bookkeeping, motel room cleaning, laundry duties and even pulled shifts in the diner at 1880 Town during these years. In 1983, they purchased the former Johnny’s Texaco Service Station in Spearfish, SD and performed a convenience store renovation renaming it Kwik Mart. In 1994, Sturgis Kwik Mart location was built. Going forward, Richard and Earlene divided their time between Spearfish and Murdo, spending winters in Spearfish during the school year attending to Kwik Mart businesses and summers in Murdo operating seasonal businesses. During this time frame you could find Earlene on Friday afternoons in her white Cadillac, loaded with suitcases for the weekend, picking Amy and Sallie up from school for the three-hour trip to Murdo to spend time with family. While there, Earlene could often be found at her middle sister, Kay’s house, where they would cook, visit and spend time together. Earlene put many miles on the Vanilla Boat (Amy and Sallie’s nickname for this vehicle) driving back and forth; it had over 300,000 miles on it when she FINALLY traded it off and bought a new car. Earlene was frugal and rarely desired new items, including her last car that had a cracked windshield and peeling paint. When discussing a new vehicle purchase she would respond, “There’s nothing wrong with my Buick.” Reluctantly, she purchased a new car in 2021.

Earlene’s hobbies included: travel visiting family and friends near and far, boating, snowmobiling, gambling, following NASCAR, playing cards, cooking and dancing. Family vacations and holidays would be taken in the motorhome to visit Shawn & family in California while serving in the USMC, Brett & family in Nevada, even the Florida Keys and Disneyworld. Earlene was not a fan of heavy traffic on these trips and as a result she would spend most of the drive in the motorhome bathroom until it subsided. Earlene was a wonderful cook and was known for her shrimp salad, potato salad and baked beans at holiday meals.

Summer weekends were often spent going to Mitchell and Chamberlain, SD to spend cherished time with the Rose and Skip Iversen family—loading up the pontoon on the Missouri River for cold beverages and skiing. Winter weekends were spent on the trails in the Northern Hills snowmobiling with close family friends: Jack and Linda Sumners, Dale and Sharon Herr, Sherry and Frenchie Ferdninand. Lunch and cocktails at Trailshead Lodge in Lead always followed. Earlene also enjoyed visiting Deadwood and was about as lucky as they come; she had her gambling money stash and rarely lost. Earlene followed NASCAR, a sport she enjoyed sharing her with son, Brett. Earlene will be remembered for her signature perfume scent, manicured nails, and her devotion to all family.

Most recently, Earlene enjoyed spending time with Richard at their home in Spearfish watching old western movies with a nice totty in the evenings. She kept busy cleaning, cooking for Richard and keeping tabs on his travels to check on the various businesses; they recently celebrated 49 years of marriage in June 2022.

Earlene will be sorely missed by all of her family. Left to cherish her memory are: husband Richard Hullinger of Spearfish and Murdo, sons Shawn Iversen of Rapid City, Brett Iversen of Las Vegas, Nevada, Greg Warder (Claudia) of San Jose, CA, daughters Amy (Cory) Rust of Rapid City and Murdo, Sallie (Tom) Cuny of Piedmont. Earlene’s grandchildren and great grandchildren were the apples of her eye and she loved them all so: Chelcee (Cordell) Wickstrand; Chase and Tanner Iversen; Jessica (Christian) Livesay; Lacey (Kyle) Behl; Mara and Milo Karn; Olivia Vollmer; Annie & Cailee Cuny; Mya; Marley; Mallory; Maizey and Matteo Rust; Sophia Warder. Sister, Susan Brunskill of Rapid City, Aunt Joanne Jarred of Vermillion.
We know that Earlene is embraced by the love of those who passed before her: her parents Earl and Dorothy Wedean, sister Lousie “Kay” Keever, mother & father-in-law Clarence & Anna Marie Hullinger, brother-in-law Donnie Hullinger, niece Brittany Boyd.

Memorials can be sent to Meals on Wheels, Box 238, Murdo, SD, 57559.

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