FT. PIERRE, SD  –

Roberta Austad Wessels,52, Ft. Pierre died on Saturday, August 3, at Avera McKennan in Sioux Falls. A funeral service will be held at 11:00am on Thursday, August 8 at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Pierre with a visitation one hour prior to the service. Burial will be at Scotty Philip Cemetery.

Roberta Maria Austad Wessels was born in Pierre on June 27th, 1972 to Robert and Mary (Valentine) Austad. She grew up and lived in Fort Pierre where she attended kindergarten, dragging tables with her as her mother tried to drop her off on the first day of school. Her family relocated to Vermillion, SD while her mother attended school at the University of South Dakota. The family moved to Lyman County for her 6th grade year and eventually landed in Viborg, SD where she graduated from high school and still maintains friendships with many people from there.

After graduation she went on to attend school at the University of South Dakota following her mother’s footsteps. After completing her degree, she began her career in Special Education working for Rosholt school, then Tri-Valley School. It was during her time working for Tri-Valley where she met her future husband, David Wessels. She later returned to Fort Pierre and began working for Lower Brule Schools.

She married David in September of 2009 and starting in 2011 they adopted 6 children over the next several years. She committed her life to raising and caring for her children. Roberta began contract work providing special education services in 2013.

Those are the facts of Roberta’s life on paper, but it’s not WHO she was. Things did not come easy for Roberta, but that did not stop her. She was determined and focused and worked hard for everything in her life.

She adopted 6 children and she loved them with every fiber of her being, the children were her life. Roberta enjoyed professional wrestling, rodeos, penguins and Princess Dianna. She enjoyed cooking with her kids, Christmas and piles of gifts. She loved to laugh, she was sarcastic, loving, caring and giving. She was a good human being. Everything she did – right or wrong, came from an unrelenting desire to do good. The world is not the same without her. She will be missed by everyone that was fortunate enough to know her.

She is survived by her 6 children, Kylee, Angel, Angelina, Valdyn, Jesse and Jacob of Fort Pierre, her Mother Mary of Pierre, her brother Joseph of Rapid City and many cousins, aunts and uncles.

She is preceded in death by her husband David Wessels, her Father Robert Austad, both her paternal and maternal grandparents as well as several loving aunts and uncles.

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