PIERRE, SD –

Bertha Elda Tobias was born in Washburn, North Dakota to John and Hattie (Hartle) Meyers on January 22, 1933. She passed away on August 3, 2026, at the Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls, following a stroke on July 24. (You can figure out Bertha’s age for yourself, something she rarely shared truthfully, and a fact her kids knew better than to reveal!)

Visitation will be held from 3:00 – 4:00 pm, Saturday, August 15th at Isburg Funeral Chapel in Pierre. Service to follow starting at 4:00pm.

There will be a Celebration of Life to follow services at The American Legion from 5:00 – 7:00pm.

Bertha was raised in Washburn, where she attended school and started working early in life to support herself. She had three brothers and six sisters. She married Richard Kramer in November 1950, at the age of 17, in Washburn and welcomed her first child the following year. Their marriage was blessed with five children: Rick, Dan, Diana, Karen, and Monte. They lived in Bismarck, ND and later in Watertown, South Dakota.

Bertha married Roger West in August 1963, in Watertown, SD. With the addition of Cheryl, Lora and Jim, her family was complete with a total of eight children. Shortly after they were married, they moved to Pierre, SD.

In 1977, she met Timothy Tobias and they were married in Pierre, SD in 1979. Bertha was finally blessed in love and marriage. Tim was known as “Dad” to many of the kids as he helped raise and support all eight children as if they were his own. That was not always an easy task, as the children could do no wrong in their mother’s eyes.

Bertha was an exceptionally hard worker who often held two jobs to support her family. She worked for the Benedictine Sisters who operated St. Mary’s Hospital and the Maryhouse Nursing Home. Duties included cooking, cleaning, laundry, and running errands. She was even tasked with teaching one of the Sisters how to drive. Bertha later became head housekeeper at Maryhouse, where she worked for more than 25 years before retiring in 1996. She took great pride in the shine of her waxed floors and the cleanliness of the entire facility. She especially enjoyed working there with her daughters, Karen and Diana, for many years. On nights and weekends, she worked as a cook at several local restaurants, including many years at the Kings Inn and the Elks Lodge. After retirement, she continued to clean private homes and office buildings. When her husband passed away in 2019, she took over all his office cleaning jobs and continued to do those up until her recent hospitalization.

Bertha’s passion was her home at the corner of Crow and Missouri where she lived for over 55 years. She spent countless hours in the yard tending to her flowers and vegetable garden. She received Yard of the Month multiple times and was pleased when people would stop and admire her yard. Bertha loved talking gardening with her friends and provided many with produce from her garden. Over the last few years, her daughter, Cheryl, often stayed with her providing her peace-of-mind from storms, help with projects around the house, and help caring for her two very loved and well-fed dogs, GiGi and Bella. In the end, Bertha was granted one of her wishes, which was to remain independent in her own home.

Bertha always looked forward to getting out of the house when her work was done. She often met up with friends, or more likely her daughter and companion Karen, to have a beer or try her luck at video lottery. Her son, Monte, will greatly miss his regular dates with her at Bob’s Lounge. A close friend recently said, the two of them solved a lot of the world’s problems over a beer; she was a real gem.

Those left to mourn her passing are her children, Karen (Randy) Hirsch; Monte (Pat) Kramer and Cheryl Eckert, all of Pierre; Lora Cassidy of Rapid City; and 18 grandchildren and 34 great grandchildren.

Greeting her in heaven are her parents, her husband, Tim Tobias; her brothers, Fred Meyers, George Meyers, and William Meyers; her sisters, Gladys Bellander, Angeline Evenson, Betty Amundson, Mary Shull, Eldora Meyers, and Beverly Meyers; her children, Richard Kramer, Daniel Kramer, James West, and Diana Lemieux; and two great grandchildren, Phelix Stetson and Stella Stetson.

May your garden be as beautiful and bountiful as the love for our mother.

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