Arliss F. Blumhardt

Arliss Fay Blumhardt, 89, of Aberdeen, SD, passed away Monday, November 25, 2024, at Aberdeen Health & Rehab after a short illness.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, December 13, 2024, at St. James Lutheran Church, Leola, SD, with Pastor Judy Schultz officiating.

Arliss’ wishes were to be cremated. Interment will take place next to Clinton at the Bowdle Cemetery during a private gathering at a later date.

Schriver’s Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, 414 5th Avenue NW, Aberdeen, is in charge of arrangements. Family and friends may sign the online guestbook at www.schriversmemorial.com.

Arliss Fay Schlepp was born on November 16, 1935, in Bowdle, SD, to Adam J. and Eugenia (Dubs) Schlepp. She grew up on a farm near Bowdle and graduated from Bowdle High School in 1953.

Arliss married Clinton Blumhardt on July 14, 1953, in Bowdle, SD, where they made their home and farmed in the area before moving in 1955 to Germany, where Clinton served in the U.S. Army. In 1958, they returned to South Dakota, settling in Leola, where Arliss worked as a bus driver and in the café at the Leola sales barn before buying the former Geffre’s Café and naming it the Hiway Café in 1975.

Clinton passed away on May 19, 1993, and Arliss went on to sell the café in 2001 and retired, remaining in Leola until moving to Aberdeen in 2020, where she lived at the time of her death.

Arliss loved to watch and attend sporting events, where she was known for loudly telling referees what she thought about their calls. She was an excellent cook, as evidenced by her successful years in the Hiway Café. In retirement, she was a voracious reader.

Arliss was a fixture in the Leola community while running the café, where she coined the café’s slogan: “Our special is you!” People gathered at the café for meals, especially her famous hot beef sandwiches, potato salad, and caramel rolls, and after sporting events. Arliss was always willing to help people and was a faithful servant to the Lord.

Arliss is survived by her two daughters: Deb (Kent) Peterson of Aberdeen, SD, and Beth (Steve) Lindemann of Highlands Ranch, CO; three sons: Craig (Florrinda) Blumhardt of Jamestown, ND, Wayde (Regina) Blumhardt of Waterloo, IA, and Miles (Kim) Blumhardt of Windsor, CO; one sister, Karen Weiszhaar of Bowdle, SD; 11 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; brother-in-law Rod (Connie) Blumhardt; and sister-in-law Chloe (Ron) Olsen.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Clinton; brothers, Ozzie, Victor, and Elmer; sisters, Vonnie Stotz, Dorothea Imbery, Ramona Schlepp, and Elsie Weil; half-brother Roland Schlepp; and half-sister Hildegarth Fix.

The family wishes to thank Sanford Health of Sioux Falls and Aberdeen and the staff at Aberdeen Health and Rehab Center for their excellent comfort and care of Arliss.