Violet 'Vi' Dafnis

Violet “Vi” Dafnis, 90, of Aberdeen, SD, passed away Thursday, April 21, 2022, at Avera St. Luke’s Hospital.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m., Friday, April 29, 2022, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Aberdeen.

Visitation is 5-7 p.m., Thursday, at the mortuary with a liturgical wake at 7 p.m.  Visitation continues one hour before Mass at the church.

Burial is at St. Mary’s Cemetery.

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

Violet ‘Vi’ Gorgene Stoecker was born September 27, 1931, to Jacob and Frederika (Huber) Stoecker in Hosmer, SD, and was raised on the family farm. She attended rural schools and moved to Eureka in 1941, where all the siblings helped raise each other. Vi was the middle child, with three sisters and two brothers.

The family moved to Aberdeen in 1948 and she worked various jobs until meeting the love of her life, James R Dafnis. They were married on April 8, 1953, and they lived in Riverside, California while James was in the service. The couple moved back to Aberdeen in 1954.

Vi worked various jobs over the years while raising their four children. Once the children were older, she started a successful real estate career and was one of the top-performing agents in Aberdeen. She worked for various agencies from 1969 until her retirement, starting with HH Hoffman Agency, Highland Reality, and Century 21, finishing her career with Coldwell Banker.

Upon retirement, Vi loved visiting her children and grandchildren, from the Dakotas to Wyoming, to Arizona, she traveled near and far to spend time with them. Vi loved to play cards with her friends every week, going to the Aberdeen Community Theater and concerts. Along with many stage productions in Minneapolis.

Vi was very active in the community. She was active in the P.E.O Women’s Organization and was a member of Chapter BX for most of her professional life. She was also a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Her faith was extremely important to her, and she raised her children in the faith. She was a member of the Altar Society and sat on various committees over the years.

Grateful to have shared Vi’s life are her husband, James “Jim” Dafnis; children: Richard (Susan) Dafnis, Thomas (Cindy) Dafnis, and Diane Grimsrud (Dafnis); sister, Betty Weigel; brother, Vern (Murial) Stoecker; grandchildren: Amie (Terry) Miller, Zebulon (Kimbra) Dafnis, Brittany (Shandon) Jones (Grimsrud), James (Maria) Grimsrud, Katie (James) Hagen (Dafnis), Jordan Dafnis, and Irah Larson; great-grandchildren: Jaydah Baizel, Jacob Dafnis, Emma Dafnis, Cammie Schmidt, Rachelle (Mitchell) Likness (Schmidt), Aaliyah Jones, Julian Jones, Theo Grimsrud, Eva Grimsrud, Eli Larson, and Owen Larson.

Vi was preceded in death by her parents; two sisters: Gladys Cruchter and Millie Moffenbier; one brother Glen Stoecker; and one daughter, Debbie Larson (Dafnis).

In lieu of flowers the family requests memorials to P.E.O. (Promoting Educational Opportunities for women), Chapter BX, or St. Mary's Church.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Violet 'Vi' Dafnis, please visit our floral store.