Joseph Ruey Edelen Jr.

Joe Edelen, of Vermillion, SD, passed away with his family by his side on Thanksgiving Day at Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, following recent brain surgery.

There will be a visitation on Monday, December 9 at the United Church of Christ in Vermillion from 5-7 PM with refreshments to follow. There will be time for memories of Joe at this service. The Memorial Mass will be held at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Vermillion on Tuesday, December 10 beginning at 10 AM with a Rosary followed by greeting of the family and remarks by friends and family. The Mass will begin at 11 AM with lunch to follow at the Main Street Inn in Vermillion. 

Joe was born in Belleville, IL to Joseph Ruey Edelen and Marilyn Jane Edelen on September 5, 1944. His father was in the Army Air Corps at the time, and the family left for Japan. They lived in many different places in the world. Joe attended high school in South Carolina, Wiesbaden, Germany, and Ankara, Turkey, before his father’s last duty station in San Antonio, TX, where Joe graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1962.

He enrolled at St. Mary’s College in Kentucky with the intention of becoming a priest, graduating in 1966. Joe missed his family and traveled back to San Antonio where he enrolled at St. Mary’s University and received a BA in History in 1967. He then pursued graduate studies in Library Science at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. where he received an MA in Library Science in 1968.

While working at the library reference desk at Trinity University in San Antonio, he met Mary Beaty, where she was doing graduate work. In 1967, Joe traveled to Vermillion to propose. Mary’s mother, who taught Mathematics at USD, introduced him to the director of the USD Library, where he offered him a job on the spot to be a cataloger. Joe spent 42 years at USD, retiring in 2010 as head of Technical Services.

Joe and Mary were married at the First Congregational Church (now the United Church of Christ Congregational) on June 8, 1968 with the approval of the SD Catholic Bishop. It was the first wedding to take place in a Protestant Church with a Catholic priest and a Protestant minister presiding. 

Joe had many passions. He learned to farm from his father-in-law, which he did for many years. He enjoyed pheasant hunting, boating on the Missouri River, snowmobiling at Togwotee Mountain Lodge in western Wyoming and the Black Hills, and spending time at the family cabin in the Black Hills. He and Mary liked to see the world. They camped all over the country and traveled to Alaska, Iceland, Singapore, Japan, England, Germany, Italy and Greece. When at home, they could be found at USD athletic events almost any day of the week. 

His religion was unfailing and a part of his daily life. He sang and cantored at St. Agnes and sang with the Sacred Heart choir in Yankton. His faith was his comfort and his guide in everything he did.

Joe had a heart for service. He was the longest living member of the Vermillion Rotary Club, where he led the singing. He served as president of the SD Library Association. As president and executive secretary of the Mountain Plains Library Association for many years, he planned annual meetings in the Western US. Joe had a head for numbers and helped behind the scenes at Louie’s Carpet Cleaning in Vermillion.

While he served his community in innumerable ways, the most important legacy Joe will leave is devotion to family. Joe taught his children that family is always the priority. He never failed to “show up” for those he loved. His kids and grandkids could always count on seeing his face in the crowd at their activities. Joe took the time to teach his children and grandchildren how to be self-sufficient, repair broken things and learn more about the world around them. He brought several of his younger brothers to Vermillion in the summers to spend time with them and further their family connection, while teaching them about farming and life. As the eldest of ten children, Joe kept a close connection with his extended family, despite the distance. He rarely missed a family event.

Joe is survived by his loving wife, Mary, of 56 years; daughter Audra of Vermillion, son Jarrod (Amber) of Sioux Falls, and daughter-in-law Lisha of Vermillion. He was Grandpa to Archer, Charlie, Benjamin and Lila of Sioux Falls and Oscar and Stella of Vermillion.

He is also survived by seven brothers and one sister: Greg (Lauren) of TX; Nancy (Doug) Brown of TX; Rev. Thomas Edelen of TX; John (Gianella) Edelen of AR; Philip (Clare) of HI/FL; Chris (Joan) of TX; Paul (Nancy) Edelen of TX; and Richard (Dr. Rachel) Edelen of SD; sister-in-law, Debra Blanton, of NC; and brother-in-law Kent Lane of AR.

Joe was preceded in death by son Anthony, parents Joseph and Marilyn Edelen, sister Mary Lane and nephew Robert.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be sent to St. Agnes Catholic School, the Vermillion Public School Foundation for playground equipment upkeep, USD Football or Volleyball programs, the Vermillion Rotary Club, the Vermillion Athletic Booster Club or the USD Chamber Singers for their travel fund.

Joe was a researcher at heart and believed in the power of knowledge. He made the lasting gift of donating his body to the USD Sanford School of Medicine in Vermillion.