Corlena (Van Den Berg) Wilson, 95, of Miller, S.D., died Monday, Aug. 28, 2006 at Prairie Good Samaritan Center in Miller where she had resided since April of 2006.

Funeral services were held Friday, Sept. 1 at the First United Methodist Church in Miller with the Rev. David Andrews presiding. Burial was in the G.A.R. Cemetery in Miller.

Casketbearers were her grandsons, Delton and Charlie Snyder, Bill and Jim Schied, Troy and Ted Wilson and Scott and Jim Lewis.

Corlena was born on September 24, 1910, at Corsica, S.D., to Cornelius and Vania (Winnie Meyers) Van Den Berg. Corlena was the youngest of 15 children. She lost her parents at the age of 10 in 1920, leaving her to the care of her older siblings, whom she helped with their families.

Corlena moved to Hand County at the age of 15 to attend St. Lawrence High. After only a few months, she felt she had to work more to support herself, so school was put behind her.

Corlena worked for several people in St. Lawrence, Miller and Vayland, finally meeting her husband James O. "Jim" Wilson. They married on July 12, 1930 in St. Lawrence. To this union six children were born.

Jim and Corlena farmed south of Miller and Ree Heights for a number of years. In 1948 they moved to Ree Heights run the Ranch Cafe. In 1950 they moved to St. Lawrence, where they owned and operated the Cozy Corner Cafe. They closed it in 1952, when they moved to Miller.

After her husband's death in 1971, Corlene was once again on her own. During the later years, Corlena and her nieces did a lot of traveling. She bought the House of Glass in 1976 and continued in ceramics until her late 80s, when she finally gave it up because of poor eye sight.

Corlena lived at the Miller Plaza until 2002, when she moved to Rapid City to live with her daughter and son-in-law, Janet and Tom Snyder. During the years at her daughter's, she enjoyed her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Corlena was a hard working person who accomplished much and, above all, was loved.

Corlena is survived by one daughter, Janet (Tom) Snyder of Rapid City; two sons, Leland (Betty) of Norfolk, Neb., and Art (Bonnie) of Sturgis; two sisters-in-law; 27 grandchildren, 65 great-grandchildren, and 53 great-great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, two daughters, one son, two granddaughters, one grandson, two great-grandsons, seven brothers and seven sisters, one son-in-law, one daughter-in-law and several nieces and nephews.

The Miller Press 9/5/2006