Mary Jo Walter

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Mary Jo Walter, 87, of Freeman, SD, entered eternal rest on January 8, 2026, surrounded by her family at Freeman Regional Hospital.

Mary Jo Walter, the eldest child of Joe W. Walter and Bertha (Andersen) Walter, was born on November 21, 1938. She was baptized at St. Boniface Catholic Church, where she remained a lifelong member. Mary Jo grew up on a family farm, located a half mile east of the intersection of Highway 18 and Highway 81, south of Freeman, South Dakota. She fondly remembered the family seining for crawdads in the summer and her mother cooking them for the family at the farm. She remained closely connected throughout her life to her siblings: Donna (Roger) Schoon, Judy (Tom) Olsen, Janet (Warren) Scherschligt, and Eddie (NanSuk) Walter. She attended and graduated from Freeman High School and continued her education at Southern State College in Springfield, South Dakota. She lived and worked in Freeman her entire life, up to the day of her passing. Her employments included the Silver Star Restaurant, AMPI, and Freeman Regional Hospital, where she worked in the laundry department for 44 years.

On November 22, 1958, she married Delmar Walter. From this union were born four children: Pamela (Craig) Graber, Delmar “Sonny” (Patty) Walter, Donald (Mary) Walter, and Duane (Diane) Walter. She taught her deep-rooted Christian beliefs to her children, giving them a great foundation to live with. She seldom missed church, if ever. Her kids joked that their mom would send out the plows to make a path to church if the weather was bad. Mary Jo was always early, and she passed on that trait to her children as well.

Mary Jo was deeply proud of her grandchildren—Kelly, Kylie (Rick), and Kera (Stet) Graber; Justin (Stephanie) and Joe Peters; Sam, Max, and Elizabeth Walter; Travis and Tracey; and Amy—as well as her numerous great-grandchildren. She especially enjoyed staying in contact with friends and family on Facebook with her iPad, which she carried with her everywhere. She also loved attending her children’s and grandchildren’s sporting events and was a devoted supporter of the Freeman baseball team. She was a lifelong member of the VFW Auxiliary, where she enjoyed helping make Fleischkuechle with the ladies’ auxiliary, proudly sharing the recipe with her eldest son. One of her greatest joys was the Fourth of July, when the family gathered next to the Freeman baseball park. Crawdads were boiled, baseball games were watched, and an annual family photo was always taken. Mary Jo also enjoyed traveling on CorTrust CorClub bus trips to events throughout the region.

Mary Jo was preceded in death by her husband, Delmar Walter; her parents, Joe and Bertha Walter; her brother, Eddie John Walter and his wife, NanSuk, her parents-in-law, John F. and Maurine Walter; her brothers-in-law, Warren Scherschligt, Delroy Walter, and Jon Walter; and her sister-in-law, Arlene Miller.

She is survived by her children; grandchildren; great-grandchildren; sisters; sister-in-laws, Karen Kieffer, Myriam Thomas, Rachel Gilmore, and Donna Benshoof; brother-in-law Michael Walter; many nieces and nephews; and her loving dog, Stoney.

Mary Jo will be laid to rest at St. Boniface Cemetery in Freeman, South Dakota, next to her beloved husband, Delmar.

Visitation will be held on January 14, 2026, from 5 PM to 7 PM followed by Prayer Service at Walter Funeral Home in Freeman. The Funeral Service will be held on January 15, 2026, at 10:30 AM at St. Boniface Catholic Church in the rural Freeman area.

Pallbearers: Bill Schoon, Roland Schoon, Mike Olsen, Matt Olsen, Mark Olsen, Brett Scherschligt, Lee Scherschligt and Allan Scherschligt.