Ione Esther (Buckles) Druyvestein, 99, of Pringle, SD, passed away November 16, 2017, at Custer Regional Senior Care in Custer, SD.

Ione was born October 21, 1918, in Mellette County, SD, to John and Nellie (Kooiman)
Buckles. She was the fourth of seven children. Because John and Nellie had five daughters before having any sons, Ione spent many hours helping her father do chores on their small farm. She later recalled that when her brothers were finally old enough to do the outdoor chores, the family moved to town.

Ione married Thomas Druyvestein on November 19, 1934, in Rock Valley, IA. They would have 36 years of marriage together and were blessed with seven children: Don, Yvonne, Terry, Karen, Donna, Mike and Virginia. Even though cooking was never her favorite, Ione was always willing to try something new and loved a new recipe. She was a fine seamstress and made much of her young family's clothing, including dresses, skirts, blouses and even winter coats. She made quilts from old clothing and taught herself to knit and crochet. Each one of her grandchildren received a beautiful afghan as a gift for graduation from high school. Ione loved to read and had a fondness for crossword puzzles. She was rarely without one or the other in hand. She enjoyed being out of doors and each year planted a vegetable garden as well as the flower beds around her home. Probably because she had lived through the depression, nothing went to waste and her pantry was filled with canned fruits and vegetables. In her later years, she, as well as most of her sisters, tried their hand at drawing and painting. As with her cooking, she enjoyed trying something new. But her talents didn't just apply to household issues. She once built a new fuel line out of spare parts for their old jeep and was skilled at getting it started by rolling it down the hill and jumping the clutch. Necessity truly was the mother of invention.

While Ione was very proud of her children, her grandchildren became her pride and joy. She was the grandmother of 13, the great-grandmother of 19.5, and would have welcomed her first great-great-grandchild in June 2018!

It should be noted that Ione joined the Pringle United Methodist Church in 1959 and until her passing, was the oldest member of the congregation. Because education was so important to our mother, we respectfully ask that any memorials be directed to the Pringle United Methodist Women's Auxiliary Scholarship Fund. On behalf of our mother, thank you.

Ione is survived by her children: Don (Glenna) of Sequim, WA; Terry (Loretta) of Rollins, MT; Karen (Kenny) Spring of Custer; Donna Palmer of Custer; Mike (Linda) of Pringle; Virginia Steenson of Stamford, NE; 13 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas; daughter, Yvonne Danielson; parents, John and Nellie Buckles; sisters, Mary (Doorn) Swanson; Lillian VanGenderen; Ruth VanderPol; Wilma VanVuren; brothers, Warren Buckles and Alan Buckles.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 21, 2017, at Chamberlain-McColley's Funeral Home in Custer.

Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, November 22, 2017, at The Pringle United Methodist Church, Rev. Peary Wilson will be officiating. Interment will follow at the Pringle Cemetery.