Kenneth James Varilek, 67, of Springfield

Funeral Mass will be 10 AM, Saturday, March 9, 2024 at St. Vincent's Catholic Church in Springfield, SD. Inurnment will be in the St. Vincent's Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be at the church from 5-7 PM, Friday, March 8, 2024 with a Rosary/Scripture wake service at 7 PM.

In lieu of flowers, memorials will be directed to: St. Vincent's Catholic Cemetery, Bon Homme Food Pantry, or SD Public Broadcasting.

Kenneth James Varilek was born in Tyndall, SD on Tuesday, May 8, 1956, the youngest of Frank H. and Tillie (Plavec) Varilek. Ken passed away on Sunday, March 3, 2024, after a valiant 27-year battle with cancer and its effects, at the Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls, SD in the presence of family.

Ken attended Dunwoody Country School #23, rural Tyndall, until third grade, when the family moved closer to town. Ken graduated from Tyndall High School in 1974, where he enjoyed being a member of the debate team, Spanish class, everything Science & Math, and attending Boys State.

He furthered his education at Mitchell Area Vocational-Technical School in the area of Culinary Arts. Beginning in 1975 he attended the University of South Dakota/Springfield, focusing on Teacher Education, graduating in 1979. It was at USD/S that he met a Parkston student, Jeanne Weiss. He first noticed her as part of the cast of "My Fair Lady", and was smitten! Ken and Jeanne were married on February 4, 1978 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Parkston, SD.  Their union was blessed with two children.

Ken's employment in Food Service included the Checkerboard Lounge, Sandbar Marina, Dakota State College, Springfield Correctional Facility (now MDSP), and Sacred Heart Monastery, where he served as Dietary Director for 27 years. His other involvements with food included decorating numerous wedding & birthday cakes, membership in the Lewis & Clark Chapter of the International Dutch Oven Society, and in recent years, producing hundreds of jars of jellies & jams for Springfield's Fall Fest. In his spare time he experimented with new recipes while continuing to preserve his Czech roots with Kolach' and duck & dumplings.

His greatest enjoyment came when attending the many activities of his granddaughters, be it concerts, sporting events, dance recitals, birthdays, and special celebrations. When not working with food or attending events with Jeanne, Ken enjoyed bird-watching, gardening, knitting, crocheting & tatting, often giving away his many creations.

As a life-long learner, he enrolled in Mount Marty College's Pastoral Ministry Program, graduating with a Master's Degree in 2005. He volunteered at MDSP, assisting with weekly Mass, along with meeting one-on-one with inmates and participating in REC weekends. Ken was also a member of the Knights of Columbus. Over the years,  Ken was an active member of St. Vincent dePaul Parish, serving as Catechist, Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, and Parish Pastoral Council member. He and Jeanne worked together as sacristans for many years.

Ken is survived by his wife Jeanne; son Bryan (Cassandra) and daughters Brooklynn and Ashlynn; daughter Emily (Fred) Gullikson and daughters Elizabeth, Grace, Sarah & Hannah; brothers:  Francis, Dan, Dave & Chuck (Julie) Varilek; sisters: JoAnn (John) Jonas, Irene Koranda; sister-in-law Dina Varilek; brother-in-law Larry Weiss; sister-in-law Eileen (Jim) Nawroth; along with numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Ken was preceded in death by his parents; infant sister, Henrietta; brother Tom; brother-in-law Don Koranda; sister-in-law Colleen Weiss; and nephews: Jason Nawroth and Jon Jonas.