Ella Hafner, 98 of Buffalo, SD, passed away on Thursday, January 19, 2017 at the Southwest Healthcare Long Term Center in Bowman.

Memorial Services for Ella will be on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at the Ludlow Hall beginning at 1:00 p.m. Pastor Dotty Parfrey will officiate with burial to be held at a later date in the Bowman Cemetery. There will be a Family and Friends Service on Monday, January 23, 2017 beginning at 5:00 p.m. at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ludlow.I was born 5 ½ miles southeast of Gascoyne, North Dakota, on April 17, 1918, the third child in a family of 10 children to John and Olga (Vestfoss) Runestad.  They were both born in Norway and came to the U.S.A around 1910.  For twelve years I rode the bus to the Gascoyne School, graduating with a class of four students in 1935.  Four years later my sister, Ruth, graduated with a class of two students terminating the high school forever.  A few years later the grade school was also closed due to lack of children.  The school house still stands today in a dilapidated condition.
I had four brothers who served in the Armed Services:
Henry "Hank" was a marine and died during a battle at Iwo Jima in February 1945.
Ted served in the Korean War with the Marine 1st division.
John served in the Army stationed in Germany with the 2nd Armored Division.
Joe the youngest also a Korean War Veteran served in communications as operations clerk.
My sister Lillian was the next to the last family member.
After high school I went to Martinsdale, Montana and worked in a hotel/café.  My aunt and uncle and their family lived near Harlowton, MT, next to the Musselshell River.  I was always in awe of the Big Snowy Mountains, a range of the Rocky Mountains, with its snow peaks all year round. Later I attended and graduated from Christy Beauty School in Bismarck, ND.  I owned and operated a beauty shop in Scranton, ND from 1938 to 1942.
In March 1942, I married Irvin Froistad, which was the beginning of my life in Harding County.  We farmed and ranched; raising cattle and sheep.  We had three sons, Gary, Larry, and Jim.  They attended grade school at Ludlow with Les Hafner as their teacher.  All three of them went to high school in Bowman, ND.
My husband, Irvin, died in 1954 of a heart attack.  In 1956, I married Les Hafner.  He taught school for many years.  We lived on the ranch 5 ½ miles east of Ludlow where we raised cattle, sheep and farmed.  We had two children. Cindy was born November 3, 1957, and Terry was born February 9, 1959.  Cindy married Ron Floyd and Terry married Laurie Lewton.  We took three weeks off one summer and went on a camping trip to Alaska.  We went by train to Annapolis for Larry's open house at the Naval Academy and also went by train to his graduation.  We made lots of trips to Vermillion when Gary and Jim were attending the university there.  We managed to work in short vacations each summer to the Black Hills or surrounding area.  Les died in 1981 following heart surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, where the doctors had also found he had cancer.  I have remained on the ranch and have thoroughly enjoyed watching my grandkids rodeo, play basketball, track and especially play football.  It is with great pride and joy to watch the great-grand kids grow. I'm so thankful they are close by.
I have enjoyed a few trips in my later years.  I went to Norway with my sister, Mabel in 1979.  Cindy and I went to Japan in 1986 to visit Larry, who was stationed there, and see the country.  I joined a tour group in 1996 and we toured Israel.  In 2005 I went to Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic with my son, Gary and his wife Marlis.  We were with Renee Henderson's high school choir from Alaska; it was a great trip. I have also visited Mexico and Canada.  I'm a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church of Ludlow, and Senior Citizen's.
Survivors included: 1 brother John, 2 sisters Olga and Lillian, 4 sons Gary, Savannah, GA, Larry, Rapid City, SD, Jim Aurora, Co and Terry Ludlow, SD, and 1 daughter Cindy, Ludlow, Sd.  15 Grandchildren, 21 Great-Grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.  Ella was preceded in death by her parents John and Olga Runestad, 4 brothers Oscar, Hank, Ted, and Joe and 2 sisters Mabel and Ruth and infant daughter Mary Lou.

Krebsbach and Kulseth Funeral Services of Bowman in charge of the arrangements.