Audrey Rosalie (Balcom) Sanden was born September 10, 1908 to George and Gertrude (Stevens) Balcom of Wheeler, South Dakota and passed away at St. Benedict's Hospital in Parkston at the age of 97 years, 4 months and 16 days.

Audrey grew up and attended school in the Wheeler area and married Francis Sanden on April 19, 1933 at Geddes, South Dakota. To this union six children were born. Her first born, a son, Wayne, died at the age of 10 months.

Audrey and Francis first lived in the Whetstone area then moved to Wheeler where they farmed for several years. They next moved to Keya Paha County Nebraska and farmed at several locations until they purchased 800 acres south of Brocksburg and built a house. A few years later they moved to Tripp, South Dakota where they operated a Gambles Store. For a short while Audrey resided in Bonesteel, South Dakota but in 1968 she moved to Butte, Nebraska to work in the Nursing Home there for the next 16 years before retiring in 1984 at the age of 76. She moved to Parkview Manor in Burke, South Dakota in 1988. In Parkview Manor she enjoyed the companionship of neighbors and her dear, devoted friend, Irene Noelle. Finally, Audrey lived for 2 ' years at Whispering Pines where she truly loved her caregivers. In November of 2005 she was transferred to the Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Tripp, South Dakota.

Wherever Audrey lived, she became a member of the Baptist Church. She was active in Missionary Society, Bible Study groups and Extension Club. All of her working years she contributed monthly to the Christian Children's Fund. Babies and orphans always stirred her emotions deeply. Audrey contributed to Ronald McDonald House in honor of her deceased son.

She enjoyed crocheting, embroidery work and puzzles. Audrey was gifted at writing poems. While working at the Butte Nursing Home, she took classes receiving 9 college credits, and became certified to administer medications. The classes were hard and she thought she was at a disadvantage because she was the oldest student. At the graduation ceremony Audrey read a poem she had written about each medication and how she remembered the difficult names, about each classmate and the instructor.

Grandma Sanden had the ability to make each of her grand children feel that they were the most important one. Ask any one of them and they will admit they were her favorite.

Audrey was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Alice; her three brothers, Gerald, Ward and Howard; her infant son, Wayne; and her grandson Mark Deffenbaugh. She is survived by five daughters, Joyce (Harlan) Carlson of Burke, South Dakota; Velma (Mike) Schmitz of Bonesteel, South Dakota; Thelma Deffenbaugh of Tripp, South Dakota; Loretta (Lowell) Armfield of Greeley, Colorado; and Ardeth Peshek of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; 14 grandchildren; 28 great grandchildren; 6 great, great grandchildren; and her sisters-in-law, Gladys Balcom of Burke, South Dakota, Irma Balcom of Platte, South Dakota and Eleanor "Boots" (Balcom) Clark of Gregory, South Dakota. Audrey will be greatly missed by all who loved her.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, January 30, 2006 at 10:30 AM at Union Baptist Church in Burke. Burial will be in the Pleasant Lawn Cemetery near Geddes, SD on Monday at 1:30 PM. Visitation will be one hour prior to the services at the church.