Inez Naomi Melom was born on September 21st, 1948 in Minot, ND.  She was the first-born of 5 children of Joseph & Leona (Grimm) Melom. She died May 12, 2025 at Dougherty Hospice in Sioux Falls, SD at the age of 76 years.

Generations of Melom family Lutheran roots passed down by Joe instilled in Inez her deep love of & unwavering faith in God.  At Sunday Services is where her love of music & the beauty of her voice were developed as she led the congregation in song while her sister Eunice played piano.

Inez grew up in Velva, ND and graduated from Velva High School in 1967.  She then moved to Rapid City, SD to further her education at National College of Business.  This is where she met the love of her life, Ronald Dockendorf.  On September 2nd, 1968 they were married in the lumberyard in Platte, SD.  As the Catholic Church was being remodeled at the time, their temporary house of worship became the lumberyard.  Following a brief honeymoon to the SD State Fair, they made their home in Burke, SD where Ron would begin a 47 year career at Missouri Valley Mutual Insurance Company and Inez would settle into a 40 year career with the SD Dept of Social Services.  Ron & Inez remained in Burke their entire 56 years of marriage.

In 1969, their oldest son Timothy was born followed by a second son Darrel in 1970.  Their daughter Kimberly was born in 1975 and in 1977 a third son, Lonny, completed their family.

Over the decades, Inez, Ron, & kids spent countless days camping & fishing their beloved Missouri River.  As the kids grew up & the family expanded, the tradition  remained, now for 3 generations.  It is on and around that river and its banks that the shared love of nature & recreation at the very heart of the Dockendorf family will forever remain.  The peace, simplicity, and family unity experienced together there will always remain the most treasured of memories.

Inez was an amazing wife, mother & grandmother.  Never did she not make time for her family.  It was her greatest pleasure to make her children & grandchildren feel loved & welcomed always.  Inez was an immaculate housekeeper.  She was very ambitious and had many hobbies.  She was an amazing cook, baker, seamstress, and green thumb.  Her greatest passions were planting & nurturing her flower garden each summer and sewing or cross stitching through the long winters.  She is very well known for her famous potato salad; it was simply incomparable.

Inez had a beautiful voice using it for many years to help lead the parishioners of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in song at weekly mass.  When she wasn't singing at Church, she was usually singing or humming as she worked hard doing whatever she was doing…she absolutely loved the gift of song.

Inez & Ron raised their family with a devout Catholic faith and trust in God no matter the storm.  The family's faith was ultimately tested upon the tragic death of son Darrel in 1992 at the age of 21.  Despite many years of the deepest of sorrows following the loss of their son, Inez & Ron's faith in God did not falter.  Inez spoke of how she had always prayed to God to keep her children safe.  Even through death, she said she felt God had answered her prayers for Darrel and she trusted Him always.

Inez & Ron took a special retirement trip to Alaska in August of 2017, a few months before her stroke.  In August of 2018, they were joined by their kids & grandkids on a trip to Florida to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.  These trips were enjoyed & cherished as the two last big trips of their married life.  On September 2nd, 2023, Inez & Ron celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary with their family & friends at an Open House and Anniversary Mass in their honor in Burke.

Inez battled the effects of Parkinson's Disease for decades.  The disease really took hold of her following a stroke on the morning of December 24, 2017.  After her stroke, Inez worked hard to recover as much of her physical & mental ability as she could.  But little by little over the years, her Parkinson's Disease further debilitated her once ambitious body & mind, necessitating her move into the Winner Regional Long Term Care Center in February of 2023.  This was an anguishing decision for her devoted husband, Ron, who had been her caregiver every single day, selflessly lending his own body to support hers through its failure.  Ron's devotion to his ailing wife continued after her move.  He astounded Inez's medical providers as he spent countless hours working with Inez through her therapies & feedings, endlessly advocating for her medical care, embracing long days in the nursing home & hospitals so she was never left feeling alone, and enabling her to continue to nurture her faith in God through her illness.  Time & again, Inez prevailed through mountainous health trials for which the Drs continually commended Ron as being the strong hold that carried her beyond all medical expectations.  Throughout her entire journey of the disease that stole her life, Inez never once complained of any pain, shed tears, invited any pity on herself, or gave up.  Her faith in God's purpose for this cross in her life and the comfort of knowing her husband was always by her side was all she needed for strength for each new day.  Ron & Inez were always a team.  This was not just her illness; it was theirs.

Inez was the heartbeat of the family she & Ron created…and she will be painfully missed forever.

She is survived by her devoted husband, Ron; their sons Tim (Amy) Dockendorf and Lonny (Kandi) Dockendorf; their daughter Kim (Robert) Hanson; their grandchildren Karli (Brandon) Burg, Dillon (Katie) Jensen, Hannah Hanson, Lindsey Dockendorf, Hayley Hanson, and Logan Dockendorf; siblings Eunice (Mike) Vance, Thelma (Jim) Lehman, Grace (Lynn) Watne, and Neil (Marlene) Melom; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and their families.  She was preceded in death by her son Darrel Dockendorf, her parents Joe & Leona Melom, her in-laws Leo & Frances Dockendorf, her brother-in-law/sister-in-law Leon & Carolynn Dockendorf, and one niece Tammy Leitheiser.

Funeral services for Inez Dockendorf, age 76, of Burke, SD will be held on Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 10:00 AM at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Burke.  Burial will be in Graceland Cemetery of Burke.  There will be a rosary on Friday at 7:30 PM at the church.  Visitation will be one hour prior to both services at the church.