Carl Edward Soulek, 79
Carl Edward Soulek was born April 2, 1946 in the old Wagner, S.D. Hospital to Thomas and Myrtle (Carlson) Soulek. He was the fourth of five children. Carl was baptized and confirmed at First Lutheran Church in Lake Andes, S.D., and was a devoted lifelong member of East Lake Andes Lutheran Church. When Carl was 4 years old, he moved with his family to the farm by Ravinia, S.D. He attended the Ravinia School all 12 years and graduated in 1964. Carl would skip study hall the last period of the day to go home to farm. The superintendent soon caught on to this pattern, and Carl got reprimanded for it. It didn’t take long to convince Mr. Sage that it was very important for him to do this!
Carl spent a lot of quality time with his Grandpa and Grandma Carlson in the many places that they lived. While they were in Armour, S.D., he attended Bible school and gained life-long friends.
After graduation, he attended one year of college at Southern State College in Springfield, S.D., where he met his future wife, Loretta Ann Gray. The first day of registration, he went home and told his roommates that he saw the girl he was going to marry. On Oct. 15, 1965, Carl and Loretta were married at First Lutheran Church in Lake Andes. To this union three children were born: Chad, Curtis and Jylann. He loved the farming profession alongside his wife and kids, until he turned the farming over to Curtis and started driving truck hauling grain out west and bringing cattle back to Nebraska, then delivered groceries to locations across the state. Many stories and memories were created and shared along the way. In his trucking career, he drove over 3 million miles and traveled 38 of the 50 states, oftentimes with one of his grandsons riding shotgun.
Carl was also owner of The Station, sold John Deere equipment for Fred Haar Company, worked as a farmhand for Eugene and Jason Slaba, and mowed the Hidden Gem Campground for Chad. In his younger years, Carl enjoyed participating in tractor pulls with his Ford and International Tractors and working the pit crew for dirt track racing at LA and Tomahawk Speedways. His passions in life included deer and pheasant hunting and fishing with family and friends, going to rodeos and watching them on TV – the latest being a trip to Pendelton, Ore., to watch the Pendelton Rodeo which had long been a dream of his. He and Loretta even got to meet and shake hands with Stetson Wright! He loved watching westerns and traveling to Arizona to visit Jylann and Scott and all of his snowbird friends. His greatest legacy, however, was the unfailing love and support for his family; even while fighting the toughest fight of his life, he never lost his sense of humor and his wittiness; and his foremost concern was his family.
Carl died Friday, July 25, 2025 after a short but courageous battle with cancer.
A service was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 30 at the East Lake Andes Lutheran Church. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will be at the church on Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. The funeral will be live-streamed on the East Lake Andes Lutheran Church Facebook page. Peters Funeral Home in Wagner is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting memorial contributions to Wagner Pink Ladies and the Wagner Cancer Walk.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Loretta, of Wagner; sons Chad of Freeman, S.D., and Curtis (Karen) of Ravinia; daughter Jylann (Scott) Fenske of Glenwood Springs, Colo.; 11 grandchildren: Ty (Mindy) Soulek, Kellen Soulek, Bryant (Brittney) Soulek, Dalton (Brooke) Soulek, Cole (fiancé Brecken) Soulek, Alia (Claire) Soulek, Stefanie (Brian) Welle, Dina Soulek, Blaze (Milan) Barham, Justin (Lyria) Barham, and Wyatt Ewer; and seven great-grandchildren; brothers Richard Soulek of Armour, S.D., and Allen Soulek of Aberdeen, S.D.; sister Kathleen Dvorak of Rapid City, S.D.; and sister-in-law Gloria Soulek of Lake Andes.
Preceeding him in death are his maternal grandparents Oscar and Kathryn Carlson, paternal grandparents Joseph and Anna Soulek, parents Thomas and Myrtle Soulek, brother Kenneth Soulek, sister-in-law Jeanne Soulek, and brother-in-law Darrell Dvorak.
