Laura Aeschlimann, 43,, has passed away, leaving behind a family and community who loved her dearly.
Below, the family shares some of what made her life meaningful.
Born in 1977, Laura began a life that would touch many along the way.
The grief of an unfinished life is its own particular kind of grief.
Laura Aeschlimann, 43, a devoted wife and mother, passed away Thursday, May 7, 2020. Private funeral services will be at 1:00pm Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at the Calvary Reformed Church in Monroe with public burial at the Monroe Reformed Church Cemetery. Due to the coronavirus, the service will be livestreamed at fb.me/CalvaryReformedMonroe or can be listened to locally in Monroe on 87.9 FM radio. Visitation will be from 5-7pm Monday evening at the church with coronavirus precautions. Arrangements by Hofmeister Jones Funeral Home. Dr. Laura A. Aeschlimann (Dykstra) is a native South Dakotan who grew up on a farm in rural Monroe. Laura graduated as Valedictorian from Marion High School in 1995 and went on to South Dakota State University in Brookings to study pre-dentistry. In 1998, Laura was one of only a handful of her classmates to earn early admission into dental school in Minneapolis. She received her D.D.S. from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in 2002. Laura specialized in Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Nebraska Medical Center for two years. The day after the completion of her many, many years of school, Laura married her husband Chad on July 1, 2004. They moved to Okinawa, Japan where she served three years in the United States Air Force as the Chief of Pediatric Dentistry at Kadena Air Base. Laura and Chad's son Tanner was born on June 13, 2006. Following the completion of her active duty service commitment, Laura and her family returned home to South Dakota where she entered private practice as an associate dentist. In the winter of 2012, Laura opened ABC Pediatric Dentistry. Laura enjoyed spending time with her husband and son, as well as with family, nieces and nephews, friends and colleagues. Laura enjoyed learning and attended many continuing education courses. She also had a strong passion to serve others, volunteering her dental talents both locally and internationally. For fun she enjoyed playing piano, reading, playing cards and board games, watching movies, and beach vacations in the winter. Grateful for having shared her life are her husband Chad and son Tanner; her parents Dennis and Amy Dykstra; brother David (Lori) Dykstra; sister Ann (Chris) Fischer; sister Erin (Chris) Kaufman, brother Sam (Michelle) Zick, brother Tyler (Amalia) Zick; her Aeschlimann family, Bill (Joan Kinney) Aeschlimann, Kristin Aeschlimann, Eric (Melissa) Aeschlimann; and nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and a large, supportive circle of friends. She was preceded in death by her mother Sheila, her mother-in-law Karol, and grandparents. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Lifescape Specialty School, Make-A-Wish, or the Turner County Food Pantry. A memorial fund has been set up with Rivers Edge Bank, PO Box 7, Marion, SD 57043 www.hofmeisterjones.com
