Alice Ruth "Alice the Great; Amazing Alice" Huber

Alice Ruth Huber, born Alice Ruth Dubs on September 18, 1920, on the family farm near rural Freeman, South Dakota, passed away on March 1, 2026, at the age of 105 at Diamond Care Center in Bridgewater, South Dakota.

Alice grew up attending Trinity Lutheran Church in rural Freeman, where she was baptized and confirmed. She later became a member of All Zion Lutheran in Sioux Falls and, after moving to Emery in 1944, remained active at St. John’s Lutheran Church until its closing in 2019. She married Erwin A. Huber of Clayton, South Dakota, on June 29, 1941, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Freeman. Together they raised three children: Victor, Loren, and Sharyn.

A 1939 graduate of Freeman High School, Alice earned her teaching certificate at Freeman Junior College and taught in rural schools across Sully, Hutchinson, and Hanson counties. She later worked as a telephone operator in Emery, as a school cook at the old Emery school, and spent thirty years as a seamstress in area sewing factories before retiring at the age of eighty. She lived independently in her Emery home until late November 2025.

Alice was known for her remarkable gardening, producing abundant harvests from small plots, and for her exceptional cooking and baking, especially her celebrated fudge. To many of her grandchildren she was affectionately called “Alice the Great” or “Amazing Alice.” She carried a clear and vivid memory of a century of change, from the arrival of electricity on the farm and the first radios to color television, space travel, and modern technology. She lived through two world wars and witnessed remarkable advancements, including a granddaughter’s work on current rocket launches.

She is survived by her son Victor (Karen) Huber of Rapid City, South Dakota, and daughter-in-law Amy Nolan-Huber of Emery, South Dakota; nine grandchildren: Colleen Huber, Tara Huber, Erin Huber, Jami (Jesse) Barondeau, Jessi (Jesse) Olsen, Lee (Nicole) Huber, Jia (Paul) Stein, Stacey (Tim) Birkel, and Greg (Colleen) Rhodes; seventeen great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Erwin Huber; son, Loren Huber; daughter, Sharyn (Gerry B. “Dusty”) Rhodes; her parents, John and Emelia Dubs; her brother, Armin (Jeanette) Dubs; and her sisters, Melitta (William O.) Huber and Lorna (Melton) Langle.