Anita Zelenka-Lines

Anita Kay Zelenka-Lines passed away early in the morning on Friday April 26, 2019,  catching family and friends completely off-guard. She was an incredible and unique woman who will be remembered by babies she helped deliver, young people she mentored and helped raise, and the people she provided hospice care for in her final days. She was also a helluva turkey hunter.

Born on August 23, 1957 to Donald and Camilla Zelenka, she was the third youngest in a family of nine children. When her family moved to Sioux Falls from Aberdeen, SD, in 1966, she and her sister Julie went to work cleaning horse stables to get free time riding the rental horses. This early love of horses expanded into a love of just being outdoors and a strong desire to live, and help preserve, a rural lifestyle.

While working towards a BS in Agronomy at SDSU in Brookings, SD, she met Paul Lines and told him how to correctly ride a unicycle. On December 27th, 1983, Anita finally proposed and they got married in Sioux Falls, SD at St. Lambert’s Church. After Nik was born in Missoula, MT, her and Paul eventually settled in Watson, MN, where Dylan was born. The Lines family became well known, respected, and loved by all who met them through their community involvement and hard-working professionalism. While raising her two sons, she also went back to school and with Paul’s help was able to get her Registered Nurse certification and began working at local hospitals. She was very proud to be a nurse, following in her mother’s footsteps.

Anita was a very intelligent person who constantly sought tougher challenges and daily provided those around her new opportunities to learn. An expert conversationalist, she could enhance any discussion on any topic, providing humor and depth that people often remembered later. Locally, she was known as “The Source of All Information”. Her eternal daily optimism infected those around her and strongly displayed her love of each day of her life. She was an avid trophy turkey hunter, also raising turkeys, chickens, goats, horses, dogs, and cats on their farm.

This is Anita’s living family: her husband, Paul Lines (Watson, MN); sons: Nik Lines (Leah - Camden, Tucker, & Angele) and Dylan Lines (Whitney - Breckon); mother, Camilla Zelenka (Sioux Falls, SD); sisters & brothers: Kathy Gregoire (Lancaster, PA), Carol (Mel) Klein, Patrick (Nancy) Zelenka (Yankton, SD), Nadine Wilson (Cheyenne, WY), Julie (Dennis) Beusch (Aberdeen, SD), Bill (Elaine) Marsh (Sioux Falls, SD), Jane (Don) Mathew (TX), and Richard (Jacqui) Zelenka (Sioux Falls, SD).

Anita was preceded in death by her father, Donald Zelenka.

A celebration of Anita’s life will be held on Sunday, May 5, 2019 from noon to 5 pm at the Hollywood movie theatre in Montevideo, MN. 

Anita’s family is in charge of memorial arrangements assisted by Anderson-TeBeest Funeral Home of Montevideo.