Clarita Kae Varilek

Clarita Kae Varilek, age 82, of Yankton, South Dakota, died Saturday, July 19, 2025, at Avera Sister James Care Center in Yankton, South Dakota.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at the Wintz & Ray Funeral Home in Yankton, South Dakota with a time of sharing at 7:00 PM. Entombment will be in the columbarium at the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Yankton.

Clarita requested that no flowers be sent for her funeral, instead please consider a donation to your local humane society or to South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

Clarita Kae Varilek was born April 29, 1943, in Scotland, South Dakota, to Herman and Mae (Cisar) Hollman. She grew up in Scotland and graduated from Scotland High School. She then attended Southern State College in Springfield, South Dakota to become a teacher. She married Francis Varilek on July 6, 1963, in Tyndall, South Dakota and together had three sons: Bryce, Colin and Derek. Clarita then began her 35-year teaching career spending seven years teaching country school and then 28 years at Sacred Heart School in Yankton. Following her time teaching she began working at Lewis and Clark Behavioral Health in Yankton.

Clarita was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Yankton, the South Dakota Education Association and the National Catholic Educational Association. She enjoyed bowling for over 40 years, waterskiing, camping, fishing, playing Scrabble, weaving rugs on her mother’s rug weaver, listening to the Bee Gees and Kenny Rogers, spending time with her close friends, and traveling to Hawaii, California, Texas, Las Vegas, Canada and Mexico. She mostly enjoyed spending time with her family and attending her grandchildren’s events and activities.

Survivors include her three sons: Bryce (Dixie) Varilek of Rapid City, South Dakota; Colin (Lisa) Varilek of Yankton, South Dakota, and Derek (Steph) Varilek of Omaha, Nebraska; five grandchildren: Megan Varilek, Jake (Chelsea) Varilek, Shelby Varilek, Kate Varilek, and Sarah (Anthony) Silva; two great grandchildren: Cayli and Avia Silva; sister, Hope Price of Broken Bow, Nebraska; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Robert Hollman; and sisters: Darlene Winkler, Rosalie Hansen, Shirley Schmidt, and Betty Frank.