Yvonne Ernster

Yvonne Ernster, 75 of Chester, passed away on February 26, 2026, at the Banner-Boswell Medical Center in Sun City, AZ. Services are pending at St. Christina's Catholic Church, Parker. Arrangements provided by Hofmeister-Jones Funeral Home.

Yvonne was born on July 8, 1950, in Sioux Falls, SD to Herman and Zetta Viet (Jorgensen). She was raised on a farm north of Parker and attended Ellstrom District 51 Country School and later Parker High School, graduating in 1968. Following graduation, Yvonne moved to Minneapolis, MN to study interior design at the University of Minnesota. Her education was cut short when she returned home to Parker to care for her ailing mother. On June 22, 1974, she married Larry Ernster and together they shared more than 51 years of marriage.

Yvonne worked at the Law Office in Parker for many years in a variety of roles. She also served on the Parker School Board while her kids were in high school and she served on the Brant Lake Association Board. She cherished time spent with her family, her many friends, and her beloved fur baby, Ellie. She loved vacationing in Maui, Hawaii and held fond memories of many trips to Medford, Oregon and Seattle, Washington to visit family. She and Larry especially enjoyed time at their home on Lake Brant and winters in Sun City, Arizona, shared with their lifelong friends, the Mehlbrechs. Yvonne enjoyed convertible rides and playing mini golf in Arizona, and she cherished attending her grandchildren’s events. She also loved playing games of any kind, often laughingly bragging about how she always won. Yvonne was also known for enjoying a carefully measured splash of scotch, with just one teaspoon in eight ounces of water!

Grateful for having shared her life are her husband, Larry, their three children, Brian (Jamie), Melissa (Eric) Aeschlimann, and Kim (Adam) DeJong; 14 grandchildren, Alex T., Sydney, AJ, Kain, Tyler, Matthew (Cara), Tugg, Lainey, Seth, Isabel, Sophie, Alex V., Elliot, and Jake; 6 great grandchildren; her brother, Dave (Sherry) Viet, brothers-in-law, Dennis (Barb) Ernster, Ron (Vicki) Ernster, Kevin (Kim) Ernster, Ken (Gloria) Ernster, and Keith (Deanna) Ernster; sisters-in-law, Karen (Kent) McCullough, Cindy (Dale) Terwilliger, and many other friends and family, including cousins who Yvonne considered lifelong friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, stepmother Marge Viet, and parents-in-law, Norbert and Pauline Ernster.

The family would like to express their deepest gratitude to the nursing staff at Banner Boswell Medical Center in Sun City for their extraordinary care, compassion, and support. Your kindness made a difficult time more peaceful. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the National Kidney Foundation, in Yvonne’s honor.