Claudia Emma Pickens, 66, of Vermillion, South Dakota, passed away Thursday afternoon, February 15, 2024, in her residence in Vermillion.

There will be a memorial gathering on Tuesday, February 27, 2024 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Hansen Funeral Home in Vermillion, South Dakota.

Memorial services will be held on May 11, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Cherokee, Iowa.  Pastor Mike Agnew will officiate.  Burial will be in the Oak Hill Cemetery at Cherokee, Iowa.  The Boothby Funeral Home of Cherokee, Iowa will be assisting the family with local arrangements. Online condolences may be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com.

Claudia was born on Mother's Day, May 12, 1957, in Algona, Iowa, to Claude Everett and Caroline Mae (Edmand) Gatrost. Claudia graduated from Washington High School in Cherokee, Iowa, in 1975 and then moved to Sioux City, Iowa, where she worked various jobs in finance until 2007.

Claudia married the love of her life, Robert John Pickens, on July 7, 2007, in Cherokee, Iowa, at St. Paul's United Methodist Church and then moved to Vermillion, South Dakota, where she worked as a Senior Claims Clerk for the University of South Dakota until she retired in 2021.

Claudia was preceded in death by her father, Claude Everett Gatrost, and her brother, David Harold Gatrost.

Claudia is survived by her husband, Robert of Vermillion, South Dakota; her mother, Caroline Gatrost of Chandler, Arizona; her older brother, Mark Gatrost and his wife Roxanne of Chandler, Arizona ; her daughter Carrie (Chris) Kenney of Lincoln, Nebraska; her son Richard (Jaide) Anderson, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota her nephews, Cameron Gatrost, Josh Gatrost, and Christopher; niece Katie Jane Stimpel; also four grandchildren.