Aaron Fonder

Aaron Fonder, age 41, of Sioux Falls, SD, passed away Thursday, July 23, 2026, at his home in Sioux Falls.

Memorial service will be 11:00 AM Thursday, July 30, 2026 at Benton Lutheran Church rural Crooks, SD with Vicar Kendra Kappler officiating. Burial will follow at the Benton Lutheran Church Cemetery.

Visitation will be 5-7 PM Wednesday, July 29th also at Benton Lutheran Church.

Aaron is survived by his parents, Roger and Lynda Fonder (Boggs); his sister, Amy Fonder-Chabra, his brother-in-law, Indy Chabra, his niece, Brooke Kaur Chabra, Sushi (his devoted cat) and a wonderfully large extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

AJ will be watched over in heaven by his grandparents, Margaret and Hugh Fonder and Marcella and Lawrence Boggs; his aunts and uncles, Diane Fonder, Joanne Treloar, Robert Fonder, Richard Fonder, David Phillips, Thomas Boggs, his cousins, Michael Fonder and Adam Boggs; and many others who will now watch over him in heaven.

Aaron attended SouthEast Votech, graduated from West Central High School in 2004. He also attended the other school, but in Aaron’s version of this story, it is the school that must not be named.

As a boy, Aaron enjoyed softball and carried fond memories of his team. He later discovered skateboarding and snowboarding before finding the sport that truly belonged to him: bowling. Aaron rolled several perfect 300 games and won state tournaments. Bowling was part of who he was.

Aaron loved cars, especially Honda Civics. He was enormously proud of his numbered Type R. Aaron remembered its number until the end, R00354. He was also proud of his involvement with Relentless Productions and Hondas with Heart, a Sioux Falls charity car meet created by friends who shared his love of Hondas, craftsmanship, and community.

Some of Aaron’s happiest years were spent working at his dad’s old shop, Budget Auto Repair. For Aaron, “The Shop” was never a workplace. It was a second home filled with cars, projects, laughter, and people who shaped his life. Uncle Clyde Twiggs lived simply and was sometimes without a home, but never without kindness for Aaron. Beside Clyde’s hot dog cart, Aaron was often mistaken for homeless too, an assumption neither of them seemed particularly bothered by.

Many of Aaron’s happiest childhood summers were spent with his aunt Joanne Treloar, who often cared for him. He loved his Treloar cousins deeply and treasured the memories they made together.

Aaron’s love of gaming began in a basement containing 13 pinball machines, courtesy of his pinball loving dad. He became an avid gamer who occasionally had to leave gatherings early because people online were counting on him. Commitments are commitments.

He loved Texas Hold’em, car shows, concerts, Blink-182, Rage Against The Machine, Trailer Park Boys, Bob’s Burgers, Laffy Taffy jokes, and dill pickle chips he had no intention of sharing. When a restaurant did not carry Mountain Dew, he ordered “Mountain Yellow.” He was endlessly punny and high-lariously sarcastic. His sarcasm was truly the worst. Everyone hated it.

Aaron was finally diagnosed with multiple sclerosis on April 20, 2021, a date that previously held happier associations.

MS began affecting Aaron’s memory and balance before his diagnosis. As his illness progressed, he withdrew from friends and family because he feared becoming a burden. He sometimes forgot conversations, but he never forgot that he loved his friends and family. We hope everyone who cared for Aaron understands that the distance was the disease speaking, not his heart.

Aaron worked at Daktronics for more than a decade. When his disability emerged, Daktronics quietly did everything a good employer should do. Long before most people understood what Aaron was facing, Daktronics treated him with patience, dignity, and compassion.

Aaron was a loyal friend, a groomsman in several weddings, and the proud godfather of Carson Johnson. Even as Aaron’s memory faded, he always remembered his cousin Andrew and the Treloar Family. Aaron knew he could count on his mom and dad.

As Aaron faced increasingly complex medical issues, his sister Amy fought to secure answers, treatment, and support, traveling from Tucson to Omaha and Mayo Clinic and remaining his advocate through every appointment. His parents, Roger and Lynda, shouldered demanding day-to-day care that followed. He was also deeply loved by his cousin Kimberly Ann Fonder and her sons, Quentin and Bryce, who brought him home and stayed with him during hospital stays and several seizure episodes. Caregivers enter people’s lives during their most vulnerable moments and do difficult, loving work when few others are watching. The KoreCares Team, Ody, Lindsey and Michelle Wenge helped Aaron find moments of joy through depression and allowed him to remain in the home where he felt safest and least confused.

Aaron’s favorite roommate, and landlord, was Sushi, his elderly and well-fed cat. She was the love of his life before and after MS. Somehow, Sushi outlived Aaron, surprising us all, and we are grateful she was beside him through it all.

Aaron often said that when his time came, he hoped to fall asleep and simply not wake up. He experienced a seizure at home and appears to have lost consciousness quickly. His wish was granted. He passed peacefully in the place where he felt safest.

Aaron’s Mayo Clinic neurologist described Aaron’s case as one of the worst, it took him down Fast and Furious. Aaron’s experience was rare and does not represent everyone with MS. Honor Aaron by never using his story to frighten someone newly diagnosed. Offer hope, seek an MS specialist, and fight insurance companies for the best medical treatment. Early treatment with the right disease modifying therapy can stop new disease activity for many people and help them live long, full lives.

Remember Aaron through his smile, a perfect game, a beautifully rebuilt Honda, a ridiculous T-shirt, a terrible pun, or a sip of Mountain Yellow. Please share your Aaron stories, and love your brothers, sons, cousins, and friends a little more today.

Aaron was kind. Aaron was funny. Aaron was deeply loved. He is now free from confusion, fear, and seizures, and he will be missed more than he ever allowed himself to understand.