Dana and Lee Webskowski and their daughters.
By Mikaela Pannell
Lee and Dana Webskowski were high school sweethearts. Now, after nearly 38 years of marriage, they have three children, nine grandchildren and are members at St. George Parish in Hartford. They lived most of their lives in Minnesota and moved to South Dakota in 2021. All those years, God worked in their life together, in ways seen and unseen.
God breaks through
Looking back at her earlier years, Dana recalled that, even back then, “I loved God. That’s what I can say. … My faith has always been very important.”
Dana credits going on an Emmaus Retreat in her 30s for prompting her to really take ownership of her Catholic faith and coming to the conclusion that Catholicism is the one true Church, specifically regarding the Eucharist.
Both Lee and Dana grew up Catholic, but Lee said, “I did my religion like it was another class. … I did a lot of things out of obligation, but I can’t say I had a real heart for anything until much later in my life.”
When Lee’s mom was diagnosed with ALS and shortly after passed away, it was very hard on him and his faith. He recalled that the whole situation “all seemed so unfair” and that “it didn’t make sense to [him].”
In 2013, Deacon Ralph Poyo was part of their parish mission, and Lee begrudgingly agreed to attend the first night. He had such a powerful experience that he decided to attend the rest. Throughout those presentations, God used Deacon Ralph to speak into Lee’s heart, challenge what he thought he believed, and to bring his brokenness to light.
A week later, Lee went on an Emmaus Retreat, which he said “really got [him] on a searching journey; it was truly the first time I felt the love of God in my heart.” From then on, faith has permeated into all parts of his life, rather than simply a box to be checked off. He said that ever since, there is always a rosary in his pocket, and praying it is a regular part of his life.
Since being in Sioux Falls, the Webskowskis often attend the 7 a.m. daily Mass at St. Therese Parish before heading to work. “We’re so thankful for 7 a.m. Mass because we are able to go together,” Dana said.
Challenging times
As in all of life and marriage, challenges over the years have forced Lee and Dana to rely on each other and on God in new ways. One of those challenges was in the way family life takes unexpected turns and children will make decisions their parents don’t agree with. For the Webskowskis, this has been seen in the different faith paths of their daughters.
Two of their daughters aren’t practicing their Catholic faith and are involved in evangelical churches. The Webskowskis are very proud of how much all three of their daughters love the Lord, and how passionate they and their families are about living for Jesus. It has been a challenging journey of learning how to respect the differences in faith, while also recognizing what parts of faith are shared. Lee and Dana are thankful to now be at a point where conversations can be had without arguments or hurt feelings, and that they are able to share their love for God with all of their children and grandchildren.
Health challenges also tested their marriage. In 2020, Lee’s brother passed away at the age of 43 from lymphoma. Because Lee was experiencing similar symptoms, Dana explained that she insisted he be seen by a doctor. Lee was then also diagnosed with “a different type of cancer than his brother, a very treatable cancer, but he did have cancer,” she said.
Being new to the Sioux Falls area and away from their closest friends in Marshall, the Webskowskis remember feeling very alone during this trial. They relied heavily on prayer, but Lee said this was “the hardest year of our marriage.”
Dana agreed, adding,“Navigating that was a very big growth in our marriage because we did not handle it in the same way.” She went on to share, “I know it was getting me to trust God, that he has a plan and we can trust his plan.”
Thankfully, Lee has been cancer free since 2022.
Relying on God
Lee worked for Schwan’s for over 30 years and had planned to retire from the company. After the company’s abrupt closure in 2024, though, he was unemployed for nearly a year before accepting the director of discipleship and evangelization (DDE) position with St. Francis of Assisi Pastorate. Dana said of the job hunt and rejections, “This is where I saw my husband totally have to rely on God and not on himself. … His prayer was: ‘Jesus, I trust in you; You take care of everything.’” Ultimately, God made it very clear that the DDE position is where he was meant to be, and that’s where he is today.
Lee wasn’t alone in having to rely on God’s guiding hand. Upon moving to South Dakota, Lee and Dana initially lived in Hartford together with their daughter’s family. During their time there, Dana also formed beautiful relationships with the people at St. George Parish. Eventually, Father Paul King asked her about working there.
Having recently left her position with their Minnesota parish due to burnout, Dana declined. But Father King continued to seek her out. She eventually agreed to a temporary position. Then with the priest reassignments and Set Ablaze, the priests requested she stay on. This time, her response was a joy-filled “Yes!” She is still working at Our Lady of Victory Pastorate today.
Words of wisdom
When asked what encouragement or advice they’d like to share, they said a big thing they did throughout the years is they’d take some kind of time away, just the two of them, where they didn’t talk about their kids. They’d focus on each other and their marriage. They feel doing that was invaluable for preparing them for their empty-nester stage.
“As a parent, you can’t give what you don’t have,” Lee said. “You have to seek your faith.”
“The longer we’re married, the more beautiful our friendship becomes,” Dana added.
The Webskowskis also said their mission in marriage and as DDEs is to work together to get their kids to heaven and to help other parents in that call. “We have to be intentional as parents on how we raise our children,” Dana said. “We have to be intentional about the faith.”
Mikaela Pannell is a freelance writer and a parishioner at St. Therese Parish in Sioux Falls, where she serves as a lector. She is married with three young children.
