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Wednesday, March 17
Belle Fourche
Mary Lorene Harms was born Nov. 28, 1952, to Lorane and Florence (Kaiser) Harms. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Bristol. She grew up in the Butler area, and attended school and later graduated from Bristol in 1971.
During high school and after graduation, she babysat for area farmers, looking after their children and helping around the house. Mary then worked at Fetrel Manufacturing in Salem, Crooked Creek Ranch in Bowman, N.D. and later at the Sluice Supper Club in Spearfish.
She united in marriage with Richard Keats on May 19, 1990, and to this union, a daughter, Mattie, was born. They made their home in Spearfish, later moving to Belle Fourche.
She spent several years working for Black Hills State University and Spearfish High School, working in the kitchen. She spent the last few summers working at the information center on the South Dakota/Wyoming border, which she thoroughly enjoyed and loved meeting all of the travelers that stopped. Mary’s family joked that it was the perfect job for her as she got to talk to everyone and anyone and got paid to do so.
Mary enjoyed traveling, telling jokes, making everyone laugh, having coffee with friends and family, harvest time, reading, sewing, baking, cooking and overall good conversation. Mary was most proud of her two grandsons, Aiden and Jackson Tope, and made sure that you knew it too.
Mary had a heart of gold and would help anyone in need. She always had a smile on her face and she always had kind words for everyone she met. She never met a stranger because they all became her friend.
Mary will be forever loved and deeply missed by her daughter Mattie Tope of Belle Fourche, two grandsons, Aiden and Jackson Tope of Belle Fourche, four brothers; William of Bristol, Michael of Bristol, Paul (Karla) of Parker, Jeffrey of Aberdeen, two sisters; Judith Anderson of Watkins, Minn., Patricia (Adolf) Walz of Aberdeen, 11 nieces and nephews, one aunt, Lois Stern of Bristol and two uncles, Donald (Roseanne) Harms of Redfield and Herbert Dohman of Sioux Falls.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Richard, sister-in-law Brenda Harms, niece Candace Anderson, sister Susan Saylor and brother-in-law Ellsworth Anderson.
Funeral services were held Tuesday, March 23, at Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapels in Spearfish, with inurnment to follow at Rose Hill Cemetery.
Arrangements provided by Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapels and Isburg Crematory of Spearfish.
