Elsie Henderson

May 1, 1940 – March 9, 2024

Elsie Henderson, 83, of Dupree passed away at Monument Health in Rapid City on Saturday, March 9, 2024.

Funeral arrangements are with the Faith Area Memorial Chapel in Faith.

Elsie May Fuhrer was born May 1, 1940 to Bill and Christina (Springer) Fuhrer at Dupree. She spent her first 12 years living on the Fuhrer farm northeast of Dupree while attending the Cloverleaf School. In 1952 they moved into town.

Elsie worked at a local café during her high school days and graduated from Dupree in 1958. She met Gene Henderson in the summer of 1956 and they were married June 16, 1958. They settled on the Henderson farm with Gene’s folks, where she helped with the 21 milk cows they had at that time.

Due to drought, Gene and Elsie sold all of their cattle and moved into Dupree in 1961, where she babysat for some of the teachers. When the rains came they bought cattle back again and started farming on the place south of Dupree.

Elsie worked at Oster’s Grocery in the 1970’s and then went to work at the Jack & Jill store from 1981 until 1998; then she started a baking business from her home. She made many kinds of delicious cookies, pies and kuchen. The grandkids always knew where to come for fresh cookies.

After Gene passed away in January 2015, she continued to live on the farm east of Dupree until June 2019 when she moved to Spearfish to Sandstone Assisted Living where she enjoyed the company of the other residents, playing cards and socializing. In August 2023 she moved to Burrs Living Care.

Elsie is survived by sons: Bill (Pam) Henderson and Dale (Tracie) Henderson; six grandchildren: Jeff, Blaine, Daryl (Hailee) and Robert Henderson, Mardie (Tyler) Sonne and Callie (Dave) Zeiler; six great-grandchildren; sister Wilma Raile; sister-in-law Audrey Henderson; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Gene; granddaughter Jodie Jean Henderson; brothers-in-law and sister-in-law Willie Raile, Harley and Terri Henderson, and Ben Henderson.

(Bill and Pam Henderson’s address is Box 399, Dupree, SD 57623.)