Mary Kraft

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October 27, 1927– August 29, 2020

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  • Mary Kraft
    Mary Kraft
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Mass of Christian Burial for Mary Kraft, 92 of Timber Lake, will be at 10 a.m. MT on Friday, September 4, 2020 at Holy Cross Catholic Church. Burial will be at Glencross Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge. Visitation will start at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3 at the church with a prayer service at 7 p.m.

Mary passed away Saturday, August 29, 2020 at Spearfish Canyon Healthcare.

Mary Magdalena Martian was born on October 27, 1927 at Hillsview, SD to Balzar and Magdalena Martian. The name on her birth certificate is listed as Maria, a fact she didn’t realize until 2011 when applying for a copy. She was the youngest of nine children. In 1930 the family moved north of Glencross. She attended Spring Lake School and Glencross High School.

On a rainy day on June 18, 1946, Mary and Eddie Kraft were married at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Glencross. They lived at Glencross for a couple of years where Eddie managed the Bagley Elevator before moving to Rapid City where he worked in the construction business. They moved back to Timber Lake and in 1958 they purchased a small farm one and half miles east of town.

Mary worked at the Super Valu grocery store from 1964 to 1983, first for Jim Stoick and later for Mike and Dennis Holzer. In her later years she worked at the city package liquor store and the Dewey County Library whenever extra help was needed. She was a volunteer at the Timber Lake Museum and belonged to the Holy Cross Altar Society.

In 1991 Eddie and Mary moved into Timber Lake. Friends gathered at her home faithfully every morning for coffee and conversation. In 2016 she moved to Prairie Sunset Village at Mobridge where she enjoyed the company and companionship of the other residents and greatly appreciated her caregivers. On June 2020, she moved to Spearfish Canyon Health Care where she lived the remainder of her life.

Mary was an excellent cook and was well known for her kuka, German potato salad and fudge. She liked to crochet, play cards, and tried to walk every day. Her Catholic faith was very important to her and she was never very far away from her rosary.

She is missed and remembered by her six children: David (Cheryl) of Bismarck, ND, Jim of Janesville, WI, Peg (Don Merkle) Kraft of Noti, OR, Beth (Ken) Schweitzer of Gillette, WY, Mary Jo (Ed) Maciejewski of Timber Lake and Nick (Lauri) of Story, WY; 12 grandkids, and 19 great-grandkids.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Eddie in 2012, her parents, five brothers and three sisters.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to St. Joseph Parish Center in Timber Lake.

(Mary Jo Maciejewski’s address is 13879 253rd Ave., Timber Lake, SD 57656.)