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07/09/2018 - Mary ‘Kathleen’ Connell
Funeral services for Mary ‘Kathleen’ Connell, age 95, of Oral, SD will be at 10:00 AM on Monday, July 9, 2018 at Prairie View United Methodist Church near Smithwick, SD with Pastor Mark Johnsen officiating.
Burial will be at 2:30 PM on Monday, July 9, 2018 at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis, SD.
Visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on Sunday, July 8, 2018 at Chamberlain McColley’s Funeral Home in Hot Springs, SD.
A memorial has been established for the Prairie View United Methodist Church near Smithwick or the Battle Mountain Humane Society in Hot Springs.
Kathleen passed away on July 3, 2018 at Seven Sisters Living Center in Hot Springs, SD. She was born on October 1, 1922 in Beaver City, NE. She attended grade school in Beaver City, graduating from RockCountyHigh School in Basset, NE in 1940. She completed a two-year college degree at Nebraska State Teachers College in 1957 at Chadron, NE, teaching at several rural schools in central and northeast Nebraska, and proudly received her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in 1963. In 1971, Kathleen realized her dream and earned her Master’s Degree in Education from CST. She earned her degrees over years of summer school at CSC in Chadron, NE while teaching full-time. She was an excellent educator and taught for 46 years. After moving to Oral with DeWayne, she began teaching again at the Oral, Buffalo Gap and Hot Springs Middle School.
Kathleen married DeWayne Connell on March 1, 1942 in St. Paul, NE. When Kathleen and DeWayne were married, he gave her a choice. She could help feed cattle, or she could teach school. She liked cattle alright, but since she was teaching school and loved children, her choice was to teach school. “I think I am supposed to be a teacher,” she said. Kathleen was 17 when she began teaching three months after graduating high school, passing a State Examination for her certificate. She began teaching at the Connell School in Rock County. She recalled her salary was $45 a month, and she walked 2 ½ miles to and from school. She taught full-time for 16 years in Rock and Keya Paha Counties in NE and 30 years in SD. To her students she was Mrs. Connell, strict but able to get her point across in a kind and fair manner.
Both Kathleen and DeWayne were musically inclined and sang at weddings and funerals. They were active in their communities and enjoyed many good friends. She had a love for ceramics, making many beautiful pieces, and her home was beautifully decorated with the seasonal projects she had made. Together she and DeWayne donated many toys at Christmas time. Kathleen wore many hats. There is no doubt about it, Kathleen was a gracious host, making human visitors feel extra welcome. Her conversations nearly always included how much she enjoyed her students. She was right, she was “supposed to be a teacher.”
Kathleen was active in local education organizations and in IOTA Master Beta Sigma Phi, Chapter MA1301, serving on many committees and always helpful and ready to take on a project. She maintained a beautiful yard and flower garden at her home in Eagle Valley, sharing many plants with her friends.
She leaves behind to treasure her memory, nieces Janice (John) Hutson of Mansfield, MO and Marsha (Frank) Jones of Greeley, CO; nephew Walt (Lana) Griffiths of Bellevue, NE; and other numerous nieces and nephews. These children were with her for many summers, and she and DeWayne showered them with attention, learning, new experiences and love. They affectionally called her “Auntie Kathleen”.
Kathleen was preceded in death by husband DeWayne; her parents; brother Max Copeland; and sisters Margaret (Gilmore) Schneider and Jean (Si) Griffiths. Kathleen loved her pets, and Charlie her dog passed away last fall.
Chamberlain McColley’s Funeral Home, Hot Springs, SD is in charge of arrangements for Mary ‘Kathleen’ Connell.
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