Marie Sylva,95, of Fort Pierre, died on Saturday, June 18th at Maryhouse in Pierre. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, June 21st at St. John’s Catholic Church in Ft. Pierre at 4:00pm. Committal services will be held at 12:30 p.m. (mst) at the Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis SD on Wednesday, June 22nd.

For those unable to attend her services they will be live-streamed in the box below.

Marie Alice Dufour Sylva was born March 2, 1927 in Atlantic, Pennsylvania to Frank and Elizabeth (Finney) Dufour and arrived home to an older brother Frank.

She attended elementary and high school in Houtzdale, Pennsylvania and graduated in 1945. Marie went to work after high school at the Aviation Supply office in Philadelphia and that is where she met her future husband, Gerald. His division was having a party for the workers, officers and supervisors and Marie’s girlfriend lined her up with Jerry, who was an excellent dancer and gentleman. They were smitten with each other and married March 11, 1950 in Houtzdale, PA. She traveled with her husband and lived in many states and visited numerous countries. Together they built a home in Japan while he was stationed there.

Upon Jerry’s retirement they returned to Fort Pierre where Marie volunteered for 30 years at St. Mary’s Hospital with the Auxiliary, and the RSVP program. She was a member of the VFW, the American Legion and St. John’s Catholic Church.
Marie loved playing bridge and played well into her 90’s, she was also extremely crafty, knitting numerous afghans and crocheting many doilies and enjoyed embroidering. She also really enjoyed bowling and was an accomplished pianist. While Jerry was away on numerous deployments in Japan, she took up oil painting and was very accomplished at this also. Her most talented piece is a portrait of the love of her life, Jerry, and many have complimented her on how realistic it is. Her faith in God was very important to her and her prayers sustained her through the long waiting of her Navy husband when he was out on his various missions.

They built their home in Fort Pierre on the shores of the Missouri River and lived there until the Flood of 2011. They returned to their home only to move again to Pierre for a few years until Jerry was admitted to Maryhouse one month after he turned 100. Marie joined him in Maryhouse in October of 2020 where they lived the rest of their married life together and until his death in August of 2021.

On March 11,2021 they celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary with their original cake topper and the best donut from the Donut Shoppe in Pierre.

Grateful to have shared her life is her nephew Barry and (wife Deb) Dufour and children Ryan and Brianna Dufour, niece Shelley Dufour-Martin, husband James and son Garrett. Special friend Dianne (Barry) Smith and her friends from St. John’s Catholic Church in Ft. Pierre.

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