Florence Christian, 91, of Pierre died on Tuesday, August 31st at her home in Pierre. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, September 4th at 10:00 am at Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church with the burial being held on Tuesday, September 7th at 3:00 pm at Riverside Cemetery in Pierre. There will be a visitation on Friday, September 3rd from 5:00-6:00 pm at Isburg Funeral Chapel with a 6:00 pm prayer service. For those unable to attend the service it will be live streamed in this obituary the day of her service.

Florence was born on October 22, 1929 in Pierre, SD and grew up in Draper, SD. She lived a full and many-faceted life as a devoted daughter, wife, mother, teacher, and friend, who wholeheartedly engaged in everything she did. Florence began her education at 4 years old and graduated from high school when she was 16 years old. Growing up, she loved to sing and would often go out into the fields to sing at the top of her lungs. At 16, she entered the Black Hills School of Business. After completing business school, she worked at a bank for two years. During this time, she performed solos at numerous events and sang with a band once sharing the stage with well-known Mario Lanza.

At the age of 20, her love of music led her to the University of Denver to study music. She continued to perform for various events in Denver. The summer after her second year, she returned home for a visit and met Willard at a summer dance. They were so enamored with each other that Florence decided not to return to Denver, a place she loved. Instead, she took classes at Black Hills State to become a teacher and began her teaching career in Draper at a one room county schoolhouse, teaching kids from 1st to 12th grade.

Willard and Florence were married on May 22, 1954. They moved to Willard’s dad’s farm in a house north of Draper that had no plumbing and no running water. There, they had 4 children, Denise, Denny, Diane and Darrell. In 1965, the family moved to Kennebec. In Kennebec, Florence worked on a tractor in fields, planted and maintained a huge garden, taught school part time and raised 4 wonderful children.
In 1980, they moved off the farm to Rapid City where Florence also taught special education. Each winter, they would go to Arizona to be close to Diane, Brian and the grandchildren attending many of their activities and able to watch and enjoy them as they grew.

In 2007, Willard and Florence moved to Pierre where both enjoyed their final years with their devoted son, Denny, helping out on his ranch, and going to mass and brunch together every Sunday. In Pierre, Florence made many good friends, enjoyed playing bridge, and volunteered for “Reading Buddies” to help children with learning challenges learn to read.
Florence was beloved by many and will forever be remembered for her generous giving, her wisdom, her devotion to the church, and her unfailing courage to speak out for what’s right. Her countless talents included baking, cooking, singing, teaching, learning, gardening, and laughing freely.

She will be deeply missed and survived by her brother Leroy and her sister Rosmarie, her loving children, Denise, Denny, Diane (Brian Tschetter), and Darrell (Kathy Trost), her six grandchildren, Ashley (Mike Pelton), Jennifer, Lindsey (Alex Machuca), David, Isaac, and Josh, and her two great grandchildren, Kaley and Kinsley (Ashley and Mike).

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