Obituary of Mary Agnes Welchert

WELCHERT MARY AGNES

Mary Agnes Welchert, age 81 of Sioux Falls, SD and formerly of Vermillion, SD and Yankton, SD passed away Saturday, March 2, 2024, at the Avera Prince of Peace Nursing Home, Sioux Falls, SD.  Visitation will be Tuesday, March 19^th from 5:00-7:30 pm with a 7:30 pm wake service all at Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home in Yankton. Funeral Mass will be 10:30 am, Wednesday, March 20^th, at St. Benedict Catholic Church in Yankton with Fr. Thi Pham officiating. Interment will be Wednesday, March 20^th, approximately 1:00 pm at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery at Constance, Nebraska. Online condolences may be sent at www.opsahl-kostelfuneralhome.com. Livestreaming of Mary’s funeral mass may be viewed at: https://my.gather.app/remember/mary-welchert.

Mary was born June 13, 1942, to Mary Henrietta (Marx) & Henry Florenz Welchert, on a farm near Fulton, South Dakota. The ninth child of thirteen, Mary was born at home, as were her siblings, Ted (Rose Marie), Gin (Gerald) Paradeis, Gertie (Karl) Van Pelt, Rose, Tom (Mabel), Fran (Pat) Mahoney, Ray, Theresa (Duane) Fowler, (Mary), Charlie (Joan), David (Judy), Danny, Annie (William) Stratton.

Mary’s parents rented various farms in the Farmer, Fulton, Epiphany area and were part of the old generation of farmers that all moved on the same day, every year. These families packed up their lives & kids, then shuffled houses.

Mary attended early grade school at St. Mary’s School (Salem SD) & 5-7th grades at Burbank (SD) Consolidated School. In 1956, Mary’s parents & those still living at home (aka – 5 of the “little kids”) moved to Custer SD. Mary graduated from Custer High School in 1960.

Shortly after graduating, Mary began struggling with symptoms that would eventually be diagnosed as Bipolar I Disorder. In the 1950s & 60s, things were not as today – where people can get help & medication for psychiatric illness without the stigma of being labeled “unstable”. Mental health treatment was just developing, and psychiatric medications had just started to be manufactured in the 1950s. Obviously, treatment options were extremely limited, with the most common being hospitalization (known as “rehabilitation”) at the Yankton State Hospital, now called the SD Human Services Center. As knowledge, education & psychiatric care improved, people became more accepting of those struggling with mental illness. New treatments were developing & medications were being discovered.

Mary stayed at the State Hospital from 1960 through 1967. During that time, she worked at the Sacred Heart Hospital in the Diet Kitchen (1960-1964). She also worked on the State Hospital ward for about 2 ½ years sometime between 1964 & 1970.

Beginning summer 1970, Mary worked at Yankton College Library for 14 ½ years, until the doors closed (December 1984). She started as the typist and adapted to whatever new skill was needed as all library systems evolved – from Dewey Decimal to Library of Congress to ISBN and the Computer Age. Mary also started taking classes toward a business degree.

While at YC, Mary became part of Recovery International, an organization founded in 1937 with the motto “Better. Mental. Health. for Everyone”. The founder of RI sought to help people reenter society after hospitalization, to talk about their conditions, and to eliminate the stigma of mental illness. He created the Recovery Method over time, and it evolved into a peer-led self-help model that is now available in the USA, Canada, Israel, India & Ireland. Mary volunteered as a Group Leader for 10 years (1975-1985).

Mary moved to Pierre SD & worked at the State Library (1985–1990). She continued pursuing a college degree by taking classes from Northern State University, including library classes.

From Pierre, Mary headed for Vermillion to complete her degree. While attending college, she lived with her first cousin, fellow artist & good friend, Katherine (Flevares) Iverson & her Airedale dog, Jimbo. They enjoyed each other’s company while sharing the spark of creativity.

Academic year 1991-92, Mary was elected to “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges”. This award recognizes university students for outstanding merit & accomplishment.

In 1992, at the age of 50, Mary earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Administration from the University of So. Dak. (Vermillion). Her academic focus had switched from library skills to healthcare, as she was passionate about advocating for the medically vulnerable, especially the elderly.

From 1992–1998, Mary worked tenaciously to break into Healthcare Administration. She entered the healthcare field by doing Home Care around Vermillion. She was also site manager at the Vermillion Senior Center and volunteering for the Vermillion Alzheimer’s Support Group & Hospice.

Unfortunately, Mary was not able to fulfill her ambition of working in Healthcare Administration, so she began professional “job soul-searching” by working at Meckling Fertilizer Co. (summers of 1998 & 1999). Mary loved Meckling because friendly farmers would drop in for laughter, tall tales, coffee & spontaneous gatherings of the “world solution committee”.

Mary then returned to the library profession, working at Lower Brule (SD) School System as Librarian & GED Examiner (1999-2000). In 2000, she earned a K-12 Library Certification and attended Governor Janklow’s Technology for Teaching & Learning Academy (Summer 2000 & 2000-01 School Year). From 2001-2003, Mary was librarian at SD School for the Deaf (Sioux Falls SD) and then Sisseton Wahpeton College (Sisseton SD 2004-2006). After that, Mary retired & returned to Vermillion.

Mary was just as busy in retirement as before. She continued to be an enthusiastic student of …. well, everything. She loved to learn, read, and research so much that she earned a certificate for Advanced Searching in Online Resources (online course through the SD State Library).

Mary’s FAVORITE hobby was shopping at “The Sieve” (her name for Goodwill). She said everything that entered at the top would shake out at the bottom – only to return from whence it came, and live yet another life. She loved digging for things that were “interesting,” especially good books & beautiful items made of wood.

She enjoyed books but not everyday stories. She loved classics, self-improvement, history, biographies, various ideologies, poetry & old children’s books of cultural lore & tradition. Later in life, she spent endless hours using her computer, staying connected via email, researching subjects of interest, and downloading pictures of adorable animals and thought-provoking quotes.

Mary loved ALL types of art, from coloring books with pencils to masterpieces of art & literature. One of her favorite art activities was cutting pictures to making collages (using actual scissors – not the “snippy” icon in an app).

Mary was best known for her incredible gift of writing - rich with metaphor, symbolism & allegory – words molded into language-art. Through tremendous love for written words, she painted beautifully complex poetry - compelling readers to stop for digestion before reading again. She won some poetry contests, most notably the Pasque Petals Contest in the category of SD History or Centennial Theme with her poem titled “Pasqueflower: Echo of SD Joy” (Jan 1990).

In later years, her poems & haikus became simpler and more structured, yet remained profound. She journaled regularly throughout her life, but during the last 10 years, Mary wrote daily. Her endless tablets held a constant dialogue with Jesus, interrupted only by the mundane, like daily chores & what was for dinner. Dispersed throughout were constant pleas for His Aid, statements of what she knew needed to be done but how hard it had become to do anything, followed by self-encouragement & thanksgiving to God the Father and Jesus her Savior for Their Faithful Promise to carry her always.

Mary had a few incredibly special relationships. She lived with her sister, Rose, from the late 60s until she moved to Pierre after YC closed. Rose & Mary spent every holiday at Fran’s house (older sister). Their visits made every holiday special for the Mahoney kids; eventually, Mary deemed them to be her “Grandchildren”.  She was very close to Kelly Mahoney & family and Monica Mahoney-Schroeder & family, as these two led a dynamic team that cared for Mary’s needs - financial, medical, physical, spiritual. Mary became great friends with Roger & Emilie Schroeder (Monica’s husband & daughter), as they visited regularly. Roger spent time with Mary at least once a week for the entire duration of her life at the Assisted Living & Nursing home. Roger was her sounding board, helper, appointment driver and, most importantly, “tech support” that kept her lifeline to the outside world running (an OLD computer). John Mahoney visited often, as well, and convinced his “band” (Irish singers & a few Wanna-be-Irish) to entertain at Prince of Peace. Mary was also a strong influence on her niece, Rita (Mahoney) Pazour, and her children - always encouraging the pursuit of creative instincts, particularly Brett & Erin.

Pat McDonald was initially Mary’s boss at YC, but they became life-long friends of nearly 54 years. Pat has always been one of Mary greatest encouragers.

However, Mary was especially close to her next older sister, Theresa, her husband, Duane, & family. Theresa & Mary were the two oldest of the “little kids”. Theresa was always Mary’s greatest “cheerleader,” encouraging when needed and always celebrating Mary & her accomplishments.

Mary worked hard at every job & task before her. She always tried to eat right, practice good lifestyle habits, stay busy & stay healthy. However, in Sept 2015, she had surgery to treat a pituitary tumor, which started a sharp decline in health. She worked diligently to regain strength & mobility at a physical rehab program in Watertown. Mary made tremendous gains & returned to her apartment in Vermillion until Jun 2016, when she moved to Prince of Peace Assisted Living (Sioux Falls SD). In Sept 2023, her final move was across the parking lot, to Prince of Peace Nursing Home.

Mary was always a “woman on the move” – literally. Like most extremely talented artists, Mary’s home reflected her creative mind – chaotic & overflowing with all things “interesting”. She had thought provoking & quirky art, untold creative projects in progress, unique furniture, and a MONUMENTAL (-ly HEAVY) library. The Mahoney kids, along with their “patience-of-Job” spouses, were the power behind most moves (a couple times it was just those long-suffering spouses). Let us just say that those of us who shared Mary’s artistic bent found it … adventuresome – like a prolonged treasure hunt with something engaging in every box. For the “boring” people, not so much.

Mary was exceptional, with a unique perspective on life & wisdom, which allowed her to find beauty everywhere. She had grit, determination, discipline, creativity, talent & definitely a “German” opinion that she eventually learned to express – most often through writing but could hold her own in a high-volume German “discussion”, if necessary.

Throughout her entire adult life, Mary usually succeeded despite enduring much suffering, mental – physical – emotional. She persevered by throwing herself at the Foot of the Cross; through Jesus Christ, she could “bear all things”.  But the source of her greatest trials – her brain – was also the seat of her greatest triumphs & blessings. Her mind was truly like “roses wrapped in thorn”.

Mary is survived by her sister & brother-in-law, Theresa & Duane Fowler (Marquette Michigan); sister-in-law, Judy Welchert (+Dave - Lincoln NE); 53 nieces & nephews and 143 great-nieces & nephews.

She is preceded in death by her parents, 11 siblings, 7 brothers/sisters-in-law; 3 nieces, Marion Welchert-Garcia (+Ted), Jane & Patricia Paradeis (+Gin); 5 nephews, Bernard (infant +Ted), Doug Paradeis (+Gin), Nick & Erick Van Pelt (+Gertie), Tommy John (+Tom); 2 great-nephews, Thomas Van Pelt (+Gertie – Tim & Linda), Cooper Schroefel (+Annie - Jennifer (Stratton) & Shon).