Katherine "Kay" Marie Rehfeld

Mass of Christian Burial for Katherine "Kay" Marie Rehfeld, 82, of Aberdeen, will be 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, January 20, 2015, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 409 3rd Ave SE, Aberdeen, with Father Melvin Kuhn, Celebrant.

Kay's wishes were to be cremated. Burial will take place at the Warner Township Cemetery at a later date.

Schriver's Memorial Mortuary & Crematory, 414 5th Avenue NW, Aberdeen, is in charge of arrangements. Friends may sign her online guestbook at www.schriversmemorial.com.

Visitation will be 5-7 p.m., Monday, at the mortuary with a Liturgical Wake Service being held at 7:00 p.m.

Kay passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 15, 2015, with her sister, daughter-in-law and son at her side.

Kay was born Feb 25, 1932, at home, on the ranch south of Mobridge on the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation to parents Pat and Josie (Whitney) Ducheneaux. Kay was raised on the ranch and attended school at Immaculate Conception Mission School at Stephan, near Fort Thompson, South Dakota. During her grade school and high school years, Kay was the first one picked to be on the baseball teams because she could hit and was fast. After high school, Kay attended what is now Presentation College in Aberdeen, where she earned her degree as a Registered Nurse. She worked as a nurse at St Luke's Hospital, and for Dr. Murdy in Aberdeen.

She married Harlan Rehfeld at the Catholic Church in Cheyenne Agency on May 7, 1955, and together they had a son, Blake. In the late 50's they moved to the Twin Cities area in Minnesota, where Kay worked as a nursing supervisor at a large hospital. In the early 70's they moved back to the Aberdeen area and Kay started up the Urban Indian Health Clinic in Aberdeen. She later worked for several doctors in clinics in Aberdeen before retiring in the late 90's.

Family and friends were very important to Kay. When her sister died, she and other siblings did what they could to help the surviving spouse raise their five children. Many summers, these children would stay at Auntie Kay's for extended periods to help ease the burden. Kay's mother was widowed at an early age and often would live with Kay or her sister. Friends and relatives from South Dakota would find a welcome place to stay at Kay's house in the Twin Cities while looking for work and establishing themselves in the area.

She and her close friend loved to go to rummage sales to help clothe her family and her nieces and nephews. Bingo was always a popular pastime.

The addition of grandchildren brought great joy to Kay. She loved to play with them by bike riding, roller-skating, shooting baskets and decorating cookies at Christmas time. And she was especially proud of her great-grand children.

Kay survived numerous health issues in her lifetime, beating cancer at least three times, along with other various surgeries where the prognosis was not good. She would get knocked down but always fought through and continued on.

Preceding Kay in death is her husband, Harlan; her parents, Pat "Paddy" and Josie Ducheneaux; brothers: Darrel, LaMoyne, Toby, Gordon, Dale and Neal Ducheneaux; and one sister, Bonnie (Ducheneaux) Hogfoss.

Kay is survived by her son, Blake (Kris) Rehfeld; grandson, Travis (Jess) Rehfeld and son Jacob and daughter Allison; granddaughters: Holly (Jerry) Pounds and their son Will, and Kimm (Barry) O'Brien and their son, Louie; one sister, Myrna (Bob) Christenson; and one brother, Dallas (Frances) Ducheneaux.

She will be greatly missed by family and friends. Blessed be her memory.