Teresa A. Rieger

Mass of Christian burial for Teresa A. Rieger, 85, of Aberdeen, will be 1:00 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014, at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 409 Second Ave. N.E., Aberdeen, concelebrated by Fr. Thomas Heier and Fr. Vergil Heier, her brothers, and Fr. J. Joseph Holzhauser. Burial follows at St. Mary's Cemetery.

Schriver's Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, 414 Fifth Ave. N.W., Aberdeen, is in charge of arrangements.

Visitation at the mortuary will be 5-7 p.m. Friday, with a liturgical wake service at 7 p.m. Visitation continues one hour before Mass on Saturday.

Teresa passed away on Tuesday, September 29, 2014, at Rapid City Regional Hospital.

Teresa was born on June 16, 1929, to Nicodemus and Katherine (Silvernail) Heier in Aberdeen, SD. She attended grade school at St. Mary's Catholic School and graduated from Aberdeen Central High School in 1947.

Teresa married Joseph J. Rieger on September 6, 1951, at St. Mary's Catholic Church, and honeymooned in the Black Hills. They were always companions and true partners, together for 52 years until Joe passed away in 2004.

Teresa was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church, St. Mary's Altar Society, Light of the World, Perpetual Adoration, and Serra International. She sang in St. Mary's choir from the age of 18. She was a member of the Whitetail Bowmen Archery Club with her husband, with whom she hunted and did target shooting. She was an avid reader and belonged to a murder mystery club at Alexander Mitchell Library. Her lifelong love of sewing and embroidery was expressed in the making of many items for her family, friends, and church. Teresa's caramel rolls and kuchen will be sorely missed at the annual church bazaar. She loved attending plays and musical performances of almost any kind and enjoyed wandering through second hand stores looking for a bargain.

Teresa worked for many years for the Federal Government, both at the Public Health Service and later the Internal Revenue Service, where her favorite job was helping people prepare their taxes. Even in retirement, she assisted people with their taxes through the Aberdeen Area Senior Center.

Teresa and Joe loved the Black Hills; they built a vacation home in Custer and spent as much time there as possible with family and friends.

She is survived by her children; sons: Mark Rieger , Mobridge, Edward Rieger, Aberdeen, Tom Rieger, Sioux Falls, and Michael (Dawn) Rieger, Kent, WA; daughters: JoAnne Rieger, Richland, WA, Paula (Joel) Jarding, Calgary, Canada, and Carmel (Brad) Hanson, Lone Tree, CO; grandchildren: Ashley, Christopher, and Nicholas Jarding; Sara, Trent, and Samantha Hanson; Jessica, Katherine, and Zachary Rieger; sister, Agnes Chontos, Livonia, MI; brothers: Fr. Thomas Heier and Fr. Vergil Heier, Dearborn Heights, MI, Fr. Andrew Heier, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Philip (Jadwiga) Heier, Dearborn Heights, MI.

She was preceded in death by her husband; a brother, Fr. Lawrence Heier; two sisters, Caroline Heier and Mary Richardson; and her parents.

Mom's priorities were faith, family, and friends. She was the strongest, bravest, kindest, most generous, and the best person that we have ever known, our personal hero. We will miss her every day for the rest of our lives.