Mary A. Rausch, 87, Tolstoy, SD, died Monday, December 30, 2024 at the Crestview Care Center, Chadron, NE. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM, Saturday, January 4, 2024 at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, Hoven, SD, with Father J. Joseph Holzhauser, Celebrant. Interment follows at the Church Cemetery. Musicians will be Margaret Bobby and St. Anthony’s Catholic Church Choir. Musical selections will be “On Eagle’s Wings”, “The Old Rugged Cross”, “Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound”, “Song of Farewell”, “How Great Thou Art”, and “America the Beautiful”. Mass server will be Wyatt Huber; Eucharistic Minister will be Tom Garrity; Lector will be Kurt Rausch; and Offertory Gift Bearers will be daughters Jill and Beth, and son Kevin.

Visitation commences 4:00 PM Friday at St. Anthony’s Church with a 5:00 PM Wake Service led by Father Brian Simon.

Mary’s funeral will be livestreamed at the Lien Family Funeral Care Facebook page.

The Rausch’s prefer memorials. They should be made to the Hoven Foundation, PO Box 245, Hoven, SD 57450 in Mary’s name.

Mary Arlene Bertha, daughter of Paul and Esther (Schlecht) Bertha was born in Hoven on December 3, 1937. She attended St. Anthony’s grade school and Hoven High School, graduating in 1955.

She married Harlan Rausch on October 27, 1956 and they were married 63 years. Mary and Harlan were ‘two peas in a pod’.  They made a life on the farm they purchased together in 1964, raising all their kids there and proudly owning the property to this day.

Mary was the glue that held together her seven children: Burt, Dale, Kevin, Gwen, Dan and his wife Shelly, Jill and her husband Rob, and Beth and her husband Chris.

Mary had a passion for sewing, painting, refinishing wood and decorating for holidays.  Mary was a member of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, Altar Society, and Catholic Order of Foresters.

Mary always found joy in her twenty-three grandchildren.  They are: Rosemary and Ben Rausch (Burt); Brandon and Dana Rausch (Dale); Bret, Mica, Trevor, and Bailey Rausch (Kevin); Melanie, Stacy, and Becky Fuhrmann (Gwen); Danny, Dominic, Mark, and Madeleine (Dan); Kiya, Riley, Caston, Jayden, Brooklyn, and Kennady Stack (Jill); Kaylor and Trey Cox (Beth).

In addition, Mary had twelve great-grandkids: Logan and Lucas (Melanie); Avery, Hazel, and Henry (Becky); Gia (Dana); Liam and Alec Rausch (Brandon); Isla (Caston Stack); Clark (Kiya Miller); Harlee (Riley Stack), and Margaret (Jayden Stack).

Mary was very close to all her siblings; brothers Robert (Bob) and William (Skippy); three sisters, Delores (Dee) Hageman, Betty Giese, and Rita Turner.

She was preceded in death by Harlan on December 28, 2019; and her father, Paul, on January 31, 1959; her mother, Esther, on January 14, 1990; brothers, Bob and “Skippy”; and sisters, Dee and Betty.

Honorary bearers will be Stella Buechler of Bowdle; Nancy Kaiser of Tolstoy; Carole Stoecker of Onaka, SD; and Gail Duenwald, Angie Hageman, Ann Hageman, and Donna Zweber of Hoven.

Casketbearers will be grandsons–Ben, Jayden, Dominic, Dan, Bret, and Trey.

Services are in care of Lien Funeral Home, Bowdle.