Marian Pope, 93, passed away Thursday, November 21, 2024, at Avera McKennan Hospital, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with her daughter and son in law at her side. A Memorial Mass will be held at 10:00 am on Friday, December 20, 2024 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church (3601 E. Dudley Ln., Sioux Falls, SD). Visitation will be held from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Thursday, December 19, 2024 at the Miller Funeral Home – Downtown Chapel (507 S Main Ave., Sioux Falls, SD) with a prayer service following. Interment will be in at Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery in Gettysburg, South Dakota at a later date.

Marian Jeanette Smith was born July 31, 1931, in Agar, SD to Kate (Sunne) and Mike Smith.

Marian graduated from Agar High School in 1949 and then attended SDSU for a semester. She then married James (Jim) Patrick Cronin, from the rural Gorman area in 1950. Jim joined the Air Force and they were stationed at many bases around the country. Their only child, Deb, was born while they were stationed at Mountain Home AFB, ID. After that they settled on the Cronin family farm between Agar and Gettysburg, until 1966 when Jim passed away from Hodgkin's lymphoma. While on the farm Marian was a wonderful cook and was known for her beautiful flower gardens. She was uniquely known for teaching the Gorman Gopher 4-H Club how to dance for talent shows.

Marian then married Francis Buckley in 1967. In Gettysburg, Marian worked at the Flower Shop and then at Jones Drug for many years. They eventually moved to Aberdeen, SD where Marian worked as a pharmacy clerk at White Drug. Francis battled for many years with pancreatic cancer and passed away in 1994.

Marian moved to Sioux Falls, and later married Kenneth Pope from Columbus, NE. They met via high school friends from Agar, SD and were married from 1997 to 2023, until Ken passed from Parkinson's.

Marian worked a majority of her life as a caretaker. She was also the best supporter and fan of her granddaughter's sports endeavors. She was currently a member of Holy Spirit Catholic Church.

Marian was preceded in death by her parents, Mike and Kate Smith; her two brothers, Robert Smith and Kenneth Smith both of Agar, SD; and her three husbands, Jim Cronin, Francis Buckley and Kenneth Pope.

Survivors include her daughter, Deb Cronin Johnson (Greg Johnson), of Sioux Falls; her two granddaughters, Shannon Johnson of North Easton, MA, and Ashley Sandersfeld (Adam), of Sheldon, IA; and her three great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Avera McKennan Foundation in Marian's honor. https://www.averafoundationevents.org/donate-with-search