Mary Delilah (Brown) DeBoer, 87, loving Mother, died peacefully on Friday, November 6, 2020 at the Good Samaritan Society Luther Manor in Sioux Falls, SD.  She was born December 21, 1932.

Mary grew up in Cogswell, ND where she graduated from high school.  After her marriage, Mary and Melvin lived in that area for a short time before moving to Sioux Falls in 1951 with the offer of a good job for Melvin with the Socony (Mobil) Company, lasting 33 years and retiring.  Mary was a stay at home Mom for about 20 years while raising five children until managing a H & R Block office with her sister Ethel as tax preparers starting around 1968 for a few years.  There were two transfers with Melvin's job that required moving to Chamberlain for 1 ½ years and onto Presho for another 1 ½ years until returning to Sioux Falls.  The family enjoyed living in the Melloon's Trailer Court on East 12 ^th Street where she and all the children helped run and maintain the amusement park called Lollipop Park, connected to the trailer court.  They both retired and lived on Edwards Drive in the Hilltop area until moving back to their original home town of Cogswell, ND.  They bought a motor home and would travel for years, spending winters in Texas where costume parties were a favorite thing for Mary especially.  They had to be down to Trophy Gardens by the 31 ^st of October each Fall in order to come up with another "original" costume for their Halloween party.  They were a hoot!  As Melvin's health began to diminish, they moved back to Sioux Falls to be closer to their children and good doctors.  After Melvin's death Mary moved into an apartment cabin in the back yard of Melvin Jr. (or Dutch) and Becky's place on East 12 ^th Street where she just loved her little hide a way cabin and she could come and go in her little red car whenever she wanted.  She was a card playing rascal and cars would plug up the driveway whenever she had the gals over for at least 3-4 games.  Mary had a walking disability and she made the best of it over the years.  Younger brother Marv, came from Georgia and lived here for two years with us in order to help Mom with household things and extra chores before she moved into Luther Manor.  Shopping was not her favorite thing, so many family members and friends  along her niece, Edie Colwill (who was raised as a little sister) with husband Ron, would devotedly and routinely do her grocery shopping for her and spent time trying to beat her at cards or scrabble. This was something she really looked forward to. Mary loved people and people loved Mary.  Once she was admitted to the care of the Good Samaritan Luther Manor on 38 ^th Street, she memorized everyone's name and would always acknowledge them when she saw them.  She would sew and hem for the employees and she made ear-savers by sewing buttons onto headbands and/or scrap material to support the masks so their ears wouldn't get sore.  She made 157 all total.  Mary had all her faculties once she recovered from her ailment so she was an active person among the less fortunate, helping others the best she could.  Her nurses enjoyed her personality and there was much laughter.  She was so very grateful to the staff and most importantly to her nurses who I cannot express enough their devotedness to her and how affectionate they were to our Mother.

This virus has stolen so much of the affection that would have been given Mary throughout the last 10 months.  She knew we all loved her so very much and the window visits were all we could do to visit and communicate with her right up until she could no longer even handle that effort.  The most important thing we can say making this obituary at this moment is, Mary was ready to be with Jesus and was looking forward to joining him in heaven and she said so over and over.  She told everyone that she was going home to be with Jesus and to join Melvin in heaven.  What more could you ask from a parent than to see her excitement to want to go join Jesus and her husband in heaven!  Her pastor at Luther Manor was Elizabeth Lewis, who spent special moments with Mary helping her to understand his love and forgiveness that our Lord Jesus had for her as she welcomed Jesus into her heart.  She became more devoted from that point on, going to church and doing her devotions.

Mom had numerous operations on her hips as an adolescent and the Shriner's paid for all her care.  She has always supported them for as long as I can remember.  Mom's famous comeback or retort toward us all was "Just take one day at a time kids," and "BE CAREFUL no matter what you do" (must be a "mother thing").

Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Melvin Louis DeBoer; 7 brothers Les, Douglas, Donald, Henry, Samuel, Arthur and Joe; 3 sisters Dora, Lily and Dorothy; along with several nieces and nephews and 2 great-grandchildren.

She is survived by her children, Melvin Jr. "Sonny or Dutch" (Becky) DeBoer of Sioux Falls, SD, Diane (George) Kolaskey of Pretty Prairie, KS, Marlene (Mark) Spang of Taylors, SC, Marylou (Dan) Schnabel of Pierre, SD, Marvin (Barb) DeBoer of Georgia; her sister Ethel (Tom) Oxtoby of Jamestown, ND; 13 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.

In light of the Covid-19 upheaval in Sioux Falls, the family has chosen NOT to have a memorial service in Sioux Falls at this time, but have postponed Mary's memorial service until June 12, 2021.  It will be held in Cogswell, ND at the Senior Center at 11:00 a.m.  This will give all of our distant families and friends a chance to plan and join us for Mary's celebration of life, burial at Sargent County Cemetery where Melvin is buried and share a lunch together.   All are welcome.

Memorials can be directed to: Shriner's Hospital for Children - 1429 3 ^rd St N in Fargo, ND 58102 OR Old Sargent County Cemetery - 9066 119 ^th Ave SE in Cogswell, ND 58017

"When someone you love becomes a MEMORY, their MEMORY becomes a TREASURE in your heart" pulling on your heart strings in a moment's notice and to be enjoyed, over and over again.