Mary Helen Makens

Mary H. Makens, age 96, widow of James, died peacefully in the Avantara Care Center at Clark on Tuesday afternoon, February 25, 2020.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30AM on Saturday, August 22, 2020, in the St. Michael's Catholic Church at Clark with The Rev. Daniel Smith celebrating.  Burial will be in the St. Boniface Cemetery at Clark.  There will be no visitation.

Mary Helen (Fox) Makens was born in Clark, S.D. on March 19 1923, the daughter of Isabell (Bertrand) Fox and Robert Martin Fox.  She attended Clark School graduating in 1941.  She then attended Northern State Teachers College for one year.  A country school teaching job presented itself the next year.  She rode her horse to the school, starting the furnace everyday before her students arrived.  Later she would continue her education, eventually receiving her masters degree.

In October of 1944 she was united in marriage to James Makens in Mesa, Arizona, where James was stationed during the war.  The couple farmed in Clark where Mary would later resume her teaching profession.  She taught at Merton, Elrod, Fordham, Thorp and Clark schools over the next several years.  She eventually retired from teaching and served on the Clark School Board for many years.

In 1976, Mary moved to the Detroit area to work as a purchasing agent for a company owned by her sons.  She retired in 1990 and moved to Sioux Falls where she lived until 2016 before moving to Wookey's and Avantara in Clark.

Mary loved to travel and enjoyed spending winters in Florida.  She enjoyed politics having once run for State Congress, and was an avid reader.  She was always involved with her grandchildren and enjoyed watching their school sports and musical activities.  She was a member of St. Michael's Parish in Sioux Falls and Clark.

Mary is survived by one son Mike (Pam) Makens, sister, Erlene Deslauriers, 10 grandchildren, Scott, Tom, Christie, Marnie, Traci, James, Jennifer, Nicole, Sean and Jessica, 8 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, six brothers and sisters, husband James, and three sons Richard, Raymond (Shirley) and Timothy.

Funeral arrangements are announced by the Furness Funeral Home at Clark where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com