Vinetta May Shonley, 93, died peacefully surrounded by family on Friday, March 6, 2020, at Avera Brady Nursing Home.   

Visitation was held Tuesday, March 10, with a prayer and Eastern Star service at Mitchell Downtown First United Methodist Church. The funeral service was held Wednesday, March 11, at 1:30 p.m., at the Mitchell Downtown First United Methodist Church with Rev. Keith Nelson officiating. Burial was in the Prospect Hill Cemetery in Wessington Springs.        

Vinetta May was born on a farm northwest of Letcher on May 27, 1926, to Howard and Alta (Hathaway) Edwards. She attended country schools and graduated from Letcher High School. Following graduation, she went to work in Mitchell at the Daily Republic, and later at Scallin Drug Store.

She married Tom Shonley of Ethan, on Sept. 24, 1947. She worked at the family hardware store, and after the family moved to Wessington Springs in 1957, Vinetta worked at the office of Drs. Dean and McManus, and later Ben Franklin, Weskota Manor and as Executive Director of Wessington Springs Public Housing, known as Hillcrest Heights, for seventeen years.

Vinetta was a caring person and enjoyed doing word search puzzles. She was a member of the Mitchell Downtown United Methodist Church, Eastern Star of Wessington Springs, and other organizations in Wessington Springs earlier in her life.

She is survived by three daughters, Janet, Diane (Arne) Waltmire and Leana (Roger) Stunes; two sons, Cary (Judy) and Gene (Carla); 12 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; and two sisters-in-law.

Vinetta was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; her sister, Irma; mother and father-in-law; and several brothers and sisters-in-law.