Dewayne L. Edwards, 80, of Forestburg, passed away on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, in his home under hospice care. 

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, at Spirit of Faith Church in Woonsocket with burial at Restlawn Memorial Garden in rural Huron.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Arrangements by Will Funeral Chapel. The family requests memorials be sent to Spirit of Faith Church or Sanborn County 4-H.

Dewayne was born on Dec. 7, 1943, in Huron, to Harold and Myrtle (Stacey) Edwards. He grew up on the family farm and attended country school, later attending Forestburg School and graduating from Forestburg High School in 1963. In 1964, he joined the South Dakota Army National Guard.

Dewayne was united in marriage with Margo Skattum on Nov. 27, 1971 in Hills, Minn. He farmed his entire life, custom farming and family farming as well as raising cattle and hogs. He was a lifelong resident of Forestburg.

Dewayne was a member of the Spirit of Faith Church, the American Legion, and the Floyd Township Board. He enjoyed watching online auctions, hunting, fishing, traveling, and sports, especially DWU basketball games, the Twins, and the Vikings. He was a coin collector and loved playing cards.

Dewayne is survived by his wife, Margo; children, Greg (Tammy) Edwards and Gretchen (Phil) Franklin; five grandchildren; and two sisters, Lorraine (David) Altizer of Ft. Wayne, Ind. and Pamela (Craig) Stout of Hilton Head, S.C.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Karen Hedwig Backman, 83, of Huntsville, Ala., formerly of Artesian, died Dec. 8, 2023, after several weeks of illness. 

A direct cremation will be held at Serenity Funeral Home. Her ashes will be scattered on her parents’ farm as were her parents’. Services will be held this summer in South Dakota.

Karen was born June 29, 1940, to Elis and Signe Backman in Mitchell. She grew up in Artesian and graduated from Artesian High School in 1958. She attended Dakota Wesleyan University in South Dakota and later earned her Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude in journalism, from the University of Pittsburgh in 1976. Karen was married to Martin Marsden 1961-1983 and later to Jeff Burns until his death in 1992.

During her life, Karen was a poet, a newspaper columnist, an avid letter writer, and political gadfly. She worked for several firms in clerical or writer roles. She owned and ran the Dragon’s Nest store in Albuquerque. Primarily, she did public relations, paid or as a volunteer, especially for feminist and liberal political issues. She worked for Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR), the National Organization for Women (NOW), helped found the Freedom Feminist Federal Credit Union in Pittsburgh (and was its president at one point), and facilitated many women’s festivals and conferences in the U.S. and Canada. She was an active Code Pink Peace protester and Democrat through her retirement years.

Karen had letters to the editor published in the Wall Street Journal, the Federal Way Mirror (Washington state), and the Dothan Eagle (Alabama) and probably many other newspapers. The Dothan Eagle editor once called and told her he was afraid to publish one of her better (but incendiary) letters lest someone shoot her.

Karen is survived by three children, Jennifer Marsden (Ronald King), Joseph Marsden, and Gabrielle Marsden (Todd Kaufmann); two grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. 

She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Gene Fisher; and her husband, Jeff Burns.

Leona “Babe” Alma Larson, 96, of Woonsocket, passed away Sunday Dec. 10, 2023, at the Prairie View Healthcare Center in Woonsocket.  

Funeral services were held Monday, Dec. 18, at the Spirit of Faith Lutheran-Methodist Church in Woonsocket.  Visitations were at the church Sunday with a prayer service; Pastor John Anderson officiated. Burial was in the Eventide Cemetery, Woonsocket.  Arrangements were by Basham Funeral Service, Woonsocket. 

Leona “Babe” Alma Forbes was born Feb. 10, 1927, at home in rural Letcher to Harry and Gertie (Staller) Forbes. Growing up in the country, she attended country school. Babe graduated from the eighth grade. She married Arthur W. Larson on Nov. 25, 1944. To this union, seven children were born.  She and Arthur worked their farm together southwest of Woonsocket where they lived for 60 years.  She was baptized in the Bethany Lutheran Church by Rev. Dr. Wayne Shay on April 8, 1960 and was a member thereafter. They moved to Woonsocket in 2007. Art preceded her in death on Feb. 16, 2017.  

Babe was a Gold Star mother through the American Legion Auxiliary due to her son, Marvin Dean Larson, dying in the Vietnam War in 1969.

Babe had a passion for horses and enjoyed many trail rides.  She won many trophies and ribbons riding in horse shows. She enjoyed crocheting, and many afghans and potholders were made during those years living in town. She was also an avid reader.

Babe is survived by her sons, Jerry (Sharon) Larson of Shawmut, Mont., Daniel “Dan” (Jannet) Larson of Henderson, Nev., and Alan Larson of Woonsocket; daughter, Linda (Randy) Verba of Woonsocket; daughters-in-law, Sue Larson and April Larson, both of Woonsocket; 19 grandchildren; 36 great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren; three sisters-in-law, Amanda “Mandy” Schulz, Alma (Carl) Fielder and Beverly Larson. 

She was preceded in death by her husband, Art; three sons, Marvin, Marion and Robert; a grandson, Troy; one brother, LeRoy; and several brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews.