Grace E. Schmid, 92, died on Wednesday, December 19, 2018, at Rapid City Regional Hospice House surrounded by family. Grace was born on May 5, 1926, to Frances and Frank Pavlin of Kimball, South Dakota. Their homestead was a small farm located six miles north of Kimball. Each day, Grace and her older sister Dorothy would make the trek back and forth to school. Grace and Dorothy had menial jobs on the farm, which included feeding and watering chickens. Grace had to learn to cook, sew, and plant vegetables early in life, and these skills spilled over into her adult life. She graduated from Kimball High School in 1945 and set off for California. Grace soon learned that California living was not her style. She moved to Omaha, Nebraska, and was employed at Western Union there until she was transferred to Rapid City. It was there that she met several lifelong friends.

Grace attended National College of Business. She was very proud when she passed the civil service test and worked for Ellsworth Air Force Base with Civil Service until 1947. Grace also worked at a law firm, and following World War II, she worked in the accounting department at Sears Roebuck.

During the time Grace was attending college, the School of Mines boys and the National College of Business girls attended dances held at the Baken Park Pavilion. It was at one of those dances that she met a very handsome man with dark, curly hair. To the very end, she glowingly described George in this way. Grace and George were married in Rapid City on March 29, 1948. They moved to Great Falls, Montana, and later to Indianapolis, Indiana, before settling back in Rapid City to continue running the family business, Schmid Insurance.

Grace and George are the parents of six children, three boys and three girls. To feed her family of eight, Grace had to figure out how to make $100 stretch each month. This is only one example of how Grace's frugality and creativity helped her provide for her family. During her entire life, Grace was dedicated to raising her children and later to providing opportunities for success to her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She continued to enjoy cooking, sewing, and planting flowers and vegetables. Life was always busy and not always easy. Chasing her children or the neighbors' children was a very common occurrence amongst all the families in the neighborhood. Later, dogs, cats, rabbits, calves, goats, and horses became a part of her expanded children's activities. She even carried newborn puppies around the house in her children's receiving blankets and was more than a little surprised to find an occasional goat inhabiting the living room.

Grace was very active in the church as a member of the Alter Society of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church and later Blessed Sacrament Church. From 1969 and on, she was active at the YMCA and maintained long-lasting friendships. George retired in 1989 from Schmid Insurance. The two of them enjoyed retirement by traveling around Europe, visiting Switzerland, Germany, London, and Amsterdam. They flew their private plane to numerous adventures including air shows and the Bahamas, which was one of their favorite destinations. They later enjoyed retirement in Bella Vista, Arkansas, and Sun City, Arizona.

Grace was a very sweet, loving, gentle, and generous wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, friend to all and will be truly missed. She is preceded in death by her husband George, sister Dorothy, mother and father, and several sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law. She leaves behind her six children, Richard, (Marsha), Charles, (Deb), Frank, (Bonny), Connie, (Kevin Peters), Mary Ann, (Scott Blume), and Barb, (Paul Olson); her fifteen grandchildren, Robin Schmid, Tim Schmid, Christine Cook, Katie Schmid, Melissa Caldwell, Carrie Allen, Matthew Jenkins, Ashley Peters, Aaron Schmid, Audie Schmid, Alex Olson, Landon Olson, Ryan Blume, Michael Blume, and Amanda Blume; fifteen great grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; her very best friend Helen Snyder; and caring nursing assistant Becci Schlup. A memorial has been established to Blessed Sacrament Church.

Visitation will be on Thursday, Dec. 27 from 5:00 pm until 7:00pm with a 6:00 pm Funeral Vigil at Blessed Sacrament Church.

Christian funeral mass will be offered at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 28, at Blessed Sacrament Church.

Burial will be at Black Hills National Cemetery.