Lois Eleanor Buum, 84, Rapid City, passed away Friday, Aug. 14, 2009, at a local nursing home after a long and difficult battle with Alzheimers disease. She was born July 10, 1925, in Gregory, SD, to Samuel and Bertha Harris. Shortly after her birth, her family moved to Mellette County and farmed west of Norris, SD, for two years before moving to Norris. She moved with her family to White River, SD, in 1938, and attended the White River school and graduated from White River High School in 1942. She worked in the town bakery and drug store after graduating, and kept her pretty blue eyes on a young man named Orin Buum for a few years before he left White River to serve in World War II. After he returned from the war, Lois married Orin Buum on April 17, 1946, in Pierre, SD. They lived in White River and later in Pierre, where Lois worked as a law enforcement radio dispatcher. In 1951, they moved to Rapid City where she was a homemaker and an expert at the most important job, being a mother. During her time in Rapid City, she was a loving wife to Orin and mother to four sons, faithfully attending many school and sports events, putting together scrapbooks, cooking many wonderful meals, keeping up the house, and making excellent picnic lunches for her deer and rock hunting family. For many years, Lois enjoyed baking bread and caramel rolls, growing roses, crocheting afghans, collecting antique dolls, playing piano and accordion, and doing various crafts. Of course, she was an accomplished Fairburn agate hunter also. In her later years, in addition to visiting with family and friends over coffee and rolls, she enjoyed taking trips with Orin to visit out-of-state family, gardening flowers and vegetables, baking with her little granddaughters, and taking long walks around the neighborhood, solo or with friends. A sweet wife, mother and grandmother, she will be greatly missed and forever loved. Grateful to have been a part of her life are her four sons, David Buum and his wife, Gina, Hawthorne, NV, Dennis Buum and his wife, Mary Kay, and Kelly Buum and his wife, Carla, all of Rapid City, and Paul Buum and his wife, Heather, St. Paul, MN; one brother, Clair Harris, Custer; and six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, her father, her mother, three brothers and one grandson. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19, at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home. Services will be at 10 am. Thursday, Aug. 20, at South Canyon Baptist Church, with Pastor Brent Reeves officiating. Burial will follow at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis, SD. Memorials have been established to South Canyon Baptist Church and Golden Living Center-Bella Vista.