Mary Ellen Baumgarten, 78, of Rapid City, SD, was called home to be with the Lord on March 11, 2023, at the Monument Health Hospital in Rapid City, SD.

Grandma was born on May 13 ^th , 1944, to Edward & Louise (Mollman) Niederman in Lemmon, SD. She attended school there before moving to Rapid City with her parents in the early 1960's, where she would spend the rest of her days. Not long after her arrival in Rapid City, she was married to Harry William Baumgarten Jr., and they had two children together. William Dean was born in 1962 and Debra Kay in 1967.

Anyone who knew Grandma, knows that she never shied away from hard work. Over the years she worked a variety of jobs, but she spent most of her days in liquor store management, managing three different stores in Rapid City: Baken Park Liquor, Boyds Liquor and Family Thrift Center Liquor. She was good at her job and always stood her own. Spring cleaning and yard work were also two things that she took great pride in. After living on her own since the passing of her husband in 1985, she was no stranger to being independent. She washed walls and mowed the lawn all the way up to the summer before her passing. She was a tough cookie and tremendously selfless, never wanting to burden another, and we loved that about her.

Grandma didn't do a whole lot of cooking, but oh boy did she have a knack for goodies and baking. A birthday wouldn't be a birthday if you didn't get an angel food cake with chocolate frosting delivered to you on your special day. It was her son Bill's favorite and he never let her miss a single one! Christmas time always brought out the popcorn balls and homemade party mix in an old coffee can or ice cream bucket, just as branding season at Bill & Robin's brought out her famous raspberry pretzel salad and rhubarb pie. They were always fought over at the dessert table.

Time with family and friends was also something that Grandma absolutely adored, whether that be in person, over the phone, or by snail mail. After she retired, she was sure to never miss a sporting event or music concert of Grace's, and her daily conversations with her daughter Debbie, niece Audi and the friends she had grown close to over the years were what helped keep her going from day to day. She sure had the gift to gab…as well as the habit of stealing her neighbor's cats (or as Grandma would say it, "borrowing!"). She first had Killer, and after he passed away, she took in Driz. Oh how she loved Driz. He will miss her very dearly.

Grateful to have shared in her life are her son, William (Robin) Baumgarten, Rapid City, SD; her daughter, Debbie (Marv Harp) Baumgarten, Rapid City, SD; granddaughter, Grace Baumgarten, Rapid City, SD; niece, Audi (Johan) Verwey & their children; nephew, Brian Niederman, all of Aberdeen, SD; nephews, Chad (Celena) Baumgarten & their family, Lemmon, SD and Delvin Baumgarten; nieces, Danelle (Kelly) Walker, Miles City, MT, Kaylyn (Stephen) Barker and LaRae Baumgarten & their families; and sister-in-law, Beverly (the late Jay) Erchul, Hot Springs, MT and their children, Diana, Laurie, Nancy and Jocelyn.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; one sister, Darlene Marie Niederman; grandson, Riley Dean Baumgarten; brother-in-law and his wife, Dan & Jean Baumgarten; and nephew, Lance Baumgarten.

Grandma will be laid to rest with her family at Greenhill Cemetery in Lemmon, SD.