Sharon Anne (Riehl) Long, 58, of Black Hawk, SD, entered the gates of Heaven on August 21st and was reunited with her beloved husband Steve. She was surrounded by her children at the time of her peaceful death at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha after ending a courageous nine year battle with cancer.

She was born July 8, 1958 in McLaughlin, SD to Joseph and Anne Riehl and raised on a farm south of Watauga, SD.  Upon graduating from McIntosh High School in 1976 she attended college for nursing. She married her high school sweetheart Steven Long on Aug 12, 1978 and graduated from Wichita State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing in December of 1980.

Steve and Sharon made their home in the Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. They had three children, Rachel, Tyler, and Jessica. Sharon said her children were the greatest blessing in her life. She worked over 30 years at Rapid City Regional Hospital as a Pediatric nurse, a career she loved and cherished her entire life.

Sharon's grandchildren were the light of her life and she was the best "Oma" they could have ever asked for. She enjoyed cooking, gardening and working outside, sewing, spending time with family and friends, and of course…shopping. She had a wonderful sense of humor and loved visiting with people and getting to know them each on a personal level. She was a caregiver through and through and even at the time of her death she was always trying to do things for her family, friends, the medical team, and the nursing staff who took such extraordinary care of her.

She was a devout Catholic and a member of Our Lady of the Black Hills Catholic Church for over 30 years where she taught catechism and served on the altar society.  Sharon loved the Lord with all her heart and all her soul and is a shining example of living by the golden rule, "Love Your Neighbor as Yourself." She never missed a moment to spread the word of God. She was a strong, courageous woman who didn't let her illness define her and she left this earthly life according to God's plan always trusting him and staying faithful.

Forever grateful for sharing her life include her children: Rachel (Jeremy) Waddell, Rapid City, SD; Tyler (Toni) Long, Belle Fourche, SD; and Jessica Long (Derek Oster), Sioux City, IA; grandchildren Teddy, Tommy, and Sissy, Belle Fourche, SD; and Zander and Madison, Rapid City, SD; mother Anne Riehl, Watauga, SD; 3 siblings JoAnn Gannon, Sioux Falls, SD, Juliette Montgomery, Rapid City, SD, and Elliott Riehl, Watauga, SD; and many nieces and nephews and special friends. She was preceded in death by her husband Steven Long and her father Joseph Riehl.

Visitation will be held Thursday, August 25 from 5:00 pm-7:00 pm followed by a Vigil with Rosary recitation at 7:00 pm at Our Lady of the Black Hills Catholic Church in Piedmont (exit 48 off of I-90).

Christian funeral mass will be offered at 9:00 am on Friday, August 26th, at Our Lady of the Black Hills Catholic Church in Piedmont. Burial will follow at the Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis (exit 34 off of I-90) and a lunch will be provided back at the church following the burial.

A memorial has been established for the family to help cover funeral and medical expenses.