Sheila Marie Hillberry was born on April 19, 1945, in Breckenridge, MN, to Henry and Marian Stuehrenberg. She was the oldest child, with two brothers and a sister. Her family farm was near those of her father’s two brothers. She grew up surrounded by cousins in a tight-knit, religious farming community centered on the local Lutheran church. The Stuehrenberg farm raised both crops and livestock, and it was here that she likely developed her strong work ethic.

She attended a one-room schoolhouse with her siblings and cousins. She was a quick study and skipped the second grade. She later graduated from Breckenridge High School and attended Moorhead State College in Minnesota, where she earned a B.S. in Biology. She trained to be a science teacher, but soon decided to attend graduate school, earning a Master of Science in Microbiology at Purdue University.

She met her husband, Joseph (Joe), at Moorhead State, and they married on June 25, 1967. Sheila and Joe lived a long, happy life together, with nearly 59 years of marriage. They raised two sons in Rapid City, Russell (Rusty) and Joseph (Jody). Their family grew to include two spouses and three grandchildren.

Her first jobs were teaching science, including junior high teaching in Wausau, WI, and San Antonio, TX, as well as substitute teaching when she first arrived in Rapid City. Seeking something more permanent, she found a job at St. John’s Hospital in Rapid City and joined Rapid City Regional Hospital when the two local hospital systems merged in 1979. She spent nearly 40 years working in local hospital laboratories. She told many stories of “bugs” and other microscopic creatures her lab had identified at work. Correctly identifying the problem is a key step in successfully treating the patient. In this way, she cared for the sick of the greater Black Hills region.

She was a natural teacher, sharing her knowledge about science easily and often. She visited Rusty’s and Jody’s school classes to show children how microscopes work. She enjoyed explaining food preservation and was featured in a how-to-make-sauerkraut article in the Rapid City Journal. In her church, she taught music and confirmation classes.

Sheila was a religious woman. She played a central role in the congregation at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Rapid City. Music was central to her worship and service to the congregation. She played the organ there for nearly 50 years, coordinated the organists’ schedule, sang in (and sometimes directed) the choir, and often performed solos during worship. She was active in the church women’s group and took time off work each year to teach during a week of Vacation Bible School. She also helped organize Christmas gifts for children whose parents were incarcerated.

Sheila was an avid gardener. She was active in the local Master Gardener club, using this platform to teach gardening skills and giving away young plants that she had started from seed. South Dakota State University recognized her as a Gold Star Master Gardener. As they approached retirement, she and Joe bought a property in Rapid Valley and planted a large garden and orchard. Eventually, they built a one-level house on the property, a house Sheila designed. They experimented with selling vegetables at the farmers market and ran a community-supported agriculture operation for a few years. Frustrated with the time and effort required to bring their product to market, she concluded it would be easier if they just gave the food away. For many years, they donated the fruits and vegetables they had grown to their church, to friends and neighbors, and to local food banks.

Somehow, Sheila also found the time to travel. Over the course of her life, she visited most U.S. states and 14 foreign countries. In 2022, she traveled to the Netherlands to meet the Ukrainian parents of her daughter-in-law for the first time, using Google Translate to communicate during her week there. She was always well prepared for her travels, having done her “homework” in advance. She enjoyed experimenting with new foods that she encountered in her travels or discovered elsewhere. She also enjoyed hosting friends and family on their trips to the Black Hills.

Sheila is survived by her husband, Joe; her two sons, Rusty and Jody; their spouses, Yelena and Christy; her grandchildren, TJ, Katelynn, and Davyd; her brothers, Paul and Daniel Stuehrenberg; and her niece, Erin Ness. She was preceded in death by her sister, Eva Ness.

A celebration of life service will be held at 11 AM on May 21, 2026, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Rapid City. She will be buried at Black Hills National Cemetery outside Sturgis. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in her memory to Feeding South Dakota or Bethlehem Lutheran Church.