It is with sorrow and gratitude that we mark the passing of Betty J. Rayburn, 89, — sorrow at the loss, gratitude for the life.
These are the contours of a life that meant a great deal to many.
The story begins in 1924, with the arrival of a life that would be cherished by many.
Betty spent her working life as ['the Air Force and moved to a farm west of Hurley to engage in agriculture'] and held deeply to the Presbyterian faith — and was, by all accounts, loved by those who knew her best.
Faith is the language some lives are written in. Betty's was one.
Hurley. Betty J. Rayburn, 89, died Friday, October 18, 2013 at Pioneer Memorial Nursing Home, Viborg. Funeral services will be at 2:00pm Monday, October 21, 2013 at Harmony Presbyterian Church, Hurley with burial to precede services at 1:15pm at the Hurley Cemetery. Visitation will begin at 2:00pm Sunday at the Hofmeister Jones Funeral Chapel, Hurley with a public Order of the Eastern Star service at 7:00pm Sunday evening. Betty Jean Heldenbrand was born August 10, 1924, in Verdon, SD to Lodema and Lester Heldenbrand. She attended grade school in Arlington, SD, Ludden, ND; and grade and high school in Parker, SD. After graduating from high school, she was employed as an operator by the Northwestern Bell Telephone Company in Sioux Falls and as an operator in the telephone exchange in Parker, SD. On October 25, 1943, Betty was united in marriage to Max Rayburn in West Palm Beach, FL. They resided in West Palm Beach and Santa Rosa, CA before Max retired from the Air Force and moved to a farm west of Hurley to engage in agriculture. Upon retiring from the farm, they lived in Hurley, SD. Betty was an active member of the Harmony Presbyterian Church in Hurley, Order of the Eastern Star, and the Daughters of the Nile Temple Patrol. She was an active member of the Hurley Questers for many years as well as the South Dakota Flying Farmers. Betty was elected Queen of the South Dakota Flying Farmers in 1961. This honor was followed in 1964 when Max and Betty were voted Flying Farmers of the Year by the South Dakota Chapter of the Flying Farmers. In 1968, Betty was appointed Grand Marshal in the Eastern Star Grand Chapter of South Dakota. Her interests were reading, raising roses, and crafts of all kinds including tatting and other needlework. She loved to travel and experience the sights and culture of various regions of the United States and Canada. Survivors include her children Carol, Sioux Falls, SD; Donald (Lila), Hurley, SD; Richard (Helen), Yankton, SD; and Steve (Jan), Hurley, SD. Other survivors include her brother James Heldenbrand, Coral Springs, FL; her sister Patricia Wiles, Lewisville, TX; her sisters-in-law Phyllis Heldenbrand, Mason City, IA, and Sharon Halbersma, Sioux Falls, SD; and brother in law, Harvey Huffer, Grand Junction, CO. Betty always enjoyed being with her grandchildren and great grandchildren who are Paul (Jenn) Rayburn (children; Alexis, Connor), Bennett, CO; Carmen (Luke) Pulscher (Wyatt, Taylor, Senay), Hot Springs, SD; Queena (Jon) Getskow (Sierra, Gretchen), Parker, SD; Heather Rayburn, Yankton, SD; Rachel Rayburn, Garmisch, Germany; Nicole Rayburn, Sioux Falls, SD; and Adam (Angela) Rayburn (Jenna, Max, Owen), Fairview, SD. Her husband Max, her parents, an infant sister Georgia, her sister Mary Gunderson, and brothers William Heldenbrand and Boyd Heldenbrand preceded her in death.
