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Cindy Hetzel, age 70, of Keldron, SD, passed away on Monday, May 17, 2021, at the West River Regional Medical Center in Hettinger, ND.

Mass of Christian Burial for Cindy will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, May 24, 2021 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Lemmon, SD.  Fr. Dan Juelfs will officiate with burial to follow in the Greenhill Cemetery.  The service will be livestreamed on Cindy's obituary at our website www.evansonjensenfuneralhome.com .

Visitation will be held from 11:00 a.m.to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 23, 2021 at the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon, SD.  A rosary & vigil service will be held at 7:00 p.m., Sunday evening, May 23, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Lemmon.

Lucinda "Cindy" Sue Hetzel was born October 16, 1950, to Stanley and Kathleen "Tootie" (Alkire) Stevens in Elgin, North Dakota.  Cindy passed away May 17, 2021, from ALS also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.  Through it all, she never complained and was thankful for everything she had.

Cindy was the "middle" child with one older brother and sister and one younger brother and sister.  She grew up on a ranch on the Cedar River and went to country grade school for 8 years.  Cindy graduated from Lemmon High School in 1968.  She then attended cosmetology school in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Cindy married John in 1986, and together they raised four children on "the farm" south of Keldron.  Cindy had many business adventures.  She became a bus driver to chauffer her children to school and activities.  She loved to spoil all the kids on her route with her candy bucket, and threaten them with running around the bus for bad behavior.  Ben was usually the only one that had to run.  She later started her chicken business butchering, 1,000-1,500 chickens every summer and selling them across the tri-state area.  Her kids were never fond of this business and, funny enough, this venture ended with the graduation of her children.  Throughout this time, she was also CEO of Hetzel farms, and always in the middle of all that was going on.  One of her biggest adventures began in 1998 with the purchase of the Sugar Shack and then the  building of the big red barn in 2006 which she owned until her retirement in 2013.  During those years she had many, many employees that she was mom, friend, teacher, boss, and often disciplinarian to.  She loved being at the Sugar Shack regardless of the long hours and hard work.  Her "short" days were 11 hours and most were much longer.  She never minded the long days as the shack was her passion.

Cindy had many hobbies; she loved to craft and sew.  Making blankets for her grandkids was a much loved tradition.  If you were ever in need of a crafting supply, stop by Cindy's craft room-she probably had it!  She spent hours making cards, and we all loved getting them in the mail.

Her greatest joys revolved around being with family no matter where it was.  Camping, sporting events, ski trips, you name it.  She was always ready to go and made sure there was plenty of food!  Ask any of her grandkids-it's never as good as Grandma's!

Cindy was diagnosed with ALS on Friday, December 13, 2019, after several years of searching for answers to her many health concerns.  The diagnosis was a blessing and a curse.  She found relief in finally knowing what was wrong, but the uncertainty of what the future held was incomprehensible.  Mom's one wish from the very beginning was to remain at home, and Dad worked tirelessly through all the challenges and changes of ALS to ensure she was comfortable and safe in her home, surrounded by the people she loved.

Cindy is survived by her husband, John, Keldron, SD; two sons, Heath (Kris) Hetzel, Stanley, ND, and Ben (Holly) Hetzel, Lemmon, SD; one daughter, Sally (Todd) Hoover, Newcastle, WY; 11 grandchildren, Hannah (Kyle) Heinrich of Dickinson, ND, Seth, Leah, and Josh Hetzel of Stanley, ND, Jacob, Sarah, Drew, and Kyle Hetzel of Lemmon, SD, and Caleb, Gabe, and Eli Hoover of Newcastle, WY.  One brother, Reed (Donna) Stevens, Rapid City, SD; two sisters, Linda (Richard) Meidinger, Lemmon, SD, and Lola (Brad) Sigvaldsen, Lemmon, SD; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her parents; one son, Brent Schafer; and one brother, Gary Stevens.

In leu of flowers, the family asks for contributions to be made to the ALS association in Lucinda (Cindy) Hetzel's name.  Information for donations can be found at: http://webmn.alsa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=MN_homepage