Service of Remembrance for Helen D. Brown, 83, of Buffalo, SD will be Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. at the Grand River Lutheran Church in Buffalo. Pastor Susan Fox will officiate with Rev. Hans Sacrison and burial will follow at the Cave Hills Cemetery north of Buffalo. Visitations will be from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 22 at the Grand River Lutheran Church and one hour prior to the service on Wednesday morning. A gathering of family and friends will be at 7:00 p.m. at the church on Tuesday evening.

HELEN DOLORES DAVIS was born in Pierre, SD on April 17, 1925 to Lester and Blanche (Southworth) Davis. She was raised in Rapid City, SD and graduated high school in 1943. Helen attended St. John McNamara School of Nursing and graduated in 1946 as a registered nurse. She was the head nurse on the medical floor of St. John's Hospital in 1950 when she met Lawrence Brown of Hoover, SD. They were married in Rapid City in September of 1951. Helen and Lawrence lived on the ranch near Hoover until 1956 when they moved to the Cave Hills Ranch north of Buffalo, SD, which was the ranch where Lawrence spent most of his youth. Their two oldest children, John and Dan were born while they lived near Hoover and the youngest two, Melanie and J.D. were born after the move back to Harding County.


Helen and Lawrence operated the ranch and "worked" at retiring, but always kept busy. Helen enjoyed being a ranch wife and mother. She was a wonderful cook who probably made over 250,000 pancakes in her lifetime for her family. Helen was known as a humble volunteer. She was very involved in a variety of organizations, was on numerous committees and in hundreds of functions around the area. All of her volunteer work made her an important cog in the gears that run a small rural community. Most important in her life was her family and they'll never forget her wonderful smile.


Helen was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in the 1990's. Lawrence cared for her at the ranch until his passing in 1999. Helen stayed with her family until 2001 when she entered the Fountain Springs Nursing Center in Rapid City, where she passed away on April 19, 2008.


Holding her memory most near are her children, John (Bobbi) Brown, of Pierre, SD, Dan (Sonja) Brown, Guernsey, WY, Melanie (Karl) Healey, Shakopee, MN and J.D. (Karen) Brown, Buffalo, SD; grandchildren, Erin (Kyle Krause), Colin, Justin, Nathaniel, Joseph Brown, Katie and Courtney Healey and Bryn, Jacy and Whit Brown; brothers, Lester (Gail) Davis, Rapid City, SD and James (Leila) Davis, Pringle, SD; sister, Dorothy (Richard) Schafer, Visalia, CA and numerous nieces and nephews.


Helen was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Lawrence, brother, Steve and a sister, Betty.


In lieu of flowers, memorials to Alzheimer's research are preferred by Helen's family.