Funeral services for Mary Jane Campbell, age 75, of Lemmon will be 10:30am Thursday, September 7, at the Prince Of Peace Chapel of the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon. Florence Hoff, CLP will officiate with burial in Greenhill Cemetery in Lemmon.


Mary Jane Campbell was born March 13, 1931 to Charles W. and Edith (Lewis) Campbell in Mitchell, SD. She was the eleventh child in the family and had some half-brothers and sisters from her mother's previous marriage as well as her natural siblings.


Mary Jane was a normal baby until she fell from a porch swing when she was 14 months old. After the fall, her development was slowed down and she would creep, not walk. The fall also affected her speech pattern. Her family was very poor and the living conditions in the house were very crowded. Some of her siblings were put into an orphange and, at age 3, Mary Jane's mother admitted her to the state facility in Redfield, SD. The other siblings were brought up to believe that you hide the "mentally challenged" people and did not want to admit that Mary Jane even existed.


In 1987, Mary Jane moved to East House of the Live Center, Inc. in Lemmon, SD. She resided there until she moved to Five Counties Nursing Home in 2002 where she resided until she passed away on September 2, 2006.


Mary Jane was a sweetheart and was loved by those who cared for her. She will always be remembered fondly holding and listening to her radio, which was one of her favorite possessions. Mary Jane also loved her teddy bear and dolls. She loved shiny things and liked having mirrors, sunglasses, and combs in her purse.


Mary Jane loved listening to music and knew a lot of hymns. She loved singing and would sing happy birthday to other people on their birthdays. When she finished singing, she would giggle when she was told that she sang beautifully. Mary Jane loved sing the chorus to "The Battle Hymn of Republic". She would giggle and laugh when someone played the piano for her as she sat in her recliner in the activity room. Mary Jane loved dancing while she was still able to walk.


Mary Jane loved looking at her picture books. These picture books had pictures of her when she was living at the Live Center. They also had pictures of animals and flowers. Mary Jane loved animals.


Mary Jane loved the Christmas season. She loved listening to Christmas music. She would sing Christmas carols and loved when Santa Claus came to visit. She would wait with great expectations for him to come and visit her. Santa would bring her a special item that she had requested and she would cherish it.


Mary Jane had one very special friend who worked at Live Center. She loved when Lynn Hodgson would come and visit her after she moved to Five Counties. She also had one very special caretaker, at Five Counties, Carol Rosenberg, who she fondly referred to as "Edna". Mary Jane was so happy when she would see these two special people in her life.


Mary Jane did not have an easy life, but she made an impact on many people who cared for her throughout the years. She was such a sweet person and will be missed greatly by those who cared for her and be her friend, Frances Unrich. She is now residing in her home in heaven, singing all the hymns that she loved and knew.