Karen Marie Terry, 61, of Sheridan Wyoming left us January 12, 2011.
Karen was born October 28, 1949, to her loving parents John and Maryon (Engels) Canton. She grew up in Taunton, Minnesota, a small southwestern farming community. Karen graduated from Minnesota Public High School in 1967.
She attended and graduated from South Dakota State University in Brookings with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education and a Biology minor.
Karen moved to Rapid City, South Dakota, in 1971. She was employed as a physical therapy assistant and secretary at Black Hills Rehabilitation Hospital for a number of years.
From there, after working part time for a few years and raising children, she moved on to Rapid City Medical Center where she was employed as a medical transcriptionist for 20 years.
Throughout her life, Karen was lucky to have been surrounded by loving family and lots of relatives who lived close by. She would consider herself a "tomboy" at heart.
Her worst fear was having to go to the yard goods store with mom and grandma to look at material that would somehow actually turn into clothes to wear. Karen finally persuaded her parents to let her have a horse when she graduated from 8th grade. She spent 4 years participating in Minnesota State High School Rodeo in Granite Fall, Minnesota, and was lucky enough to accompany a friend who qualified for the National Finals in Elko, Nevada, her senior year in high school.
The gold fever bit in college years. Karen was an active member of the Rapid City Elks Ladies and Meadowbrook Ladies Golf Associations, acting as president a couple of years. Competitive golf was a challenge and a love for her.
She won various plaques and trophies through the years and made many friends along the way. For about 5 years she was the South Dakota representative for the Women's Golf Association holding qualifying tournaments in Rapid City for the Women's Public Links Championship.
She participated in these events and qualified one year. She finally got her hole in one this past August.
Karen is survived by her husband, Tom Terry, her best friend, love of all times, and soul mate, without whom the journey thus far would not have been possible.
Tom is responsible for creating an adventuresome spirit in her and together their adventures would fill more pages than most people have in a lifetime, including some of the most memorable being this last year while they fought the good fight on their journey with cancer.
Now Karen is off on an adventure she knew would have to be done alone at some point. However, the adventure is not really alone as her faith and belief in a power greater than all of us has carried her through and now she joins her Father in Heaven and waits for all the loved ones she has left behind.
Karen is also survived by her son Christopher Devine, his wife Sheila and two beautiful granddaughters, Ciera and Kyleigh, her daughter Kaila Devine (Burkitt) and her husband Robert Burkitt; and Chris and Kaila's father Tom Devine; her stepdaughter, who was more like a daughter, Erin Terry; her loving mother and father who gave her so much through life, John and Maryon Canton; and her brother, Robert Canton; her aunt Vera Williams, Clarkfield, Minnesota, and her uncle, Pernell Canton, Fargo, North Dakota; numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews; as well as special lifetime friends who were always there no matter what, especially during this journey of late, Ria Airheart, Shelly Miller and Cheri Galbraith.
To all those who were so supportive with prayers, cards, and phones calls we thank you and hope you know how much it all meant to us as the circle kept growing day by day and kept us strong.
Visitation will be on Sunday, January 16, 2011 at Kirk Funeral Home in Rapid City from 5 pm to 7 pm and at the church one hour prior to the service.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, January 17, 2011 at 11:00 am at Calvary Lutheran Church in Rapid City with Pastor Dwight Stensgaard officiating. Burial will follow at Pine Lawn Memorial Park in Rapid City.
A memorial has been established.