Elizabeth (Betty) Stephenson, age 94, passed away Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Monument Health Sturgis Hospital in Sturgis, South Dakota.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 AM on Monday, March 9, 2026, at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Sturgis, with Father Gregory Frankman as the Celebrant. Visitation and a rosary will be held at 9:30 AM prior to the funeral service. Interment will be held at a later date in the St. Winefride’s Garden located at St. Edward the Martyr Catholic Church in Sisters, Oregon.

Elizabeth Stephenson was born June 21, 1931, in Pierre, SD, the daughter of Margaret Mary (Austin) and James Milton Stephenson. Betty attended grade school in Pierre and Fort Pierre through the fourth grade, at which time the family moved to Watertown, SD, and lived there for the next eight years. Betty attended Immaculate Conception School and public schools in Watertown, graduating from Watertown High School in 1949. The family then moved back to Pierre, and after working a few years in Pierre and attending nursing school in Huron, SD for a year, Betty moved to Denver, Colorado, where she lived and worked for the next 46 years. After retirement, Betty moved to Sturgis, South Dakota, where she spent the remainder of her life.

Betty’s hobbies included researching her family genealogy, her computer, photography, and bridge. She was active in her church in various roles. She enjoyed her retirement, and she strived to be a friend to all. She was a woman of faith with a spirit of gratitude, leaving behind a legacy of kindness and strength.

Betty is survived by her brother, James Stephenson of Highlands Ranch, CO; her nephews, Robert Felker of Madison, SD, and Rick (Jennifer) Buselli of Cumming, GA; her nieces, Kathleen Trandahl (Edward Hellewell) of Sioux Falls, SD, and Margo Buselli of Bend, OR; along with many grand nieces and nephews.

Betty is preceded in death by her parents, Margaret and Milton; her sister and brother-in-law, Billie and Tom Felker; her brother and sister-in-law, J. Richard “Dick” and Jackie Stephenson, her sister and brother-in-law, Margaret “Peggy” and Raymond Buselli, and her sister-in-law, Catherine “Kate” Stephenson.

The family wishes to thank doctors Joy Mueller and Kent Wright, along with the staff at Monument Health Sturgis Hospital, for their kindness and compassion at the end of Betty’s life.