Gladys Bonham Satterlee was born in Decatur, IL, on March 13, 1921, the oldest of three daughters born to Frank and Lena Bonham. Frank also had a daughter from an earlier marriage, Dorothy, who made her part-time home with them. Gladys is preceded in death by this entire family.

Gladys met Richard Satterlee in San Francisco during WWII, and they married on November 27, 1943. Shortly thereafter, Richard was sent overseas to fight in the war and Gladys returned to her family home in Illinois to have their first baby, Katie. Richard returned from the war in October of 1945, and the young couple and their baby moved to a small farm next to the Little White River in rural South Dakota where they farmed and raised cattle with Richard's father, Ray Satterlee, and his brother, Robert Satterlee. Four more children were born in quick succession; Beverly, Helen, Laura, and Steve. Gladys was raised a city girl, but she quickly adapted to nearly impossible circumstances. She survived in an isolated three room farmhouse with no indoor plumbing, electricity, or telephone, and a new baby every two years. She had never learned to drive, but quickly taught herself and took a few fences out in the process! Gladys had an indomitable spirit—one wonders how many young wives would have been able to thrive in those circumstances, but thrive she did, and she raised a loud, boisterous bunch of kids who loved her as did her cantankerous husband. They saw hail storms take out their crops right before harvest, they saw blizzards kill their herds, but they were both optimists and knew that the best times were yet to come.

Gladys died Tuesday, December 1, 2015, at Spearfish Regional Hospital.

She is survived by her five children, Katie Crow, Santa Cruz, CA, Beverly and Tom Collins, Sherman TX, Helen and Jim Choate, Broken Arrow, OK,
Laura and Randy Horn, Lees Summit, MO, and Steve and Kathleen Satterlee, Whitewood, SD; 16 grandchildren; and 30 great-grandchildren.

Gladys was the original pioneer woman and her legacy of optimism and resiliency lives on.

Gladys was preceded in death by her husband, Richard, in 2009, and moved to an assisted living facility where she has been until her recent
passing.

Burial will be at 10:00 a.m. Monday, December 7, 2015, at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis. Friends may gather at the funeral chapel
prior to leaving for the cemetery.

Click on link to view service folder