Hertha B. Bown, 99, Sturgis, died Wednesday, August 12, 2015, at Sturgis Regional Hospital.

Hertha B. (Kemmet) Bown was born on November 16, 1915, in Schuler, Alberta, Canada, to George and Christina (Rohrbach) Kemmet. She joined an older sister, Adeline, and older brother, Albert. She grew up on the family farm and remained in Canada, living in various locations, until on one of her trips to South Dakota to visit family, she met her future husband, Albert James "Jim" Bown. They were married on January 15, 1966, and lived in the Onida, SD, area where they ranched until retiring and moving to Sturgis, SD.

Hertha was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses on July 10, 1940. Through all these years, she lived up to her dedication to Jehovah and was eager to share the good news from the Bible with everyone she could. She was especially very supportive to anyone in the full time ministry.

Hertha will always be remembered for her warm hospitality whether it was sharing meals with friends or an overnight stay or many weeks of sharing - she was an excellent cook, gardener, musician, and poet.

She is survived by cousins, nieces, nephews, and many very close friends. Some of whom she was especially close to include her cousin, Mavis (Irvin) Putzier; special nieces, Caron (Ron) Possmore and Nola (Bob) Spoerl; and special friend, Pat (Karl) Carstensen.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, August 22, 2015, at 1:00 p.m. at Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall in Sturgis. Inurnment will be at a later date at Lebanon Cemetery.