Laura was born to Burtis & Agnes (Jameson) Butler on December 4, 1922, at Faith, SD. She was the youngest of seven children and grew up on the family homestead at Faith. She attended grades 1-8 at a country school southwest of Faith. She attended her freshman year at Spearfish High School in 1936. She attended Faith High School 1937. In 1938, she moved with her parents to Sturgis where she graduated from high school in 1940. She wanted to become a hair dresser but her parents thought she should get some training to become a school teacher. Laura attended normal training in Corning, IA, and in September of 1942, received her teaching certificate. Laura taught the Wetz School in Meade County for a year.

She married George Levin of Hereford, SD, on June 14, 1943. They farmed at Hereford until they moved to Sturgis. In 1953, they moved to Chester, MT, while George worked construction. They moved to Hungry Horse, MT, later in 1953. In the fall of 1955, they moved back to Sturgis. Laura worked at Lee's Five & Dime in 1955. She also worked at JC Penney. In 1958, they purchased an irrigated farm south of Newell. In 1968, they sold the Newell farm & purchased a larger farm & ranch operation at Hereford. Here, they built a successful farming/ranching operation and finally retired to Sturgis in 1985.

She always maintained a huge garden and her home-made pickles were legendary. Laura is thrilled that two of her grandsons carry on her tradition of raising a vegetable garden and one of them has mastered her dill pickles.

In their golden years, she and George traveled extensively. They have driven their motor home to many areas of the US & spent 5 summers in Alaska and Canada. They have spent many winters in the warm climates of south Texas where they became proficient at shuffleboard. They have also visited relatives in Sweden and took in the sights of Norway and Denmark.

She was a hard worker & dedicated much of her life to caring for her grandchildren. Laura did a lot of sewing especially in the 1960's for her only daughter and later for her grandkids. She became an expert at patching jeans for one of her sons.

Laura worked as hard at ranching as any man and could handle equipment as good as anyone. She was always called on to drop what she was doing to move cattle, brand, or work the fields or whatever was needed at the time. She fed cattle every morning when George was working at the missile base east of Sturgis in the 1950's.

Laura was a member of the Hereford Sewing Circle, South Dakota Farmers Union, and served on the District School Board from 1949-1953. She cooked for many years at the Church Youth Camp and was very active in all the Church activities that she could participate in. The hayrides at Halloween on the Newell farm for the church youth were always so fun and her sloppy joes and hot chocolate rounded out a wonderful time. Our mother was an excellent cook and always had freshly baked treats ready when we arrived home from school. She loved to bake and spend time cooking in her kitchen.

She was a member of the Church of God of Prophecy in Sturgis. She had a strong faith that inspired many of her family to emulate her strength of spirit. She was a strong advocate for her Christian belief and her Church. She dedicated much of her time to her church and was always involved in making donuts for bake sales and other cooking events and activities her church took part in. Her strength of spirit is unmatched and her wit was sharp even while she faced a debilitating disease. She will be missed by those of us who have shared her journey in this life.

Laura Kathryn Levin, 93, Sturgis, joined her loved ones in heaven on January 17, 2016, at Sturgis Regional Senior Care

Laura is survived by her husband, George, sons, Lauren (Judy) of Rapid City, and Dennis (Jessie) of Sturgis; and her daughter, Sheryl (Les) of Summerset. She leaves behind numerous grandchildren, step-grandchildren, adopted grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her parents, 5 sisters, 2 brothers, and a baby son.

Visitation for Laura will be held on Saturday, January 23, 2016, from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Kinkade Funeral Chapel with internment at Bear Butte Cemetery at 1:00 p.m.

To all the care givers at Sturgis Regional Senior Care, thank you for loving our Mother and taking such wonderful care of her. She loved all of you so very much. Your kindness is unmatched.

A memorial has been established.

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