Mimi Charlotte Shewey (known only to telemarketers by her given name Miriam) died April 4, 2026 at the age of 89 after a long and characteristically stubborn fight against Alzheimer’s. She was surrounded by her family who lovingly provided dedicated care throughout her lengthy illness.

She was born May 15, 1936 to Judge Lynn and Lenore Milne. Following graduation from Sturgis High School, she enrolled at the University of Wyoming. The next year she decided her parents had been right all along and moved to the University of South Dakota where she graduated in 1958 with a major in business education. Life as a Coyote was a great fit for her between Chi Omega sorority, dance troupes, and the student newspaper.

Mimi’s heart was always in the classroom and impacting the lives of children. One of her most cherished times was teaching in Saline, Michigan from 1960-61. She was honored to be invited back for their 50th class reunion.

Returning to Sturgis, she was a frequent presence in classrooms as a substitute teacher and delighted in sharing her knowledge to various grades as a guest speaker and performing as “Danny the Dragon” during elementary library puppet shows. She was a coach for the high school’s Soul 20 dance team, a host home for Junior Miss contestants, and was nominated for the South Dakota Education Association Friend of Education award. She was especially honored to receive a “Friend of School Nurses” award from the association of Meade District School Nurses.

The greatest impact to education Mimi made was serving 13 years on the Meade 46-1 School Board. The motivation for her service was to ensure a quality education was accessible to all children. Always a passionate proponent for supporting teachers, she fought for fair teacher pay and their control over curriculum. During the building design of the Bear Butte Elementary School, she insisted teachers serve on the planning committee to ensure they had a voice in ensuring the environment would support successful learning for decades to come.

Known as mom, mother, and Lady, she raised Becky, Amy, and Brett with love and clear expectations. She instilled the principles of kindness, generosity, thoughtfulness, independence, and passionately taking principled stands. She said her grandchildren Hannah, Harrison, and Lucy were “the loves of my life.” Just as a grandma should do, she was always up for sharing a “sweet treat.” Her home cooked meals were often planned around what to make for dessert, especially a pie. The height and fluffiness of her pie meringue had no culinary rival.

As long as she could get to a vacation destination by rail or sail (never an airplane), she was ready for travel. Sharing the love of travel with family and friends was an annual tradition. On a number of Alaskan cruises, she always packed elastic-waisted pants so she could go to every midnight buffet. What started as a trip to see Phantom of the Opera in Denver, turned into years of hosting bus trips to theater productions with her friend Kris Hubbard.

At home, almost as important as her kids, was the “Spruce Street Coffee Gang” which has been chatting and laughing weekly for over 60 years. Many stray cats on Spruce Street wandered to her house and into her heart. She was happiest with a golden retriever at her feet and a purring cat on her lap while she ate Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

The church door key for the 1st Presbyterian Church was on the ring right next to the one for her own home. In 1975 she established the Chapel Bell Choir and directed it for 41 years. She adored the women in her bell choir who she lovingly referred to as “The Ding-A-Lings.” Mimi was a fixture in the Chancel Choir’s soprano row, served on Session, various leadership roles in the church and Circle. Those decades of service to the church were recognized with the Outstanding Senior Presbyterian and Treasured Vessel honors. Mimi always told people she met while on her vacations to come to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally primarily so they could eat at the Presbyterian rally breakfast. She started as the breakfast cashier and was promoted to her favorite role as the “biscuits and gravy lady.”

Often planting flowers well into the dark, her green thumb found peace working in her garden, but her kids weren’t always as peaceful about how much weeding they had to do. As a child of the Great Depression, Mimi was frugal in many purchases unless it was an antique auction. Then her bidding went wild for furniture and glassware. At Christmas, her home sparkled with decorations. Anyone who didn’t have a place to go were always invited to her overflowing Christmas dinners.

Civic life in Sturgis was where she invested countless hours. The monthly Chapter AY PEO meetings were a mainstay on her schedule over 70 years of membership. Some of the varied organizations she served was as a founding member of the Sturgis Rally Charities Foundation, chairwoman of the first Sturgis United Way campaign, the committee to pass a bond initiative for building the Sturgis Community Center, Sturgis hospital foundation, the Sturgis Area Arts Council, Meals on Wheels, and numerous other charities and associations. The generous financial support she provided for many causes was always done anonymously.

She is survived by her daughters and their spouses Becky and Scott Peterson, Sturgis, SD and Amy and Mark Bradley, Lebanon, OR, her son and his partner Brett Shewey and Melissa Burkland, Fargo, ND, grandchildren Hannah and Jake Lewis, Naples, FL, Harrison Shewey and Lucy Shewey, Fargo, ND, and her across-the-street neighbor and dear friend Carol Walker.

Visitation will be held 4-6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7 at Kinkade Funeral Chapel. The funeral service will be held at the Sturgis 1st Presbyterian Church at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 8 and interment immediately following at the Bear Butte Cemetery. A luncheon will be served afterward at the church’s Eriskine Clubroom. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Sturgis Animal Shelter, 1140 Otter Road Sturgis, SD 57785.