Sturgis | Artist and Mother Patricia Ann Tisdale McFarland passed peacefully from this world the evening of Friday, Nov. 24, 2017. She had enjoyed Thanksgiving pumpkin pie and was surrounded by her family hours earlier.  Patricia was born in Charlottesville, VA, to Archie Kermit Tisdale and Bernice Lillian Humphrey during a visit to her father's family and raised in Rapid City, SD.   Her father helped to build Rapid City High School (which has become the Performing Arts Center), where she met Fred McFarland.  Her 25-year marriage to Fred produced four children, three who grew up on the McFarland Ranch near Elk Creek, east of Piedmont, and one daughter who was raised in their Sturgis home.  Patricia loved her family, art, books, nature, animals, children, music, dancing and the beauty of life.

Her artistic talent emerged from a young age in school, and grew to include works in pencil, watercolor and oil paintings. She was commissioned for works of rodeo legends including Casey Tibbs, Clarence and Harley Roth.  She designed logos for the Sturgis Area Arts Council and her husband's auction businesses.  She worked at the Quarterhorse Digest, Gallery 21 and the Sturgis Chamber of Commerce before moving for a time to Salt Lake City and working in costume production and ad design services while creating a children's ballet coloring book.

An accomplished seamstress, she sewed children's clothing, created wedding gowns and ballet tutus growing into her service as Costume Mistress for Black Hills Dance Theatre's Nutcracker and other dance productions.  Her later years brought mounting health challenges from arthritis, fibromyalgia, and osteoporosis, with long term care provided by the compassionate team at Fountain Springs Healthcare in Rapid City.

Patricia is survived by her son, Bruce (Ruth) McFarland; daughters, Marilee (Lee) McConnell and Julie McFarland (Jeff McGough); daughter-in-law, Susan Fedell;  grandchildren, Erin McFarland, Elizabeth Poch, Rachel Beaird, Moriah McFarland, Chris McFarland, Brianna McFarland Carpenter, and Duncan McGough; eight great-grandchildren; brother, Roger Maurice Tisdale; his children, Jo Ann and Jim; sister-in-law, Mary Richards; her children, Darcy, Colby, Holly and Mindy.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Gary Christensen; and her beloved son, Dan F. McFarland.

At her request, no services will be held, but a celebration of life memorial gathering will be held December 30, 2017 at 1:00 pm, at the Sturgis Community Center Theatre.

According to her wishes, and in lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the "Patricia A. McFarland Memorial Fund" sent to 4251 Canyon Lake Drive, Rapid City, SD 57702, to establish her Dancing Cat Scholarship fund for students pursuing higher education dancing dreams.