Mahalia I. Connell, age 97, of Howard, passed away on Sunday, April 3, 2022 at the Madison Regional Health System in Madison, South Dakota. Private family services will be held with burial at Restlawn Memory Gardens Cemetery in Huron.

Mahalia Ida was born on March 4, 1925 to parents Fred and Mahalia (Oleson) Dalrymple on a farm near Wolsey. Mahalia attended country school for grades 1 and 2, and then Sand Creek Consolidated south of Wessington. Her family moved to a farm near Wolsey where she finished her school, graduating from Wolsey High School in 1943.

Mahalia went to work at Armour and Co. where she met Robert Connell, who was from Armour, SD. Mahalia and Robert married on June 17, 1944. To this union, four children were born, Craig, Jackie, Patricia, and Scott. Mahalia worked at Armour's for 6 years and at Huron Regional Medical Center for 21 years in the switchboard.

She was preceded in death by her parents and grandparents; her husband; her sisters, Aileen Oestrich and Doris Dalrymple; brothers Fred and Stanley; half-brother Phillip Richey.

Mahalia is survived by her children, Craig (Kathy) Connell of Badger, Jackie Pier of Howard, Patricia (DeWayne) Hopkins of VanBuren, AR, Scott (Linda Johnson) Connell of Currie, MN; 8 grandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild; brother Frank (Karen) Dalrymple; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.