Mary C. Samelson, age 82, of Tulare, SD, died on Wednesday November 18, 2009, at the Golden Living Center in Redfield SD.

Her funeral service will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, November 23, 2009 at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Huron, SD with the burial in the Samelson Family Plot in Maplewood Cemetery, Iroquois, SD.

Visitation and viewing of Mary will be held from 1-8 p.m. on Sunday, November 22 at the Welter Funeral Home in Huron, SD with the family present from 5-7 p.m. and a prayer service at 6 p.m. Sunday night or one hour prior to the service being held at the church on Monday.

Mary C. Writner, the daughter of Wilber Bill Writner and Freda (Jesser) Writner was born on June 4, 1927, in Huron, SD. As her mother passed four days after Marys birth, she was raised by her father, siblings and other family. Mary then attended schools in the area and graduated from Huron High School in 1945. On September 22, 1945 she married Virgil Samelson in Pipestone, MN. The couple made their home in Iroquois, SD on the family farm. They then moved to Redfield, SD for a number of years before moving to Tulare in the early 1980s.

Mary was a Christian, a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother taking excellent care of her family. She also worked for the South Dakota Developmental Center for many years until her retirement. She was a vigorously, hard worker and even after her retirement she continued to assist the elderly and community as best she could. She enjoyed spending time with her family and working in her garden.

Mary was a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in both Huron and Redfield. She enjoyed her church services, church members, family, gardening, travelling, writing letters to friends and family, as well as playing piano, organ and music altogether. She taught her granddaughter, Traci how to play piano.

Grateful for having shared in her life her 3 sons, Gordon Samelson of Virgil, SD; Linn (Sandy) Samelson, Virgene (Theresa) Samelson all of Redfield, SD. Mary had six grandchildren: Jamie Samelson, Corrina Beck, Joel Stewart, Cody Samelson, Traci Samelson, and Wisteria Samelson. She recently became a proud great-grandmother to McKenna Beck. Mary also has only one living niece, Ellen Byers from the San Francisco Bay area, California; and two great-nieces, Debbie (Byers) Wurgler and Kim (Byers) Bettercourt.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, Harold Writner; a sister, Clara Kaiser; one daughter, Pamela Samelson; one son, Lawrie Samelson and her husband, Virgil.