Susan Marie Hedlund (Diekmann) of Huron SD returned home on January 5, 2024.

Sue was born at a very young age in Slayton, MN on April 7, 1955, to William and Eileen (Urbanek) Diekmann.  She passed back to her eternal home with Jesus on January 5, 2024.

After graduating from Regis High School in Eau Claire, WI in 1973, she went on to earn her degree in applied science in radiologic technology from Chippewa Valley Technical College. She married Darcy Hedlund on April 10th of 1976.  Although they didn't remain married, they raised two children together and remained as friends.

She had 2 children, Chris (Traci) Hedlund of Eau Claire, WI, and Laura (Richard) Stephens-Sentell of Huron. She enjoyed her lunchtime visits with her son-in-law Richard and sharing popcorn with him.  She was very close with her three sisters, Pam, Nancy, and Barb.  Her family may have been small, but they were all very special to her.  She bragged about her greatest accomplishments being her children… Until she had grandchildren.  Then, they became her most prized treasure.  At the time of her passing, her grandchildren were Ashley, Bethany, Jenna, Corey, Dylan, Madison, and Reese.  Everyone who was close to Sue assuredly heard several stories from her about how proud she was of her children and grandchildren.

Early in their marriage, Sue and Darcy moved from Wisconsin to South Dakota where she invested in a career at Huron Regional Medical Center in Huron.  She retired in 2021 after spending 41 years serving a community that she loved.  She always talked about how much she loved the people she worked with, and how much she enjoyed getting to know the patients she served.  She truly loved the opportunity to go beyond simply taking an x-ray to making the experience special and relaxing for people who may otherwise be experiencing a really bad day.  She always role-modeled how important it was to put others first.

During her time at HRMC, she was proud of winning employee of the month twice, in 2007 and 2021.  She was also honored by being selected as employee of the year in 2021.  Sue was proud because this honor represents evidence of how much she cared about the customers she served.  Her work at HRMC was not just a job.  She put effort into making life better for others and these rewards were acknowledgement that she was successful.

Sue will be remembered for her legacy of selfless and sacrificial giving to others.  Her example of being selfless, strong, and brave taught her family to not give up, put others first, and to value family unity above everything else.

In her free time, Sue enjoyed reading, watching movies, and doing crossword and cryptoquip puzzles.  She often had the Hallmark Channel on in the background unless she was enjoying time with someone special.  Also, she never met a chocolate covered cherry that she didn't like.

Sue was preceded in death by her grandparents and parents.

Sue's celebration of life is scheduled at Welter Funeral Home in Huron on January 29, 2024. There will be a time of visitation from 11:00 to 1:00 to come and remember her while enjoying a delicious cookie with some coffee or lemonade.  She loved coffee, but not lemonade.  But today life has given us some lemons and Sue would have wanted us to make lemonade. At 1:00 there will be a service to honor her life and celebrate her promotion to Heaven.  Sue's granddaughter, Reese, has created a project to make a special memory book of her life.  If you have any special pictures with memories that she can add to this project, please bring them with you. During the 1:00 service, everyone is welcome to share any special story or memory they have of Sue.

Sue's request was that in lieu of flowers, her life was honored by making a donation toward a cause that decreased suffering and promoted life, instead of flowers that may quickly fade away.  This sentiment is such a perfect example of how important it was to her to take care of others.  Her family is so proud of her for setting this example for us to follow.  She asked for memorials to be given to the Beadle County Humane Society.