Mary Sabo (née Dibbern), of Spearfish, South Dakota, passed away peacefully at her home with her loving husband, Steve, by her side.

Mary was born and raised in Grand Forks, North Dakota where she played volleyball in the Fall, ice-skated in Winter, ran hurdles in the Spring, and spent time at her grandparent’s farm in the Summer. She married Steve while at the University of North Dakota, and together they built a life that carried them from North Dakota to Pennsylvania to West Virginia to Louisiana to Iowa, and, finally, to South Dakota over the course of their nearly 50-year marriage.

She loved nothing more than time spent with her husband and their two sons—“The Guys,” as she affectionately called them. Throughout her life, she was rarely without a friendly collie at her feet, a grumpy cat claiming her chair, or a saddle for her horse waiting nearby. Animals loved her.

Mary was a lifelong artist with a gift for capturing emotion in every one of her portraits—a grieving woman, a laughing farmer, a stoic Sitting Bull, a steadfast Mother Theresa, a burdened Jesus. She brought her precise, organized, and methodical talent to every endeavor, whether drawing a portrait, remodeling a house, or landscaping a yard.

Mary was kind, gentle, compassionate, humble, patient, tough, and diligent in all things. She loved chokecherry syrup on waffles, the smell of lilacs in Spring, the sight of mountain goats in Spearfish Canyon, and the sound of the rapids in Spearfish Creek. She always assumed the best in others, never forgot a birthday or anniversary, and made a delicious apple crisp. Most days, she wore boots, jeans, custom fringe shirts, and a wrist full of trinkets. She knew who she was, and she never judged another person for being who they were. She battled cancer for fourteen years and never complained about it.

She is survived by her husband Steve; two sons Stephan “Skeat” (Kara) and Stosch (Juliana); & four grandchildren.