Mabel A. Lee, age 88, of Brookings, died Monday, September 1, 2008, at the United Retirement Center in Brookings. Memorial services will be 7:00 P.M. Monday, September 8, 2008 at Eidsness Funeral Home, with visitations beginning at 5:00 P.M. Interment will be 11:00 A.M. Tuesday, September 9, at the Milbank Cemetery, Milbank, South Dakota.
Mabel Ann (DeNeui) Lee was born January 24, 1920, at Twin Brooks, South Dakota, to Henry W. and Elnora (DeGreef) DeNeui. She grew up in Twin Brooks, and graduated from high school in Milbank in 1936 before attending the Minneapolis Business College. On June 15, 1941, she married Royce N. Lee at Twin Brooks. Following Royces service in the Army during World War II, the Lees moved to West Fargo, North Dakota, and then Corpus Christi, Texas. While in Texas they came to know the Lord as their personal Savior and served Him the rest of their lives. They moved to Brookings in 1955. Mabel worked as a secretary for the SDSU Extension Service, and then worked from 1960-1969 as secretary of Army ROTC at SDSU. She also served as secretary-treasurer of Womens Missionary Society, First Church of God and later as State Secretary. Royce and Mabel loved sight-seeing and traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe, United Kingdom and Scandinavia. Mabel leaves behind many journals and diaries describing these trips. They also enjoyed spending time with family, and especially loved being with grandchildren and great grandchildren. Royce died December 10, 2000.
Survivors include a daughter, Charlotte (Orv) Smidt, of Brookings; a son Neil (Nancy) Lee of Volga; five grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren, and 11 nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, a brother, Henry DeNeui, a sister, Marian Van Hoorn, and an infant granddaughter, Jennifer.