Ruth M. Kenefick, of Brookings, died Monday, February 23, 2004 at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Funeral Mass will be 10:30 A.M. Thursday, February 26, 2004, at St. Thomas More Catholic Parish in Brookings, with interment in the church cemetery. A prayer service will be held at 4:00 P.M. Wednesday at St. Thomas More Catholic Parish. Visitations will be from 6-8 P.M. Wednesday at Eidsness Funeral Home. Memorials may be directed to the South Dakota Humanities Council, the Avera McKennan Hospital Foundation, or the SDSU Foundation Scholarship Fund. Ruth M. (Haines) Kenefick was born July 24, 1928, on the family farm near Arcadia, Wisconsin, to Leo Joseph and Esther H. (Rotering) Haines. She grew up on the farm and graduated from Arcadia High School in 1946. She was a diploma graduate of the St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. On August 13, 1955, Ruth married Donald G. Kenefick at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Arcadia. The family moved to Brookings in 1959. Ruth received her bachelor of science degree in nursing at SDSU in 1980, and her master of science degree in nursing in 1991. She was employed as a nurse for the American Red Cross, and as a community health nurse in Brookings County. She was a nursing instructor at SDSU and most recently a nurse at the student health center. She had exceptional talents as a nurse. Ruth was an active member of St. Thomas More Catholic Parish where she served on Social Services Committee, the Building Committee for the new structure and a past member of the Finance Committee. She served as a religious education instructor. She was a dedicated servant in her Catholic faith, and a devoted spouse and mother. She also enjoyed quilting and gardening. Survivors include her husband, Don Kenefick, of Brookings; seven children: Karla (Tom) Murphy of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Julie (Dale) Onisk of Bear, Delaware, Kari Kenefick of Madison, Wisconsin, Jane Kenefick of Sioux Falls, Thomas Kenefick of Brookings, Sara (Mark) Heffernan of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and Paula (Matthew) Pardy of North Carolina; 13 grandchildren; and two sisters: Elizabeth Mundschau of Arcadia, Florida and Carol Hass of EauClaire, Wisconsin. She was preceded in death by a son, William John Kenefick in 1978; her parents; two brothers: Leo Joseph Haines, Jr., and Milton Haines, and a sister Laurel Sobotta.