Marie Christine Chmela
June 12, 1934 – June 7, 2020

A funeral mass for Marie Christine Chmela, 85, of Kimball, SD, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 13, 2020, at the St. Margaret’s Catholic Church of Kimball, SD, with Father Andrew Swietochowski officiating.
A committal service will follow at the Kimball Community Cemetery of Kimball, SD.
Social distancing will be practiced.
Marie Christine Chmela died Sunday, June 7, 2020, at the Aurora-Brule Care and Rehab of White Lake, SD, where she had been a resident for three months.
Marie Christine Chmela was born June 12, 1934, at Pukwana, SD, to Joseph and Florence (Toupal) Pazour.
She attended Richland Country School for eight years and then graduated from Pukwana High School of Pukwana, SD, in 1952. She attended Northern State Teachers College of Aberdeen, SD, for one year and taught at the Lomica School for a year.
She married Garnet Chmela on April 11, 1953, in Chamberlain, SD. The first years of their marriage were spent on farms south of Kimball, SD. They moved to Kimball, SD, in February of 1960 where they owned and operated Chmela Texaco service station until February of 1982.
Marie started selling Avon in December of 1972, a career which she enjoyed and was known to many as the Avon Lady. In December of 2019, after 47 years, she retired from her Avon business.
She also worked as an insurance agent at Lenz Agency and Dakotaland Insurance.
Marie was a lifelong member of St. Margaret’s Catholic Church of Kimball, SD.
Marie will be forever missed by her family and many friends.
She would have been 86 on June 12, 2020.
Grateful for having shared her life are her three daughters, Connie Assmus and husband, Alan of White Lake, SD, Jackie Scott and husband, David of Kimball, SD, and Neta Storm of Curtis, NE; eight grandchildren, Russell Assmus and wife, Tammy of Vermillion, SD, Karla Brozik of Winner, SD, Rebecca Rasmussen and husband, Tony of Kimball, SD, Tim Assmus and wife, Brooke of Mitchell, SD, Paul Assmus and wife, Danielle of White Lake, SD, Jill Kaczor of Gresham, NE, Kay Kolbo and husband, Dirk of Gothenburg, NE, and Mary Storm of Kearney, NE; 18 great grandchildren; three sisters, Florence Hopkins of Pukwana, SD, Rose Wolfe of Plankinton, SD, and Barb Chenoweth of Pukwana, SD, and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Garnet Chmela on May 6, 1996; her parents, Joe and Florence Pazour and two sisters, Dorothy Chmela and Margaret Sharping.
Mount Funeral Home of Kimball, SD, will be in charge of arrangements.
Expressions of sympathy may be extended to the family through mountfuneralhome.com.
Memorials in Marie’s honor may be directed to St. Margaret’s Catholic Church, P.O. Box 137, Kimball, SD 57355.