Kathleen Smith Dillabaugh

Kathleen Dale Smith Dillabaugh, 47, passed away peacefully at home in Forest City, SD, Monday, November 30, 2015 at her home, surrounded by her family.  She courageously battled Bile Duct cancer for 2 ½ years. During that time she showed the utmost strength and poise and was/still is a woman of admiration.

Funeral services were held at 11:00 a.m. CST, Saturday, December 5, 2015 at Tiospaye Topa School Gym, LaPlant with Les Ducheneaux presiding. Visitation was held two hours prior to the service.

Kathleen was born on October 16th, 1968 in Vermillion, SD. She was the second child to John G. Smith and Rochelle Ducheneaux. She moved to Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan, New York with her brother Charles and father in 1970. She attended Immaculate Conception School for grade school. Her father remarried in 1983 to Laurel Prazak and Kathleen gained a sister Kira Prazak. On September 21st, 1984 Kathleen welcomed her baby brother James Wagner Smith. She went on to Notre Dame Academy for high school where she graduated in 1986. During her summers as a child she would fly back to South Dakota to spend them with her mother and her mother’s side of the family. In 1987, she attended a year of college at CCNY. After that year Kathleen left NYC and moved down to Albuquerque, NM where her mother was attending Law School at the UNM. She lived there with her mom, and two younger sisters, Catlin and MacKenzie. There she met Robert Aguilar and got pregnant with her first child in the summer of 1988. Kathleen moved back to South Dakota on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation where she gave birth to her eldest daughter, Ashton Christine, on April 11th, 1989. In the summer of 1991 she started dating Burt Arthur Dillabaugh and together they moved to Aberdeen, SD. There Kathleen attended Northern State University, majoring in History. Kathleen was an avid animal lover and she took a position with the Aberdeen Area Humane Society, where she eventually became the manager. She was passionate about her work with animals and was always fostering at home when the shelter was full. On November 6th, 1998 Kathleen married the love of her life Burt Dillabaugh. They moved to Kansas City, MO where Kathleen gave birth to her second daughter, McKenna Rose, on April 18th, 1999. In 2004, Kathleen and Burt welcomed their third child and only son, Brendan John on January 15th. During this time Kathleen was a stay at home mom who loved being able to spend every day with her children. The family moved to Oak Grove, MO in 2005. December 21st, 2007 Kathleen became a grandma to her first grandson, Andrew James. In the summer of 2010 the family had a devastating house fire. They decided to move back to South Dakota at that time. Kathleen was so happy to be back by the Missouri River and loved spending time with her kids and grandkids having river days, swimming and playing.   In 2011 she became a grandma to her second grandson, Jaxson Arthur, on March 23rd.

Kathleen’s greatest accomplishments in her life were her children and grandchildren. She loved being a mother and grandmother. She was an excellent party planner and went out of her way to make sure every child, not just hers, had a memorable time, whether it was an extravagant 4th of July barbeque or her famous annual Halloween costume parties. Family was always important to her and she made sure everyone around her knew that. Her smile could light up a room and her fun loving personality was contagious. Kathleen is survived by her husband, Burt Dillabaugh; daughters: Ashton Telkamp (Tyrel), and McKenna Rose; son, Brendan John; grandsons: Andrew and Jaxson Soerries; brothers: Charles Smith and James Smith; sisters: Kira Prazak (Mark Mahler), Catlin Woods (David), and MacKenzie Lawrence (Shawn Moran); special aunts: Karen and Debbie; special uncle, Les; and special cousin, Tasina. She is preceded in death by her mother; maternal grandparents: Ellen “Babe” Claymore and Frank D. Ducheneaux; paternal grandparents: Loretta Wagner Smith, Frank Brendan Smith, and Bertha Smola McClam; aunt, Joan; uncles: Claire, John, Bud and Wayne; special cousin, Lisa Farlee; cousins: Allison Peterson, Austin Anderson, Shawn Paul Smith, and Matthew Ducheneaux; and her special dog, Luci Belle.

Luce Funeral Chapel of Eagle Butte has been entrusted with her arrangements.