Delores Marie (Tenold) Coffield passed away on March 27, 2023, at Spearfish Canyon Healthcare, where she had resided since 2017. She was born on May 18, 1935, at Reva, SD to Peder and Esther Tenold. Being the eighth born out of ten children, Delores had her six older sisters and brother to help care for her and her two younger brothers on the family homestead. With so many mouths to feed, animals to be fed and cared for, crops to tend, and a huge garden, the children gained a work ethic that would carry them throughout their lives. At age eleven, Delores contracted polio, and ultimately ended up in Hot Springs, SD at a facility set up for children who had been stricken with this debilitating virus. This was heart-wrenching for the entire family to experience, so Delores' older sister, Bertha, moved to Hot Springs to be close to her. During this time Delores had a near-death experience and loved to share her account of seeing a bright light and angels hovering over her bed in the hospital. She was told that she would never walk again, but with the aid of crutches, she proved the doctors wrong. She was released from the institution in Hot Springs at age fourteen and returned home for a brief time before moving to Sturgis to attend high school with her sister, Florence. Despite her handicap, she studied hard and smiled her way through the adversity, gaining her great respect from her peers, who voted her as their 1953 Homecoming Queen.

After HS graduation, Delores attended Black Hills State College for one year and then worked at the bank in Newcastle for 1 ½ years. In 1956 she married Patrick E Coffield, and they had two children, Roger and Janice. Pat worked on the oil rigs, so the family moved often to follow the work, but in 1964 they settled in Buffalo, SD. They were divorced in 1967, and Delores moved to Spearfish, SD with her children. There she took classes at BHSC and worked part-time at Pioneer Branch Bank of Belle, which later turned into a full-time position for her. Her sister-in-law, Marie Packard and husband Frank also lived in Spearfish until 1970, and were there to help Delores' family with the transition of home maintenance and navigating city life.

She was a wonderful mom and grandmother, who despite her handicap, went to work each day at Pioneer Bank with a smile and looking like she just stepped out of a fashion show. She was dedicated to getting her family to Our Savior's Lutheran Church each Sunday, serving as a model Christian parent. She always kept her house spotless, loved to bake cookies with her granddaughters, and was a fabulous cook with a healthy supper prepared each night, even when she was on her own. She raised her children in a kind and gentle manner, rarely raising her voice, and one of her biggest joys was to have one of her granddaughters stay overnight with her. She worked at the bank for 32 years, and despite her handicap, she never missed one day of work during a fourteen-year time frame; this fact was brought up at her retirement celebration. Her Lord, her children, and her grandchildren were the most important priorities in her beautiful life.

During her last 12 years of life, she resided at Burr's Tender Care for 7 years and later at Spearfish Canyon Healthcare, suffering from post-polio and dementia. Although her dementia brought out some behaviors that her family had never previously witnessed, her true light would ultimately shine through the darkness as she continually complimented people on their hair and clothes, unless of course, your jeans had holes in them or your hair was affright, she would kindly ask you what happened. She frequently thanked those caring for her, and would then share her greatest asset, her beautiful, heart-warming smile.

She is survived by her daughter Janice (Robert) Koski, her granddaughters, Angela (Eli) Atkinson and Michele (Tyson) Hazledine, her sister Bertha Nelson, her brother Robert (Norma) Tenold, her sister-in-law Venoy Tenold, her great grandchildren Lillian, Colin, Jaydon, Dylan, Quinn, Preston, and Ethan, and nieces and nephews too numerous to name. She was preceded in death by her son, Roger Coffield, her parents Peder and Esther, her sisters Mildred (Jim) Peterson, Alpha (Philip) Hulse, Luella (Richard) Steinbach, Agnes (John) Steinbach, Florence (Jerry) Peterson, and brothers Orvin (Eileen) Tenold, Willie Tenold, and brother-in-law Raymond Nelson.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 am on Saturday, April 1, 2023 at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Spearfish with visitation beginning at 9:30 am and a luncheon to follow the service. Interment will be at 2:30 in the Slim Buttes Church cemetery at Reva, SD. A memorial is established for the Good Shephard Clinic at OSLC.

Arrangements are under the care of Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapels and Isburg Crematory of Spearfish. Online condolences may be written at www.fidler-isburgfuneralchapels.com