Mass of Christian Burial for Karol R. "Becky" Schaefbauer, 68 of Mobridge will be May 8 at 10:00 AM at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Mobridge. Burial will be at the Greenwood Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home. There will be a prayer service Friday at 7:30 PM at the church and a visitation starting at noon at the funeral home. Mrs. Schaefbauer passed away May 3, 2010 at her home in Mobridge.

Karol Rebecca Bjerke was born January 27, 1942, at Bradley, SD, the daughter of Carl & Olga (Warwick) Bjerke. She grew up on a farm in rural Crocker, SD. Becky attended grade school at two different country schools. She attended Thorpe Consolidated School through grade 11 and when it closed she finished her high school at the Augustana Academy at Canton, SD in 1960.

On June 5, 1964 she was united in marriage to William J. Schaefbauer at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Aberdeen, SD. They lived in Aberdeen until October 1964 at which time they moved to Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN. She worked part time as a telephone operator for Northwestern Bell in Minneapolis until 1977 when they moved to Warner, SD. She and Bill along with Les and Darlene Solberg owned and operated the Dago Inn restaurant and lounge until 1983. In 1985 they moved to Herreid, SD when Bill was employed by the Campbell County Bank and Becky worked part time. In 2006, Bill retired from the bank and the two of them moved to Mobridge, SD.

There are so many qualities of Becky that we will always remember. Becky lived her life to serve God and others. She was devoted in her daily prayer life and put others before herself in so many situations. She was active in the Church and other community organizations through out her life. She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She was a passionate fan of her kids and grandkids and followed their athletic and school activities. She enjoyed spending time with her grandkids. She loved nothing more than taking care of and supporting her husband, Bill. She often said, "The best thing I have ever done in my life was marrying Bill". Becky could easily bring a smile to your face and warmed your heart with her wonderful, infectious laugh. Her kids fondly remember the way she used to whistle to get their attention – to this day, any whistle will stop any of them in their tracks. Becky especially enjoyed the Christmas season - it was her favorite time of year. She developed the tradition of baking sugar cookies with her kids and passed this tradition onto her grandkids. Becky also made Special K bars for family occasions and everyone knew if Becky would be there, so would her K-Bars. Lastly, our beloved Becky brought to all our lives the power and will to fight. She battled cancer for sixteen years and always had a positive attitude toward the illness. Becky gave us the strength to live every day as a gift no matter the circumstances.

Survivors are her husband, Bill, two sons, Keith (Ann) of Sioux Falls and B.J. (Brandei) of Mobridge; one daughter, Karla (John) Jackson of Sioux Falls; 11 grandchildren; siblings, Kenneth (Nelda) Bjerke of Paynesville, MN, Doris Gross of Clark, Donald (Elva) Bjerke of Watertown, and Roxy (Dale) Streckfuss of Mina.

She was preceded in death by her parents, a sister, Faye, and two brothers, Jim and "Little Joey".