Vickie Ann (Winter) Harter, 65, was the daughter of Ralph and Shirley (Rehak) Winter. She was born Aug. 23, 1955, in Winner, SD. On August 16, 1956, Vic was blessed with the birth of her younger sister, Val Winter. The two of them spent the next sixty-four years sharing all the joys, triumphs, and hardships that life had to offer them and shared a bond that only sisters can.
Vic attended school in Winner, where she graduated from high school in 1973. While growing up in Winner, she enjoyed the tight-knit community and friendships that are found in small towns all across South Dakota.
While attending high school, Vic met and fell in love with Lonny Vern Harter. They were married on Aug. 10, 1974, starting a love-filled adventure that would last forty-seven years. Shortly after the wedding they packed their bags and moved to Sturgis, SD, where Lon accepted a job teaching at Sturgis’s Elementary School. After spending their first few years together as a married couple in Sturgis, they once again packed their bags and moved to Philip, SD, where Lon accepted a job to become the elementary principal for Haakon County School District.
While living in Philip, Vic and Lon were blessed with the birth of their first child. Eric John Harter was born in Philip, SD, on Aug. 24, 1979. Three years later, Amy Lynn Harter was born in Philip, SD, on Oct. 17, 1982. During this time, Vic was able to stay home and take care of two of the most important people in her life, Eric and Amy.
In 1984, Lon accepted the job of Middle School Principal at Sturgis Williams Middle School. The Harter’s were once again on the move, but this time they were a family of four. In 1987, Vic took a job working at Black Hills Special Services Cooperative, which she retired from on June 7, 2019, after 32 years of service. While working there, Vic made several lifelong friendships that lasted beyond retirement. While living in Sturgis, Vic and Lon attended LifeSpring Wesleyan Church. They were regulars at the church and met many lifelong friends, not just at church, but throughout the community. They enjoyed spending time with all their friends and family as often as they could.
Vic was blessed with a wonderful husband, incredible children, and a loving family, but without a doubt the thing she enjoyed the most in her life was her grandchildren. There was nothing she enjoyed more than cuddling with them in her big recliner, facetiming them at bath time, talking to them on the phone, and just spending time around all of them. Whether taking them on a trip to Disney World or watching them wrestle with Lon on the living room floor, it was pure joy for Vic. A birthday or holiday did not go by without receiving a card from their grandma, and Sunny, Sean, Berkeley, and Calder loved every second of their time with her.
Victoria “Vickie” Ann Harter, 65, of Sturgis, died Monday, May 31, 2021, at Monument Health Rapid City Hospital.
Survivors that cherished their time spent with Vic include her husband, Lon Harter of Sturgis, SD; her son, Eric (Jason) Harter of Dell Rapids, SD; her daughter, Amy (Chris) Bessette of Wall, SD; grandsons, Berkeley and Calder of Wall, SD; a grandson and granddaughter, Sean and Sunny of Dell Rapids, SD; her mother, Shirley Winter of Rapid City, SD; her sister, Val (Steve) Lien of Rapid City, SD; many in-laws; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
She was preceded in death by her father, Ralph Winter; her father and mother in-law, Vern and Berniece Harter; and her nephew, Reed Lien.
Funeral services were at 2:30 p.m. on June 4, 2021, at LifeSpring Wesleyan Church in Sturgis. Interment followed at Bear Butte Cemetery in Sturgis.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.kinkadefunerals.com.
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