Florence Hett, 99, of Buffalo, SD, passed away peacefully at her home on Saturday, December 23, 2017.

Memorial Services for Florence will be at 1:00 pm on Thursday, January 4, 2017 at the Buffalo Rec Center. Tom Johnson will officiate.
Florence joined the McCrorey family on February 15, 1918. As a child she lived with her family in several locations before graduating from Deadwood, SD, high school in 1936.
Her talents as a mother and wife included cooking, sewing, gardening, canning, and reading (a large number of the books in the library in Buffalo have her initial on the inside cover so she would not check them out again). She loved to dance and continued to enjoy that activity for many years.
She had will power like no one else and never gained an extra pound but always had that special container filled with peanut M&M's for the rest of the family. She attributed her good health to home made products and willingly shared her belief if asked.
She seldom missed the Friday gathering at the Senior Center and enjoyed playing cards after the meal which was quite a competitive activity.
She moved into Peaceful Prairie Estates on July 1, 2014, and called it home. Jesika and Chason quickly became much loved members of her new extended family.
In Florence's words: "I could not afford to go to college so, armed with the education earned at Deadwood High and $50 I borrowed from the bank, I came to Buffalo in December, 1937, to work for the Farm Security Administration.
Somehow I thought it was a lot farther to Buffalo than now. Also, I did not know there were such good people here who would help a young girl on her own the first time away from home!
One of those good people I met was Willard (Bud) Hett and we were married November 23, 1939. We lived on a ranch twelve miles southwest of town for 29 years until he died August 25, 1968.
We had three children—Shirley born 11/11/43, Donn born 2/8/46, and Janice born 5/3/48.
Livestock prices were low, times were not too good, the country was recovering from a war, and we experienced the usual ups and downs of life. This is the part of the country where neighbors help each other and celebrate good times together. Most ranchers do some carpenter work, a lot of repairing, all of their machinery upkeep, quite a bit of veterinary work, and the wife is a partner and helper. It is 50 miles to Bowman and 70 miles to Belle Fourche. We don't feel isolated, it's just a long way to any place from here.
I belonged to Buffalo Study Club, Eastern Star (she received her 70-year pin in November 2017), the Grand River Lutheran Church, and the Community Bible Church, with all the privileges and duties of each.
In 1960 I decided that since the kids had to come to Buffalo to school I could work part time in the school office. The next year an Attorney friend, Donn Bennett, asked if I would work in his office January through April during income tax work. I worked for him for 12 years and, after he moved to Belle Fourche, continued to operate a tax office for eight years until I retired."
Survivors include one son, Donn (Billie), Buffalo, SD; two daughters, Shirley (Nick) Mackey, Buffalo, SD and Janice (Jim) Clarkson, Spearfish, SD; 8 grandchildren; 18 great grandchildren; and 1 great-great grandchild, and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband Bud Hett, her parents Tom & Josie McCrorey, and special nephews Glenn Griggs and Paull Griggs and all of her siblings.


Krebsbach and Kulseth Funeral Services in charge of the arrangements.