Lena Glines

Lena Glines, 101, passed away on Sunday, February 2, 2025 at Rolling Hills Healthcare in Belle Fourche, SD. 

Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at St. Bonaventure's Catholic Church in McIntosh, SD. Burial will follow at the McIntosh Cemetery.

Lena Sarah (Mattern) Glines passed away on February 2nd, 2025, at Rolling Hills Healthcare in Belle Fourche, SD.

Lena was born on March 19th, 1923, to Conrad and Caroline (Welder) Mattern, in Glencross, SD, a small community west of Mobridge that her dad established in 1919. She was baptized, made her first holy communion, and was confirmed in the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Glencross, and she attended school in Glencross, SD through the 8th grade. In June of 1937 her family moved to McIntosh, SD where her dad operated a general store including a bakery, butcher shop, and a cream and egg buying station. Lena needed to stay at home to help her parents operate the store, so her school days were over.

Lena married Charles Glines on November 23rd, 1940, in McIntosh, SD, and it changed her entire outlook, going from city life to country life. During the marriage they were blessed with five children, Patricia in 1941, Eugene in 1944, Vicky in 1952, Tim in 1955, and Terry in 1958.

When they first married, they farmed with Charles’ parents until they purchased their own farm in 1944. Over the years, more land was purchased, on which they raised grain crops, and they also milked cows throughout all the years of their farm life, which was their biggest source of income. Seven days a week, 365 days a year, twice a day, you would find Lena in the milking barn!! Dad not so much, Lena always said she thought Charlie waited at the top of the hill for the back barn door to close and then he would come driving in from the field…

Lena was always busy on the farm. She had a bunch of sheep, which she really liked but so did the coyotes. She always had about 200 laying hens. She raised geese and turkeys that she dressed and sold during the holidays, and she always had a large garden every year that she canned and froze the produce for later use. She also did upholstery work and had reupholstered everything from chairs, davenports, church kneelers, and even a horse drawn buggy seat and canopy.

On December 14th, 1981, she lost Charles to a massive heart attack. Lena stayed on the farm with the help of her youngest son, Terry, and his family until 1991, when she sold the farm and moved to McIntosh again.

Living in the “city,” Lena was a member of the St. Bonaventure Catholic Church, Church Sodality, Country Gals Home-Makers Club, Legion Auxiliary, and the McIntosh Community Club, where Lena along with a group of ladies put together a delicious home cooked dinner every Sunday for the community to enjoy.

In April of 2018, Lena made a move to the Prairie Sunset Village in Mobridge, SD, where she resided until October 2024, when a fall required her to move to Rolling Hills Healthcare in Belle Fourche, SD.

Surviving family members include daughters, Patricia Palmer of Bison, SD, and Vicky (George) Coyle of Belle Fourche, SD; sons, Tim (Kathy) Glines of Buffalo, SD, and Terry (Bonnie) Glines of Watertown, SD; daughter-in-law, Theresa (Schneider) Glines of Mobridge, SD; brothers, Eugene Mattern of Aberdeen, SD, and Paul (Loretta) Mattern of Watertown, SD; and sister, Barbara (Ted) Walker of Sturgis, SD. Lena was also blessed to have 15 grandkids, 33 great grandkids, and 12 great great grandkids that shared in her 101+ years.

Lena was preceded in death by her husband, Charles; son, Eugene; grandson, Tommy Glines; son-in-law, Delvin Palmer; parents Conrad and Caroline Mattern; stepmother, Rose Mattern; brothers Pete Mattern, Frank Mattern, and Bernard Mattern; and sisters, Anna Greene, and Elvina Sexton.

Family and friends are encouraged to sign Lena's online guestbook.