Kathleen Yvonne "Kathy" Harmel

The funeral service for Kathleen "Kathy" Yvonne Harmel, 81, of Aberdeen, SD, will be 1:00pm, Thursday, July 13, 2023, at Good Shepheard Lutheran Church, with Pastor Leland Armbright officiating. Burial will be at Arlington Cemetery at a later date. Kathy died Saturday, July 8, at St. Luke's Hospital in Aberdeen.
Visitation will be 3:00-7:00pm, Wednesday, with family present from 5:00-7:00pm, followed by a prayer service at 7:00pm at Spitzer-Miller Funeral Home, 1111 South Main Street. The family prefers memorials to The Exultation Bells at Good Shepherd or Storyboook Land.
Kathleen (aka Kathy) was born in Arlington, SD on January 6, 1942 to Arthur and Florence (Rodvold) Swenson. About a year later her brother, David, was born and with the addition of their cousin, Nancy Swenson, who lived with the family for several years, they all grew up loving the farming life. Kathy attended school in Arlington and graduated from high school in 1960. She continued her education at General Beadle State Teacher's College in Madison, SD where she received an Advanced Diploma in Teaching and a minor in music. She then moved to Watertown, SD where she taught First Grade.
In 1960, she met the love of her life, Donald G. Harmel, and they married on July 14, 1963 in Arlington. They moved to Grand Forks, ND where she continued her education at the University of North Dakota, receiving her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education (minor in Special Education). On August 26, 1966 they welcomed their first child, Nicole Kathleen. The family moved to Denver, CO, where Chod Donald was born on March 19, 1968. They moved to Casper, WY, later that year where their two youngest were born-Christopher Craig on July 26, 1969 and Matthew Clark on March 31, 1973. In 1976, the family moved to Aberdeen, SD where they have lived ever since. In 1980, Kathy became involved with Special Education through the Aberdeen School District and simply loved the special students that became a part of her life.
In 1990, Kathy began working part-time in the summer at the Storybook Land Visitor Information Center, eventually doing so for 28 years where she met visitors from all 50 states and many foreign countries. Around 1997, Kathy began teaching piano to young students and adults; she continued those lessons for 12 years. In the meantime, she retired from Aberdeen schools in 2004, but continued substitute teaching for several years.
Kathy's hobbies included sewing clothes for her four children, as well as the Aberdeen Community Theater; cake decorating; calligraphy writing; quilting; singing in the Adult Choir and playing in the Bell Choir at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church; and making special holiday gifts for her 6 grandchildren. Some of her favorite memories were time spent with her children and grandchildren, whether for a few hours, for a day, or a couple weeks.
Eternally grateful for sharing Kathy's life are her four children, six grandchildren-Katelyn, Jacob, Nathaniel, Joseph, Gabriel, and Jillian-and innumerable other family and friends.
Preceding Kathleen in death are her parents, husband, and brother.