Vickie Backous

Vickie Marie (Michels) Backous, 64, of Redfield, SD, passed away Tuesday, February 11th, 2025, at Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, ND.
Her Celebration of Life will be at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, March 14, 2025, at Hyke Funeral Home in Redfield. The service will be live-streamed on the funeral home's website below Vickie's obituary. Arrangements have been entrusted to Hyke Funeral Home (www.hykefuneralhome.com).
Mom was born April 8th, 1960, in Florida, to Lowell "Mike" and Grace (Tew) Michels; joining an older brother and sister and followed by another sister and two more brothers. She lived in many places around our great country before finally landing in Redfield, SD in the middle of a blizzard in November of 1994. Some say the choice was made by a throw of a dart, while others say it was because she couldn't shovel out of the snow.
Family was an important part of her life. Mom loved spending time with all of us individually or all together. Having all of us within driving distance (one a little closer) of her gave her lots of comfort. Mom passed her love of true crime down to her daughters, even having one very memorable mother/daughters trip to Crimecon in Nashville. Mom loved to teach the grandkids new games from chess to card games like cribbage, canasta, and hand & foot. She even let them win from time to time. If the kids wanted to stay up later they knew to ask about a card game and she fell for it everytime! Mom was always sneaking pictures at gatherings of all of us together to have proof that we did get along for a few moments. She loved a great debate with her brothers and sisters on Facebook or in a group message. Although they didn't agree on politics, she forgave them and still loved them.
Mom found the third time was the charm for husbands. She married the love of her life, Cecil Backous, on July 19th, 2006. They were often seen holding hands or watching TV sharing the audio with the neighbors because they had forgotten to put on their hearing devices. Mom loved planning trips to anywhere dragging Cecil happily along for the ride. He put up with her constant additions to the honey-do list and barely grumbled about it. In fact, we are sure she left a long enough list that Cecil will never be bored. They "shared" a love of animals adopting many cats and a few dogs. Their dog Skip was an amazing companion to mom when she needed it most. We are all so grateful for Cecil (no matter what mom said) and the love they shared right up to the last minute.
Mom loved anything to do with cooking and didn't believe in recipes or conventional kitchen utensils. We would have to hide the power tools around holidays because mixing wands fit perfectly in the power drill slots. We would threaten to boycott family gatherings if mom didn't make her world-famous Mac Salad and Fry Bread. We also let her think she fooled us when Anastyn, Davanee, and Cecil took over those duties. Mom always managed to put in that extra love factor in all that she made from Peanut Butter Balls, Friendship Bread, and pies to Bread and Butter Cucumbers or Beef Tip and Noodles. Nothing made her happier than having her kitchen full of grandkids and teaching them how to measure ingredients with their souls. Mom always made sure there was dinner for whichever child or grandchild might unexpectedly stop over. No one ever left hungry or without a cookie or peanut butter ball.
Mom was a jack of all trades and never met a problem that she couldn't come up with a solution to. This tenacity led to discovering a knack for computers that she turned into a business, Koken's Computer Service. She was so proud that she did it by herself and always enjoyed the home visits with her loyal customers. Other hidden skills included but definitely not limited to diesel mechanic, dorm parent, sandwich artist, chef, diamond art artist, online shopping connoisseur, semi-pro bowler, amateur kayaker, and gift giving (although some of us are still scarred by that skill). She could spot a yard sale from 20 miles away and had the ability to find just what you didn't know you were looking for on Facebook Marketplace for crazy super cheap. She loved to work in her yard whether it was planting annual flowers or decorating for whatever the upcoming holiday was.
Blessed to have loved her were her husband Cecil and Skip (her favorite child); daughters: Saisha (Bob), Lanesa (Biggie), and Breann (Allen); sons: Josh, Travis, and Shaun; grandkids: Luann (Alex), Terri (Cameron), Lola, Jackson, Maxson, Boomer, Bruno, Anastyn (Brandon), Davanee, Shania (Eli), Jazlynne, Sheyanne, Dracyn, Tabytha, Ollie, Ruby, Kaylee, and Paxton; great-grandkids: Killian, Hazel, Lukas, Easton, Peytonn, and Elijah II; siblings: Bud (Donna), Laura (John), Brenda, Chuck (Cathy), Darrell (Theresa); many, many nieces and nephews; and lifelong friends LeeAnn, Christy, Tonya, Jolene, and Cathy.
Mom was preceded in death by her parents; niece Beth; and nephews Shawn and Jason.