Fern McPartland,86, of Groton, SD died Sunday, January 02, 2011 at Golden Living Center in Groton.

Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday, January 7, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. at St. John's Catholic Church in Conde, SD. Fr. William Osborn will celebrate the mass.

Burial will be in St. John's Cemetery in Conde. Visitation will be Thursday, from 1-4 p.m. at Thelen Funeral Home.
Visitation will continue from 6:00 p.m., with a rosary and scriptural wake service at 7:00 p.m. at the church in Conde. (www.thelenfuneralhome.com)

Fern was born August 12, 1924 to Amy and Celia (Poirier) Fortin, and grew up with her parents and five sisters on the family farm near Turton, SD. Following graduation from Clark High School, she worked in Minneapolis as a secretary. On October 14, 1947, Fern was married to Florian 'Mac' McPartland at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Turton. They farmed near Turton for a short time before moving to a farm east of Conde in 1953, where they farmed and raised their five children.

Fern and Mac moved into Conde in 1990. She continued to live in Conde following Florians death in 1995.

Fern will be remembered for her sense of humor, spirit, and talents too numerous to mention. She had a great love for the outdoors, and it was her favorite place to be whether gardening, planting trees, taking care of her yard or fishing. Her fondest times were spent at the cabin on Big Stone. She was an avid sports fan with a fondness for, but not limited to, the Twins, the Vikings, and the Duke Blue Devils. She enjoyed playing cards with friends and a mean game of Bingo.

She was preceded in death by her husband Florian and great-grandson Jayden.

Fern is survived by her daughter, Sharon and (Dick) Prien, Chugiak, Alaska and four sons: Rick and (Margaret) McPartland, Aberdeen; Grant and (Annie) McPartland, Sioux Falls; Jerry and (Deb) McPartland, Castlewood; and Norb and (Janet) McPartland, Bradley. A special joy to Fern were her grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Jamison and (Angela) Prien, Lauren and Andrew; Angie and (Jim) DiFronzo, Paige and Ethan; Jason McPartland; Shannon McPartland; Shaun McPartland, Jersey; Danny and (Sandy) McPartland, Sierra and Jaxon; Laura Hollaren, Alexis; and Alisha and (Shawn) Spurrell, Aliyah and Ainsley.