Pauline Jean (Homan) Wendt, age 88, passed away peacefully on July 3, 2025, in Spearfish, South Dakota.
Born on August 16, 1936, in Nisland, South Dakota, Pauline was the daughter of Fred and Anna (Weitzel) Homan. She grew up on the family farm and attended Nisland Schools for all 12 years before graduating from the College of Business in Rapid City, setting the foundation for her career in telecommunications.
Pauline began her career at Northwestern Bell in Belle Fourche, where she met Carl Wendt—the love of her life. They were married on August 17, 1956, and together they raised two daughters, Cindy and Connie, and eventually settled in Hot Springs, South Dakota, where they lived for more than 40 years.
Pauline worked as a telephone operator and later in the office at Peoples Telephone Company, which became Golden West Telecommunications. She dedicated over 30 years to the company before retiring.
Following retirement, Pauline and Carl sold their home in Hot Springs and took to the road in their “home on wheels,” traveling for 15 years to escape the South Dakota winters. Pauline loved participating in the craft sales at Hart Ranch and also in Arizona, while spending winters down south, they also volunteered at the Spearfish Fish Hatchery and Custer State Park during a few summers while in the Black Hills.
After Carl’s injury in 2004, they returned to South Dakota full-time, living in Sturgis, Belle Fourche, and finally Spearfish.
Pauline will be remembered for her creativity, her wit and fiery personality, and her gift for making friends wherever she went. Above all, she cherished her family.
She is survived by her daughters, Cindy (Jim) McDill of Custer, SD, and Connie (Randy) Peterson of Spearfish, SD; her grandchildren, Dusty (Heather) McDill of Custer, SD, Lynn McDill (Sadie Russo) of Arvada, CO, Rebecca (Ty) Owens of Newcastle, WY, Jared (Jennifer) Peterson of Andrews, TX, and Breonn Peterson (Mike Brennan) of Spearfish, SD; great-grandchildren, Emily Peterson (Konrad Schnabel) of Rapid City, SD, Ella and Erik Peterson of Andrews, TX, and Maizy, Parker, and Orrin Owens of Newcastle, WY; her sister, Bernice Weber of Spearfish, SD; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins from both the Homan and Wendt families.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Carl; her grandson, Jason Paul McDill; her parents, Fred and Anna; and her siblings, Mary Ann, Shirley, Fred, and Raymond Homan.
Pauline’s memory will live on in the hearts of her family, her many friends, and the caregivers who came to love her in her later years.
In lieu of flowers, the family encourages acts of kindness in Pauline’s memory, and donate to a charity of your choice.
Condolences may be shared with the family at www.kinkadefunerals.com.