Carolyn Rose (Loughlin) Burnham passed away on January 30, 2026, at the age of 73, at the Monument Health Hospice House, with her daughters, Cindy and Christy by her side.
Carolyn was born on October 2,1952 to Lloyd and Elizabeth (Vetter) Loughlin in Lemmon SD. She was the 4th of nine children. She grew up in Chance, SD until her family moved to Whitewood, SD in 1960. She attended elementary school in Whitewood, SD and Jr high and High school in Sturgis, SD.
Carolyn married Jerry Burnham on February 8,1974, they later divorced. From this union four children were born Cindy, Roger, Scott, and Christy. After the kids were born, she was a stay-at-home mom. Once her kids were in school full time, she was employed at the Sturgis VA Medical Center in the kitchen for over 20 years.
In her spare time, she enjoyed attending her grandchildren’s sporting events, doing Christmas baking, knitting, crocheting and cross stitching. She also made baby blankets for many of her nieces and nephews. She uniquely made sweaters that zipped up with designs on the back such as airplanes, Disney characters and Sesame Street characters. She also cross-stitched Christmas tree skirts for all the grandchildren, nieces, and nephews with
their names and birth year. She had several hobbies she enjoyed such as playing BINGO, Thursday A’s, and the Happy Hookers club which met twice a month where they did knitting, crocheting, and cross-stitching.
She survived by her children: Cindy & (Shawn) Cruickshank of Piedmont, SD, Roger Burnham (Jessica Daniels) of Sturgis, SD, Scott Burnham of Sturgis, SD, and Christy & (Ed) Seibert of New Underwood, SD. Other survivors include her grandchildren Colton & Connor Cruickshank, Rylan & (Kelsey) Burnham, Katlynn Tarrant, and River & Brook Seibert.
She is also survived by her siblings Cecilia & (Alan) Roberts, Elaine Merk, Renee & (Dan) Schenk, Wanda & (Jamie) Hoyt, and her brother Delbert Loughlin (Nora Elson). She’s also survived by her sister-in-law Barbara Griffin and her brother and sister-in-law Tom & Linda Burnham and many nieces, nephews, cousins and a good family friend, Kaycee Kirsch.
She is preceded in death by her parents, grandparents, her sisters Sheila Elwonger, Brenda Kolb, and her brother Arden Loughlin. She also is preceded in death by the father of her children Jerry Burnham, sister-in-law Joy Burnham, niece Debbie Griffin and nephew Troy Burnham.
There will be a visitation on Friday, February 6, 2026 at Kinkade Funeral Chapel from 5:00pm-7:00pm. Carolyn’s funeral will be held on Saturday, February7, 2025, 10:00am at Kinkade Funeral Chapel, Sturgis, SD. A burial will follow at Bear Butte Cemetery.
