Belva Lea Schad, 76 of Sturgis, SD formerly of Eagle Butte, SD passed away Friday, May 16, 2025 at the Monument Hospital of Rapid City, SD.
Family visitation will be at 2:00 p.m. MDT, Thursday, May 22, 2025 with public visitation following at 3:00 p.m. MDT at the Kinkade Funeral Chapel in Sturgis, SD.
Belva was born July 28, 1948 at the Dr. Creamer Maternity Hospital, Dupree, SD to Leo and Kathleen “Casey” (Bowman) Keller. She attended Eagle Butte School and Cheyenne-Eagle Butte High School and graduated in 1966. Following school, she worked various jobs at Scotts Paper Company, Everett, WA; helping her cousins Joe & Jim Bowman harvesting; Lynn’s Super Value, Eagle Butte as a meat cutter; helped various neighbors in the Eagle Butte area with field work and branding; and Little Dakota Truck Stop, Eagle Butte, fixing tires, oil changes, and pumping gas. This is where she met her husband, little did she knew at the time, until match maker Alice brought them together at the 1976 New Year Eve dance. Belva figured he was trainable.
On June 1, 1978, Belva married Roderick “Rod” Schad of Eagle Butte. Along with Belva’s two children Rita & Shane, Belva & Rod started to build their future together in raising hogs and farming on her parents’ place west of Eagle Butte. This is when all her talents came to bear in farrowing hogs, working in the shop, running a tractor and a combine, and still garden and care for the home. Still, she found time for her many crafts of embroidery, quilting, painting, diamond dots, and other crafts. Her true enjoyment was being around people. Listening and laughing with them on the happenings in the community and the world. Some of her fondest memories were ice fishing with uncles Lyle and Delmar, trap shooting, and prairie dog hunting with a rifle that Kent sighted-in for her and wouldn’t let Rod touch.
In 2009, Belva & Rod purchased a home in Sturgis, SD in preparation for retirement. Helping her mother Casey when she needed it and closer to her daughter, Rita, and her husband Curt in Rapid City. It became a very enjoyable experience for Belva in meeting new people and to be more involved with her granddaughter, Rachel.
In 2021, Belva diagnoses with MDS (myelodysplastic syndromes) a blood disorder where the bone marrow produces immature blood cells. The efforts to delay MDS, included chemo treatments, infusions of platelets, blood, and numerous medications that took its toll on Belva. Steadily she lost her strength and the ability to do ordinary house chores. But that may have slowed her down, but not her spirit. She continued with some of her crafts and other activities when she could. After three years, MDS decided make its move, starting with a heart attack which she had to revived from, shingles with staph infection, biopsy and diagnoses with breast cancer leading to stronger medication. The final blow was the worst of the worst, sepsis infection. After being revived three times from dying, the fourth time she was let go to go home.
Belva is survived by her husband Roderick; mother Kathleen “Casey” Bunner, Sturgis; her daughter Rita (Curt) Korkow, Rapid City and two grandchildren Rachel Korkow, Aberdeen and Dustin (Laura) Korkow, Waterloo, IA and a great-granddaughter: Amelia Korkow; a brother Jerry (Chrissi) Keller, Marysville, WA and sister Darlene (John) Wulf, Owanka, SD.
She was preceded in death by her father Leo Keller; and son Shane Schad.
Memorials can be directed to The Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) Foundation Inc.
Kinkade Funeral Chapel of Sturgis has been entrusted with Belva’s arrangements. Condolences for the family may be sent to www.kinkadefunerals.com.
