Maria Fonder

Maria Fonder, age 51, of Big Stone City, SD, passed away on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, at her residence.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, December 15, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Milbank. Visitation will be held on Thursday, December 14, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the church, with a prayer service beginning at 7:00 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the Mass on Friday. Padre Davíd Garza will celebrate the Mass, and interment will be at St. Lawrence Catholic Cemetery in Milbank.

Maria Dolores Fonder was born on June 15, 1972, in Bogotá, Colombia, to Carlos and Ana (Olave) Cárdenas. She was baptized and confirmed into the Catholic faith. She attended public elementary school and later graduated. She continued her education at National Pedagogic University in Bogotá and graduated in 1998. 

In 1999, Maria was selected to work as a Spanish Teaching Assistant in the United States and moved to Robbinsdale, Minnesota, where she lived with her host family, James and Lynn Rekow. After one year, she returned to Colombia and worked as an English Teacher for several years. In 2004, Maria moved back to the United States for another TA program. During the summer of 2005, she came to South Dakota to work on the John Fonder farm where she helped with milking cows, painting, cleaning, and mowing lawn. She would meet Stephen Fonder during her time working on the farm.

Maria married Stephen Fonder on May 27, 2006, at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Milbank, South Dakota. They were blessed with one son, Carlos. The family lived and worked together on the family farm north of Milbank. A teacher at heart, Maria homeschooled Carlos, substitute taught, and spent a year teaching Spanish at Waubay. She loved teaching but her other responsibilities kept her from returning to school to receive her teaching certificate.

Maria was a member of St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Milbank. She enjoyed watching Hallmark Christmas movies, reading, being outside, and helping with chores. She was an integral part of their farm. She was a great hostess and always made sure visitors were fed. She was a person of many talents and adapted well to new environments.

Left to cherish her memory is her husband, Stephen Fonder of Big Stone City, SD; son, Carlos Fonder of Big Stone City, SD; two brothers:  Manuel (Gabriela) Cárdenas Olave of Madrid, Colombia; Nicholas Cárdenas Olave (Rafaela) of Madrid, Colombia; mother-in-law, Eileen Fonder of Milbank, SD; brothers-in-laws: Paul (Bridget) Fonder of Big Stone City, SD; Patrick Fonder (Mae Ward) of Brooklyn Park, MN; and Robert Fonder of Pocahontas, IA; three nieces; and her host family: James, Lynn, Christian, and Chloe Rekow.

Maria is preceded in death by her parents: Carlos and Ana; father-in-law, Dale Fonder; and sister-in-law, Tina Dahlberg.