Marge McColley named 2025 Custer County Chronicle Citizen of the Year

When Marge McColley was given the Custer Area Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award, she received not one, not two, not three, but five letters of recommendation from from citizens in Custer County.
That was 20 years ago.
Since that time, and now at a spry 98 years old, McColley has continued to be a pillar of the community, a tireless volunteer and an inspiration to many.
It seems she has contributed enough to Custer for two lifetimes.
For these reasons and more, McColley has been named the Custer County Chronicle’s Citizen of the Year for 2025.
“Marge is a great example of community. She has dedicated decades of her time and energy to many communities in Custer County,” said Carrie Moore, owner of Petals & Pages and a friend of McColley. “I know I look to her as a shining example of dedication and love. I’m sure a lot of others do, as well.”
Few have spent as much time volunteering with McColley as Kim Canete, director of The Storehouse.
Canete began working with the Custer Food Pantry in 1998. She worked with Jane Olson for a few years distributing food from a small room in the basement of Custer Senior Center. Canete said Olson handed running the place over to her a few years after she signed up, at which time she took steps to form a board of directors and establish a 501(c)3.
Sometime soon after this, McColley signed up as a volunteer to help with food distributions. Neither Canete nor McColley is sure exactly when that was, but they know it was in the early 2000s.
In 2009 the Custer County Community Exchange opened in the basement of Custer Lutheran Fellowship. A board of directors was formed and this mission also formed a 501(c)3.
In 2010 the group found the building at 66 Centennial Drive, and with the help of the community and a large grant from the John T. Vucurevich Foundation they were able to combine the pantry and the exchange into The Storehouse. They moved May 25, 2010, and the two boards merged into one. McColley became a member of The Storehouse board of directors.
Canete said as a board member McColley made the pantry her job. For 13  years she counted cans, ordered food, checked expiration dates, boxed emergency food, set up distribution procedures, counted more cans, stuffed food into every corner of the building until more space was built, delivered food, set up Christmas baskets, watched the lines of families (always looking for the children), cleaned, hauled, sorted and bagged food.
She resigned as a board member in 2024, but, she has held onto the two missions closest to her heart.
One of those is Christmas baskets for those in need. Canete said McColley started saving food for the Christmas baskets in July.
“She mans two units of shelves loaded with crates because each crate holds 32 cans,” Canete said. “She counts and sorts and checks expiration dates up to the day we assemble the baskets, the third Friday in December.”
Her other pet project is the food pantry in Buffalo Gap.
Before COVID-19 hit The Storehouse board had discussed ways to extend its mission, Canete said, and McColley suggested opening a pantry in Buffalo Gap.
“The board decided this would be worth the energy and money,” Canete said.
Contact was made with Kim McNemar in Buffalo Gap and she lined up the old bank building for use for the pantry and the board decided on a double distribution once a month. 
“Initially, we trucked the food over every third Saturday and held a distribution. Then carried what was left back to Custer,” Canete said. “We eventually got a back room with shelves, a freezer, a refrigerator and running water with a bathroom.”
Canete said McColley found out children waiting for the bus spent early mornings in this same building. Because of this, she put together breakfast bars and snacks for them to grab.
McColley was actually born in Buffalo Gap, and was there Dec. 20 to help distribute Christmas baskets and gifts to the Buffalo Gap families.
“The best word to describe Marge is fierce,” Canete said. “She is fierce in her love of family, her gardens, her church, her friends and her community.”
Those are just two of the projects McColley has dove into over the years.
When her three children were in school she was involved in the PTA, with one of her memorable voluntary assignments being co-chairing fundraisers for the Custer swimming pool.
She has also been involved in Daughters of the Nile, Eastern Star and helped prepare care packages and party favors for Shriner’s Childrens Hospitals. McColley has been a member and volunteer at Custer Community Church for over 70 years, volunteered for 4-H youth and family programs for over 35 years, volunteered at the Custer County Fair, was a member of the “Do Nothing Club” that gathered for coffee and friendship and is a master gardner.
In fact, McColley was instrumental in launching the plant exchange at the Custer County Fair, and for the past 50 years she has painted ceramic Christmas ornaments, beginning with her first grandchild and continuing for all her grandchildren (seven), great grandchildren (four) and countless other children who have touched her life.
For many years she and her husband, Ken, ran McColley Funeral Home and helped thousands of citizens prepare for their final step in life.
She is a lifetime member of the Custer County Historical Society, was named to the South Dakota 4-H Hall of Fame by the South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Service, is a charter member of the Mile High Garden Club, served on the governing body for United Church of Christ’s Placeville Camp for several years, was active in Gold Discovery Days for years and was the organizer and judge for the long-running fall festival and chili cookoff.
Most recently, she received the inaugural “Heart of Custer Award” at the Custer Area Chamber of Commerce banquet in October.
In presenting the award, chamber board member Miranda Boggs cited McColley’s dedication to the community through service and leadership.
“To sum it up, her character reflects the very best of Custer,” Boggs said. “She is one of the most positive, kind, giving and fierce people you’ll ever come by.”
“What is there to be said about the marvelous Marge McColley? I have known her since I was a kid and she is the same: a woman in charge,” said Finny Sechser. “No one believes she is 98—her posture, her wit, her humor, her energy all defy age. She is a priceless jewel to Custer who has always done things to promote this city.”
“As a friend her friendship is immeasureable to me. Any time of trouble she will call and listen and advise the caller. She is a hoot when we have button therapy or craft day—on occasion she has offered money to other attendees to do her project if she was not enjoying the process,” Sechser said. “She is a good conversationalist and always ready for a social gathering. Her kids who live out of town keep a schedule of daily phone calls to check on her.
“I could think of no finer person to be honored as Citizen of the Year and thank you for choosing her. I am honored to be her friend.”
Moore said when she was a reporter with the Custer County Chronicle she quickly learned bout McColley and her volunteerism.
“I’ve gotten to know her better and call her a friend as I transitioned to the floral/horticulture world,” Moore said. “When I underwent training to become a Master Gardener, Marge was so excited for and encouraging to me. While being a Master Gardener is great in its own right, it’s even more special to have this bond with Marge.
“There’s no better day spent than having a chat—and cup of coffee and cinnamon roll—with Marge!”
Congratulations!