Mercedes Agnes Materi Buchanan “Mert” passed away peacefully in her sleep on Monday March 6, 2023, in Corn OK.

A Celebration of Life will be held Aug. 5, 2023, at McCrossen Boys Ranch Visitor Center at 47165 260th St, Sioux Falls, SD 57107 from 1pm - 3pm.  Friends and family are invited to continue celebrating at Becky & Ross's house.  Address to be given at the Celebration of Life or contact Becky Burdick for info.

Mert was born Sept. 15, 1951, in Aberdeen, SD to Anton and Agnes Materi. Mert attended St. Mary’s grade school, 9th grade at Monroe, and graduated from Aberdeen Central High in 1969. Mert married Gale Buchanan on Oct. 9, 1970, and had 5 children. After graduating, Mert worked at Central’s Library until Becky was born. She then decided to be a stay-at-home mom while having Brian, Sarah, Mary, and John. After about 10 years raising her family, she began working McDonalds. In 1989, she went to work at Super 8 Headquarters until after her 1st grandchild was born and decided she once again wanted to be home and help raise her grandchildren, so she opened a daycare. Around 2010, Mert worked at Northern State University until retiring in February 2017. After retiring, she moved in with her son Brian in Lawton OK where she was living at the time of her passing.

Mert loved being around people and made friends everywhere she went. A quick trip to the store often resulted in a minimum of a two-hour trip because she always ran into at least one person she knew and would visit with them for hours. It was common for her and her best friend Mary O’Daniel to go out for coffee in the afternoon and visit until the restaurant closed that evening. Her family would always jokingly ask her what she how she could still have that much to talk about. She loved the children who attended her daycare as if they were her own and enjoyed all the pictures and cards from them as they grew up.

Her children and especially her grandchildren meant the world to her. She loved attending every sporting and school event for each one and loved watching them grow up. She made sure each one believed they were her favorite grandchild and spoiled each one of them.

Grateful for having shared Mert’s life are her children, Becky (Ross) Burdick of Sioux Falls, SD, Brian Buchanan of Lawton OK, John (Whitney) Buchanan of Appleton WI. Her sister’s Elain (Steve) Arntz of Arlington TX, Linda (Brad) Fritz of Missoula MT, Marie (Bill) Leonard of Minot ND, & her brother Mark Materi of Aberdeen, SD. Her grandchildren, Ashley Burdick, Brett Buchanan, Sarah Buchanan, Liam Buchanan, Jack Buchanan, & Charlie Buchanan. And her many nieces and nephews.

She was proceeded in death by her parents and her daughters Sarah and Mary Buchanan who passed at birth.

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