Dolores Charboneau, formerly of Aberdeen, SD and Washington, DC, and recently of Richland, WA died December 13, 2024. Dolores was born to Albert Breunig and Sarah (Tribble) Breunig on May 5, 1929 in Leola, SD. Dolores graduated from high school as the class Valedictorian at the age of 16. She attended St. Catherine's College in Minnesota for her first year of college, then moved to Aberdeen, SD to attend Northern State Teachers College where she met her future husband, Edward J. Charboneau. In 1949, Dolores was crowned South Dakota's Snow Queen.

After she married, Dolores taught school until the birth of her first child and then became a full-time mother and homemaker. Dolores and her husband moved several times while her husband served in the Army. In 1955, she and her husband settled back in Aberdeen, SD, where she raised their growing family. After her youngest child started school, she completed Bachelor's degrees in English and History and a Master's degree in English. Dolores returned to teaching at a consolidated high school for towns near Aberdeen. However, she felt the commute kept her away from home too long so she pursued other occupations in Aberdeen including working as the activity director in a nursing home, writing feature stories for the newspaper, selling real estate, and working for the Internal Revenue Service. After finishing a second Master's degree in Social Work and Mental Health Counseling, Dolores worked for the State of South Dakota as a social worker for many years. When her youngest child left home, Dolores moved to Vermillion, SD and earned her Doctorate in Psychology at the University of South Dakota when she was in her 50s. She returned to Aberdeen while finishing her dissertation to help care for her aging father.

Education was very important to Dolores, and Dolores thought one of her greatest achievements was passing the importance of education on to her children. She was very proud that her children obtained advanced college degrees in law, medicine, psychology, music, and engineering.

Dolores moved to Arlington, VA in 1986 and lived with her daughter Lynette and her family, while working at a shelter providing counseling. Subsequently, she moved to DC to take a job with the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health, counseling geriatric patients. She retired after about 16 years with DC at the age of 74.

Dolores was a "doer" and explored her many different interests and ambitions. She traveled our country from coast to coast, and visited Europe twice. Dolores participated in many activities when her children were in school, volunteering as a room mother, Cub Scout leader, and Girl Scout leader. She was active in the student teacher association for the school fund raisers, and was always willing to bake for bake sales and provide treats to her children's classrooms.

Dolores quit driving shortly after she retired but still did much of her shopping by walking to the grocery stores until she was almost 90. Just before her 93rd birthday, Dolores moved into a memory care facility.

Dolores is survived by daughter Lynette Charboneau's (Roger Morie) family, grandsons Paul Charboneau Morie (Erin O'Neal-Morie), Joseph Morie Charboneau, and Thomas Charboneau Morie (Grace Morie); son Gregory J. Charboneau's (Dulce Bustamante) family, grandsons Louis Charboneau and Geordie Charboneau; son Briant Lon Charboneau's (Stacy Charboneau) family, granddaughter Lisa Martin (Joseph Martin) and great-grandchildren Presley Martin and Carter Martin, grandson Daniel Charboneau (Ashley Charboneau) and great-grandchildren Evelyn Charboneau and Clayton Charboneau, step-granddaughter Amanda Helmann and step-great granddaughter Amelia Atkins, and step-granddaughter Rebecca Helmann (Jonathan Lalo).

Dolores was preceded in death by her parents Albert and Sarah Breunig; sisters Elaine Kusler and Shirley Breunig; her former husband Edward Charboneau; children Kim Charboneau, Evonne Charboneau and Brent Charboneau; her daughter-in-law Colette Charboneau and granddaughter Chantal Charboneau.

The funeral will take place on December 27, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. at Christ the King Church in Richland, Washington. A graveside service will take place on December 30, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Aberdeen, South Dakota.