She was born Sept. 24, 1965, to Patricia Jane Conklin.
A fiercely strong and independent single mom, she lived the majority of her life in Black Hawk, and the Black Hills were in her blood.
She worked hard no matter what job she held and gave it her all to provide for her family.
She loved the outdoors, and whether time was spent in her yard, on a Harley, shooting guns or behind her camera, she made sure she spent it enjoying the nature of the Hills. Believe it or not, she was an avid birdwatcher and has hundreds of noteworthy pictures of them, raptors being her favorite to photograph.