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Alvin T. Merkwan, age 74 of Tyndall, SD passed away on Sunday, May 13, 2012 in Lesterville, SD. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM, Friday, May 18, 2012 at St Wenceslaus Catholic Church, Tabor, SD with Rev. Joe Puthenkulathil and Msgr. Carlton Hermann officiating. Burial will be in St. Wenceslaus Cemetery with Military Graveside Rites by the Kortan-Hatwan American Legion Post #183, Tabor. Visitations will begin at 4:00 PM, Thursday, May 17, 2012 at the St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church with a Wake Service at 7:00 PM. Visitations will resume 1 hour prior to the service at the church. The Opsahl-Kostel Memorial Chapel, Tabor, is in charge of arrangements. Pallbearers will be Richard, John, Gary, and Joe Merkwan, Randy and Terry Tucek, and Richard Honner.
Alvin Thomas Merkwan was born on August 2, 1937 in Tabor, SD to Anton and Anna (Cahoy) Merkwan. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, Tabor, SD. He served his country in the National Guard and United States Army from 1955 to 1963. He married Joyce Mount in Tyndall, SD on October 24, 1959. To this union, 4 children were born: Diane, Linda, Kathy and James.
Farming was his way of life, spending many hours in his fields and caring for his livestock.
He enjoyed working on cars and found a love in restoring classic cars. He found joy in doing woodworking and restoring all types of furniture. Every winter he would travel to his ranch in Texas, where he treasured his longhorns. The time he spent with his grandchildren was precious and limitless.
He was a member of the Catholic Workman and St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church.
He is survived by his 3 daughters, Diane (Gary) Kriz and their children, Ryan, Jay and Jody of Tyndall, SD; Linda (Bruce) Kortan and their children, Jordan and Ross of Tyndall, SD; and Kathy (Kerry) Kepplinger and their children, Kyle, Kory and Kreg of Scotland, SD; son, James (Jeani) Merkwan and their children, Mitchell, McKeely, Mace and Madden of Tyndall, SD; his friend who shared in his memories for 13 years, LaLanie Tucek of Tyndall, SD; a brother, Laddie (Lillian) Merkwan of Tyndall, SD; and sister-in-law, Adeline Merkwan of Tabor, SD and nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Anton and Anna Merkwan and his brother, Edward.
George A. Melichar, age 95, of Tabor, SD died Friday, March 4, 2011 at Avera Sister James Care Center, Yankton, SD. Funeral services will be 11:00, Friday, March 11, 2011 at the Opsahl-Kostel Memorial Chapel, Tabor, with Msgr. Carlton Hermann officiating. Burial will be in St. Wenceslaus Catholic Cemetery, Tabor, with military graveside rites by the Kortan-Hatwan American Legion Post #183. Visitations will begin at 5:00 PM, Thursday, at the Opsahl-Kostel Memorial Chapel, Tabor, with a Scripture service at 7:00 PM. Visitations will resume one hour prior to the service at the chapel.
George A. Melichar was born to Joseph B. Melichar and Anna Bouska on 10/02/1915 at Tabor. He grew up on a farm just east of Tabor. He then worked in Iowa for a few years before entering the US Navy in 1936. He served a 4-year enlistment aboard the USS Whitney prior to WWII. He then re-enlisted in 1941 serving in WWII as First Class Metalsmith aboard the USS Kaskaskia and then later being promoted to Chief Metalsmith aboard the USS Ajax. He was discharged in 1945 having served 9 years in the Armed Forces.
He then moved back to Tabor and opened a Standard Station and blacksmith shop in November of 1946. He married Martha Kortan on 09/01/1948. He operated his Standard Station and blacksmith shop until August of 1967. He then worked at Dale Electronics in Yankton from 1967 to October of 1979 when he retired.
George loved the outdoors and enjoyed fishing and hunting. He was an avid gardener and enjoyed sharing his abundant produce with family and friends.
George was a member of the Kortan-Hatwan American Legion serving as Commander in 1952.
Loving memories will be cherished by his wife, Martha, his son Edward (Donna) Melichar, his daughter Katherine (Don Klaassen), grandchildren Pam (Mike Mason), Ken (Cameo) Melichar, Angela Klaassen, Jonathan Klaassen, and Jared Klaassen, great-grandchildren, Claire and Hope Mason and Ashlyn, Nathan, and Jonah Melichar, sisters-in-law Angeline Kortan and Marcella Kortan, many nieces and nephews, and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, 4 brothers, Joseph, James, Emanuel, and William Melichar, 3 sisters, Marie (Frank) Pidima, Anna (Thomas) Peterka, and Rose (Laddie) Kozak, grandson Benjamin Klaassen, and great-granddaughter Bethany Mason.
Funeral sevices for Sylvia M. Mudder, 85 of Avon will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at the First Baptist Church in Avon, with burial in the Trinity Presbyterian Cemetery, rural Avon. Visitation will be Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Home in Avon.
Sylvia Mae Mudder, daughter of Charles J. and Ida (Voigt) Bochman, was born July 24, 1926 at Tyndall, SD. She died Saturday, May 19, 2012 at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton. Sylvia attained the age of 85 years, nine months and 26 days.
Sylvia attended Fairview Country School through the eighth grade and graduated from Avon High School in 1944. In her younger years, she worked at Pudwill’s Cafe and Weidenbach Grocery Store. After graduation, she went to work for S.B. Gelfand’s Grocery Store. Sylvia later worked at C.R. Industries in Springfield for 20 years and then retired.
Sylvia married Kenneth Mudder on November 13, 1947 at the First Baptist Church in Avon. Three children were born to their union. They made their home in Avon, where Kenny worked in law enforcement for many years. He died October 1, 1998. Due to failing health, Sylvia entered the Good Samaritan Society in Tyndall in March of 2011.
Sylvia was a member of the First Baptist Church and a 50 years member of the American Legion Auxiliary, where she served as president for many years.
Sylvia will be remembered for her enjoyment of doing jigsaw puzzles.
Thankful for having shared her life are her children: Kevin Lee of Forest River, ND and Kathy Lynn (Richard) Leyden of Yankton; two grandsons: Matthew and Kelly; and two sisters: Pearl Hepler of the GSS in Tyndall and Alice Biesma of Avon.
Sylvia was preceded in death by her husband; infant daughter, Kimberly Kay; parents; a brother Paul who died in infancy; and two sisters: Golda Sell and Edith Jenssen.
Evelyn Anna Mach was born Sunday, January 23, 1921 at Tyndall, South Dakota to Clarence and Anna (Hack) Bower. She was raised on a farm northeast of Tyndall and attended country school. On January 3, 1945, she was united in marriage to Thomas Mach at St. Leo Catholic Church in Tyndall. They began their married lives on a farm southwest of Scotland, and devoted the next 33 years to farming and raising their family. Evelyn was an avid gardener and enjoyed canning all the fruits and vegetables they raised on the farm. She loved living on the farm, but after Tom passed away in 1978, she moved into Scotland and began working as a dietary aide at the Good Samaritan Center. She enjoyed her work there and made many life-long friends. After working there for 16 years, she retired in 1994.
Evelyn enjoyed sewing, quilting and baking. She was well-known for her homemade bread and doughnuts. She was an excellent cook, and especially enjoyed preparing large meals for anyone who came to visit her. Evelyn loved to sew and made many of her own clothes, as well as clothes for her children as they were growing up. After her retirement, she began making patchwork quilts. A lot of people will remember her as the lady who sold eggs in Scotland. She never passed up an opportunity to go shopping, as that was one of her favorite hobbies. She was a very generous and hard-working person who was always willing to help. Evelyn was a life-long member of the Catholic Order of Foresters, and a member of St. George Catholic Church.
In September of 2007, she became a resident at the Good Samaritan Center in Scotland. She passed away on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at the age of 91 years, 1 month, and 5 days.
Grateful for having shared her life are her two sons: Don Mach of Katy, Texas and Ken (Diana) Mach of Scotland; and her daughter, Eileen (Warren) Johnson of Spearfish. She is also survived by five grandchildren: Chris (Lauren) Mach, Kelly Mach, Patrick Mach, Darin (Jennifer) Johnson and Nathan (Aimee) Johnson; and two great-grandchildren: Joe and Lucy Johnson.
In addition to her parents, Clarence and Anna Bower, she was preceded in death by her husband, Tom, one brother, Roy Bower, and two sisters: Marian Bower and Laura Fuchs Tycz.
Funeral services for Edna Moysis, 79, of Avon are 10:30 a.m. Monday, December 19, 2011 at the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Avon, with burial in the church cemetery, rural Avon. Visitation will be at the church in Avon on Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m., with the family present from 4 to 5 p.m. Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Edna Lorraine (Oorlog) Moysis was born October 30, 1932 near Avon, SD, the daughter of David and Martha (Frey) Oorlog. She died Thursday, December 15, 2011 at the Good Samaritan Society in Wagner, SD.
Edna attended rural school for seven years at Giedd School and graduated from Avon High School in 1950.
Edna was baptized on April 9, 1944 by Rev. Alvin Gall in the Trinity Presbyterian Church. She was confirmed and joined the church on April 9, 1946 by Rev. John Bartell.
Edna was united in marriage to Edward Moysis on February 3, 1955 at the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Avon. Three children were blessed to their union. Together they farmed in the Dante area and moved into Avon in 1969. Edna began working at Avon Enterprise in 1975 and worked there for several years. Edna entered the Good Samaritan Society in Tyndall in October of 2008 and the Wagner Good Samaritan Society in August of 2011.
Edna was a faithful member of the Trinity Presbyterian Church, serving on the Christian Education Committee, as a Sunday School teacher and a member of the women’s organization.
Thankful for having shared her life are her husband, Edward, of the Wagner Good Samaritan Society; two daughters: Wanda Lippert of Ethan; Norma and husband Ron Kisch of Salem, OR; daughter-in-law, Renee Moysis of Ethan; four grandchildren: Jessica and husband John Kurtenbach; Haley Lippert; Jamie Kisch; and Cassie Kisch; three great grandchildren: Jalen, Jaya and Jaxx Kurtenbach; and a host of relatives and friends.
Edna was preceded in death by her son, Dave in October of 2010; son-in-law, Doug Lippert in March of 2009; parents; and an infant sister and brother.
Mrs. Anna Marie Mattis, nee Dembofski, was born July 26, 1856 in Israelofka, South Russia, and passed away after only a short illness on November 9, 1939 at the age of 83 years, 3 months and 13 days. On the first of August, 1876 she gave her hand in marriage to Mr. William Mattis, with whom she lived in happy union for 60 years until his death in 1936. This union was blessed with 13 children, of whom 8 preceded the mother to the better land. Mrs. Mattis is survived by 3 sons: Jake Mattis, Avon; David Mattis, Wilton, ND; and Robert Mattis, Sr. Avon, 2 daughters: Mrs. Lydia Engel, Lake Andes; and Mrs. Augusta Doran, Avon, 18 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. In 1879 they came to this community, where they lived for a total of 43 years, with an interval of 17 years, 1903 to 1920 of residence at Wilton, ND. By the Grace of God Mrs. Mattis came to a personal and vital faith in the Lord Jesus as her personal Saviour and was baptized into the fellowship of the Emanuel Creek Baptist Church, by the Rev. John Croeni on February 18, 1883. Later her membership was transferred to our Avon Baptist Church, where she continued as a faithful member until her home call. She was a sincere Christian, and has now passed from faith to sight in the Father's house above.
Elizabeth Miller, age 93, of Wishek, North Dakota, died September 13, 1996, in the Wishek Community Hospital. Elizabeth was born November 16, 1902 at Tyndall, South Dakota, the daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Reiling) Landsiedel. She was raised at Tyndall and received her elementary education in Tyndall Schools. As a young woman she moved with the family to a farm home northeast of Ashley, North Dakota. Elizabeth resided there til her marriage to John R. Miller on December 10, 1922 at Ashley, North Dakota. Following their marriage they made their home on a farm 7 miles southeast of Lehr, North Dakota. They lived and farmed there until 1947, when they moved to Lehr. Mr. Miller preceded her in death on June 9, 1971. Elizabeth continued to live in Lehr until moving to the Wishek Nursing Home in the fall of 1987, where she lived since that time. Elizabeth was a member of the Lehr United Methodist Church. She will be remembered as a wonderful seamstress, enjoying quilting, and crocheting. Elizabeth also loved to cook, bake and tend to her garden.
Survivors include: 4 daughters: Mrs. LaRue Miller of Bellevue, Washington; Mrs. Phyllis (Elmer) Hochhalter of Lehr, North Dakota; Mrs. Darlene Miller of Wishek, North Dakota; and Mrs. Violet (Don) Bittner of Fairfield, California; 1 step-daughter, Mrs. Byatta Seefried, of Lodi, California; 19 grandchildren, 42 great grandchildren, and several great great grandchildren. Elizabeth was preceded in death by her husband, 2 sons, Allen and Leo, 2 step-sons, Isadore and Walter, as well as 4 brothers and 2 sisters.
Ruben & Elaine Mattis
Ruben Mattis, 79, of Avon died Friday, April 1, 2005, at St. Michael's Hospital in Tyndall, SD. His funeral service will be 2:00 p.m. Monday, April 4, 2005, at the Danzig Baptist Church in rural Avon, with burial in the church cemetery.
Ruben Ray Mattis was born in rural Avon, South Dakota, the son of William and Amelia (Lippert) Mattis. He died Friday, April 1, 2005, at St. Michael's Hospital in Tyndall, SD. Ruben had attained the age of 79 years, four months and 29 days.
Ruben attended school in rural Avon through the eighth grade and attended Avon High School. He was drafted into the US Navy and received a medical discharge.
Ruben married Elaine Hillie at Tripp, SD on September 13, 1946. Together they farmed north of Avon. After the fire at their home, they moved into Avon.
Ruben was a member of the Danzig Baptist Church and served on various boards and committees in the church.
Ruben will be remembered for his love for his grandkids, dogs, animals and work. He also enjoyed collecting key chains.
Thankful for having shared his life are his wife, Elaine, of Avon; son, Jim and wife, Lila of Wagner; three grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and sister, Faye (Herman) Kaul of Tyndall.
Ruben was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Albert; and three sisters: Ferne Schroeder, Ruth Voigt and Mae Kaul.
Russ Morrell died on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska on Friday, July 25, 2014.
Russ was born on May 23 1950 to Richard Morrell, Sr. and his wife Charlotte in St. Francis, KS. He married the love of his life, Sue (Morehouse) Morrell on July 30 1971. Russ and Sue made their lives in the rural communities of southeast South Dakota and lived on the Missouri River of the South Dakota plains. Russ committed his life in service to others as a coach and teacher for 40 years.
He is survived by his wife Sue, his four children and spouses Charles (Jen), Mark (Jessica), Kevin (Heather) and Courtney (Mike), ten grandchildren, his father Richard, and brothers Rich (Larea) and Tom (Margaret).
The family will host a memorial to celebrate Russ’ life on September 3, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. in the Wagner Community School gym.
In lieu of flowers or gifts to the family, a scholarship fund has been established in Russ’ honor.
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Morrell Remembered As Caring Coach, Friend
The legacy of longtime football coach Russ Morrell is not in the 233 victories or three state titles (one mythical) that highlight his coaching resume, but in the lives he touched along the way, said a former colleague and longtime friend.
“A lot of the coaches I’ve met, coaching was about them,” said Byron Pudwill, Morrell’s assistant football coach from 1983-2001, then his successor with the Cavaliers program. “With him, family was still number one.”
Morrell, who won more than 200 career games in a career that included stops in Irene, Bon Homme and Wagner, died of a heart attack while fishing in Alaska on Friday.
Morrell’s coaching career began in Irene in 1973. After stops in Rapid City Central (1975-76) and Burke (1976-81), he settled in for a 20-year stint in Tyndall, coaching Tyndall-Tabor (1981-82) and Bon Homme (1982-2001). He then finished his career in Wagner, completely retiring from coaching in 2011.
His 233-89 record includes a “mythical” state title at Burke in 1977, as well as back-to-back Class 11B championships at Bon Homme in 1994-95. He also took Bon Homme to the Class 11B championship game in 1988.
When Morrell left Bon Homme for rival Wagner, the change did not affect their friendship.
“It was weird, awkward,” Pudwill said of coaching against Morrell. “But everything was fine. There was no raging anomosity. Once the game was over, we were friends.”
Longtime Wagner principal Neil Goter said that Morrell’s impact in that school was almost immediate.
“He convinced kids to be winners, practically overnight. He convinced kids to believe in themselves and that they could do well,” he said. “It didn’t matter if it was adults, either. If he would speak, people would listen.”
Besides his success on the football sidelines, Morrell also had success as a track and field coach. His girls’ track team in Burke won the 1977 Class B state title, while his 1987 Bon Homme girls’ team finished second in Class A.
A big part of his success was how he handled his athletes, Pudwill said.
“Russ had a way that, if he got on a kid, two minutes later everything was fine,” he said. “You can’t teach that in a coaches’ class.”
That connection to others also came back around for him, something Morrell mentioned when he received the South Dakota High School Activities Association’s Distinguished Service Award in 2006.
“We broke an axle on the camper and a tire blew up on the inside of the camper and my stuff strung out on the highway. The tire that blew was on the road side of the highway, so I had (my wife) Sue step out, just make sure nobody runs me over as I got under there to see what’s going on,” Morrell said in a 2006 interview with the Press & Dakotan. “All of a sudden, another vehicle drives up and it stops there. This guy gets out, he said, ‘Coach Morrell, what do you need?’ It was a young man I coached who is now an engineer for the State of South Dakota He said, ‘Here, we’ll divert traffic around until we get this organized and help you out.’ He helped me put the axle back together so we could limp back to Tyndall.
“Here’s a guy that I coached a number of years back, didn’t know he was working at this end of the state, and he pulls along and helps me out. I figure he maybe thought that I helped him down the road many years prior to that, though. When you help kids out, they come back and help you, too.”
Morrell was inducted into the South Dakota Football Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame in 2008. He also was named the South Dakota High School Coaches Association Football Coach of the Year in 1977 and 1995, and its Region 7 Coach of the Year in 1988, 1993 and 2003.
He served as president of the South Dakota Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association in 1998 and was named Region 7 athletic director of the year in 1998-99.
While Morrell was never a wrestling coach, he became an advocate for the sport, helping set up wrestling tournaments.
“If you can get continuity, run the same organizational process all the time, whether it’s in Parker, Tyndall, Wagner, etc., things will go better,” Morrell said. “We were able to get the same group of people to be announcers, table workers. Everything ran smoothly because everyone knew what the other people were doing and what they needed to do.”
He also pushed for Sioux Falls to become part of the Class B state wrestling tournament rotation.
“Butch Bachman and I were at an AD’s meeting in Pierre. The Class ‘B’ Tournament was always at Aberdeen, always at Aberdeen. We said, ‘Why can’t we ever have it on this end of the state? We have a lot of good wrestling schools down here,’” Morrell said. “The response from the activities association was that they didn’t have anybody to run it down here. We said, ‘You bring it down here, we’ll run it.’”
Morrell and Bachman were co-directors when the “B” wrestling tournament moved to Sioux Falls in 2000. Morrell also helped run the tournament in 2002 and 2004, working with Dakota Valley’s Bill Clements after Bachman’s death in December 2003.
Besides coaching, teaching and fishing, Morrell was adept in his workshop as well.
“He was a craftsman, a furniture maker,” Goter said. “We have four, five pieces in our house that Russ made for us.”
No matter what recognition Morrell received, he would deflect credit.
“I’ve just had a tremendous amount of excellent assistant coaches that have supported the programs that I’ve been with,” Morrell said. “My family has also been there and put up with a lot of things. As I’ve gone off on these tournament forays and run tournament after tournament, somebody else is left holding the bag someplace else, to do the stuff at home.”
Though Pudwill succeeded Morrell at the helm of the Bon Homme football program and others have followed him in his other coaching and teaching positions, Morrell is someone who can never be truly replaced, according to Pudwill.
“I remember sitting in my classroom one day, and Russ was talking about giving up coaching. I told him that it would not be the same if he was not here. He looked at me and said, ‘If something were to happen to me tonight, tomorrow they’d have somebody in my classroom and coaching the team,’” Pudwill said.
“But no one is going to fully and completely replace him,” Pudwill added. “He’s one in a million.”
No announcement has been made regarding memorial services for Morrell.
*Yankton (South Dakota) Press & Dakotan ~ July 27, 2014
Jamestown, N.D., May 6 - M. J. Madden of Sioux City, Iowa, alleged whiskey runner, paid the supreme penalty when he was fatally wounded in battle with a posse of officers and farmers. His two companions who forsook him at a farm house when they saw he was dying found the odds to great in a 20-mile chase. Madden was shot when two of the trio held officers at bay while the three repaired the tire of the Cadillac, punctured by the sheriff's bullet.
Fate was against the fugitives. They stole a small car and wrecked it. Tried another at the next farmhouse only to find the car drained with no gasoline on the premises. At the next they got on their way in a Ford which stuck in the mud near Gackle, 20 miles southwest of Millarton, where the chase started. They fled to the hills but were captured.
*The Bemidji (Minnesota) Daily Pioneer ~ May 06, 1921
Hold Inquest Over Body of Booze Runner
Two Captured After Long Chase South of Jamestown
Jamestown, N.D, May 6- An inquest was to be held this afternoon by Coroner DePuy over the body of M. J. Madden, of Sioux City, Ia., whiskey runner, who was fatally wounded by officers south of the city yesterday.
Two officers alleged to have been with Madden were captured after a long chase, the Ford car which they stole from a farmer becoming stuck in a bog. The men took to the hills, but were rounded up. They gave their names as James Smith, 23, of Mitchell, S.D. and Ed Johnson, "home no where."
They may be taken to Bismarck by the officers.
Two armed men last night guarded the Cadillac car taken from the booze runners. Johnson maintained he was not one of the booze runners but happened to get with them when they and the officers had battle.
(The following was added to the Ward County Independent edition):
Madden lived at Scotland, S. D. where he has a wife and two children. Mrs. Madden arrived in Jamestown to claim the body of her husband.
The men were caught in the "little hills" near Gackle where mud stopped the progress of the car they had taken from the farm yard. Johnson disclaims any connection in the affair and said he was sleeping behind a rock pile when the whiskey runners came along and ambushed themselves behind the rocks. Johnson said he was walking along the country road and became warm so lay down behind the rock pile to take a nap. When he woke up he was looking into five or six guns, he said. Johnson at first said he was a former service man, but when closely questioned, admitted that he was not. He also gave Ed Duffy as his true name.
The younger man said his father, J. W. Smith, lived at Mitchell, S.D.
Madden after being shot by officers thru the groin, was left at the farm house where the Ford was stolen, dying there later. Madden was well known in Minot where he had made his headquarters for almost two years.
Duffy, alias Johnson, and Smith had their hearing yesterday and were both bound over to the district court. Duffy was placed under $4000 in bonds and Smith $1000.
*The Bismarck (North Dakota) Tribune ~ May 06, 1921
*The Ward County (Minot, North Dakota) Independent ~ May 12, 1921
4 Charges Made in Jamestown Whiskey Case
Jamestown, N.D., May 12 - Four charges have been lodged against James Smith and Edward Duffey, alias Ed Johnson, captured after the gun battle in which M. J. Madden of Scotland, S.D. was shot and killed near here. The defendants are charged with transporting liquor, assault with intent to kill, grand larceny, and resisting arrest.
*The Bismarck (North Dakota) Tribune ~ May 12, 1921
Citation Hearing Petition For Appointment of Administration
State of North Dakota, County of Burleigh ss. In County Court, Before Hon. I. C. Davies, Judge. In the matter of the Estate of M. J. Madden, deceased.
Julia Madden, Petitioner, vs. Katherine Roseland Madden, Theresia Marie Madden, Michael John Madden, Donald Andrew Madden, and Eileen Margaret Madden, Respondents.
The State of North Dakota to the Above Named Respondents and All Persons Interested in the Estate of M. J. Madden, Deceased:
You and each of you are hereby notified that Julia Madden, the petitioner herein, has filed in this Court, her petition, praying that letters of administration upon the estate of M. J. Madden, late of the city of Scotland, in the county of Bon Homme, and State of South Dakota, deceased, be granted to Julia Madden, and that the said petition will be heard and duly considered by this court on Wednesday, the 7th day of September, A.D. 1921, at 10 o'clock in the forenoon of that day, at the Court Rooms of this Court, in the County Court House, in the city of Bismarck, County of Burleigh, and State of North Dakota, and you, and each of you, are hereby cited to be and appear before this Court at said time and place, and answer said petition, and show cause, if any there be, why the prayer of said petition should not be granted.
Sealed by the Court:
I. C. Davies, Judge of the County Court
Dated the 27th day of July, A.D. 1921
*The Bismarck (North Dakota) Tribune ~ August 12, 1921
Jacob Allen Miller was born Wednesday, October 27, 2010 at Yankton, South Dakota to Chris and Stacy (Schlechter) Miller. He was baptized on February 13, 2011 at the United Church of Christ in Scotland. Jacob passed away on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls at the age of 4 months, 11 days.
Jacob was a blessing to his parents, Chris and Stacy Miller and his sister, Elizabeth Sue Miller, of Scotland; his paternal grandparents, Rocky and Tammy Miller of Scotland, his maternal grandparents, Dale and Doreen Schlechter of Scotland, and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. He was preceded in death by both his paternal and maternal great-grandparents.
Scotland Man Convicted of Second-Degree Murder In Infant Son’s Death
PARKER — A Scotland man has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his infant son and faces a mandatory life sentence in the state penitentiary.
Chris A. Miller, 39, was convicted Wednesday by a Turner County jury on the Class B felony. The verdict followed a week-long trial in Parker.
The jury also convicted Miller of aggravated assault, a Class 3 felony, punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment and a $30,000 fine.
Judge Glen Eng had granted a defense request for a change of venue from Bon Homme County, where the crime occurred.
The charges stemmed from a 911 call from the Miller residence in Scotland on March 3, 2011, where 4-month-old Jacob Miller was reported as not breathing. Hospital staff notified law enforcement that Jacob was diagnosed with a severe skull fracture and bleeding on the brain.
Attorney General Marty Jackley and Bon Homme County State’s Attorney Lisa Rothschadl announced the verdict late Wednesday night in a news release.
The case was investigated by the Division of Criminal Investigation, Bon Homme County State’s Office and the Scotland Police Department.
*Yankton (South Dakota) Press & Dakotan ~ January 31, 2013
Scotland Man Receives Life Sentence
TYNDALL — A Scotland man has received a mandatory life sentence for his second-degree murder conviction in the March 2011 death of his infant son.
Chris A. Miller, 39, received the sentence for the death of four-month-old Jacob Miller at their Scotland home. He also received a 50-year sentence on an aggravated assault conviction in connection with the case.
Circuit Judge Glen Eng issued the sentence Friday at the Bon Homme County courthouse in Tyndall.
Miller also received a 10-year sentence for a probation violation.
At Friday’s hearing, Eng ordered the sentences run consecutively. In addition, the judge ordered Miller to pay restitution of $22,794.33 related to the case, $1,971.46 for Jacob’s funeral expenses and all attorneys’ fees.
Miller was convicted on the murder and assault charges Jan. 30 by a Turner County jury after a week-long trial in Parker. Eng had granted the defense’s motion for a change of venue, moving the trial out of Bon Homme County.
*Yankton (South Dakota) Press & Dakotan ~ February 15, 2013
Scotland Murder Verdict Upheld
SCOTLAND -- The South Dakota Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction of a Scotland man in the 2011 death of his infant son.
Attorney General Marty Jackley announced Monday the state’s high court had unanimously upheld the second-degree murder conviction of Chris Allen Miller.
Miller received the mandatory life sentence for the murder of his 4-month-old son, Jacob, at their Scotland home. Miller who was 37 at the time of his son’s death, was also sentenced on an aggravated assault charge in the case.
“Miller inflicted severe physical abuse that led to his son’s death. While these tragic events cannot be undone, justice has been served and Miller will not harm another child,” Jackley said in a news release.
Miller argued the circuit court erred by denying his motion for judgment of acquittal, coercing a jury verdict and allowing the testimony of a jail house informant, Jackley said.
However, the Supreme Court rejected all of Miller’s arguments, Jackley said. The high court found sufficient evidence to sustain the jury’s verdict based on numerous physicians who testified that Jacob’s injuries were non-accidental in nature and a result from shaking and blows, the attorney general said.
The murder and assault charges stemmed from a 911 call from the Miller residence in Scotland on March 3, 2011, where Jacob Miller was reported not breathing. Hospital staff notified law enforcement that Jacob was diagnosed with a severe skull fracture and bleeding on the brain.
The infant’s death occurred in Bon Homme County, but the trial was moved to Turner County on a change of venue. A Parker jury convicted Miller in January 2013 on the second-degree murder charge.
Prosecutors alleged that Miller abused his son and that the Scotland man beat and shook the child, which caused the infant’s death. The prosecutors said the boy’s injuries at the time of his death were not of an accidental nature.
The defense attorneys alleged that Miller’s wife, Stacy, rolled onto Jacob when she was drunk and accidentally suffocated the child. The defense also alleged that Stacy could have dropped the child, or resuscitation efforts could have caused the infant’s brain to swell.
Circuit Judge Glen Eng presided over the trial and sentencing. In addition to the life sentence for second-degree murder, Miller received 50 years for aggravated assault and 10 years for probation violation, with all sentences ordered to run consecutively.
In addition, the judge ordered Miller to pay restitution of $22,794.33 for costs related to the case, $1,971.46 for Jacob’s funeral expenses and all attorneys’ fees.
Miller admitted to habitual offender status because of previous convictions, which elevated the aggravated assault from a Class 2 felony to a Class 1 felony.
Eng issued the sentence at the Bon Homme County Courthouse in Tyndall. The trial and sentencing ended two years of investigations and court proceedings.
At his sentencing, Miller remained adamant in maintaining his innocence, denying he caused his son’s death.
This case was investigated by the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Bon Homme County sheriff’s office and the Scotland police department.
The entire South Dakota Supreme Court decision on the Miller case can be read online under the “court opinions” section at www.ujs.sd.gov.
*Yankton (South Dakota) Press & Dakotan ~ July 29, 2014
Lisa Marie McNinch, 18, Armour, died Sunday (Dec. 22, 2002) in a car accident, near Tripp.
Funeral services are 11 a.m. Thursday at the Armour High School Gym. Burial is in the Pioneer Cemetery, Avon. Visitation is from 10-11 a.m. Thursday at the gym. Clements-Wiese Funeral Home, Armour, is in charge of arrangements.
She was born Jan. 31, 1984, in Bismarck, N.D., to Eugene and Dorothy (Wynia) McNinch. She moved to Armour in October 1988, and graduated from Armour High School in May 2002.
She enjoyed high school sports, was a cheerleader, in the marching band flag corps, swing choir and T.A.T.U. She was a member of the Redeemer Lutheran Church and youth group.
She is survived by her mother and step-father, Dorothy and Van Spease, Armour; father and step-mother, Eugene and Karen NcNinch, Minneapolis; seven brothers and sisters: Jason, Jeremy, Scott, Christian, Britney, Cordell and Mato, all of Armour; one step-brother, Tom (Amber) McNinch, California; and grandparents: Dean and Liese Wynia, Dante; Walter and Linda Spease, Armour; Marge McNinch, Florida; and Margaret McNinch, New York.
Sheriff Kelley succeeded in locating the parents of the strange and insane man who committed suicide by hanging himself in the Bon Homme county jail at Tyndall. The name of F. J. McFarland, sewed in his coat pocket, proved to be his true name and his home was Akron, Ohio, where the remains were shipped as soon as his identity was discovered.
*Dakota Farmers' Leader (Canton, South Dakota) ~ August 18, 1911
Funeral services for Emanuel Mueller, 84, will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Zion Lutheran Church with the Rev. Glen Isernhagen officiating. Burial will be in Rqsehill Cemetery with the Schmidt Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Mueller was born March 13, 1886 at Parkston to Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Mueller and died May 24, 1970 at the Good Samaritan Home here. On Aug. 14, 1910 he married Margaret Hirsch at Tripp and they homesteaded at Rame, N. D., returning to Tripp in 1911. He opened the Scotland Blacksmith Shop in 1936.
Survivors include two sons, Roland, Scotland, and Bernard, Los Angeles; four grandchildren; eight great grandchildren; six brothers, Emil, Covina, Calif.; Rudolph, Los Angeles; Herbert, Sacramento; Ernest, Waverly, Iowa; Edwin, Yakima, Wash., and Garhard, Spokane, Wash., and one sister, Mrs. Sanford Tilley, Mitchell.
He was preceded in death by his wife in 1969 and a son.
Bernadine Matuska, age 93, of Tabor, passed away early Thursday, May 29, 2014, at the Good Samaritan Society, Tyndall, SD.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014 at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, Tabor, with Rev. Steven Jones officiating. Burial will be in the parish cemetery. Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. at the Opsahl-Kostel Memorial Chapel, Tabor, with a Scripture service followed by a rosary at 7:00 p.m. Pallbearers will be Bernadine’s great grandchildren.
Bernadine was born April 11, 1921 in Tyndall, SD to Peter Sr. and Josephine (Pobuda) Becvar. She was baptized at St. Leo Catholic Church, Tyndall. Bernadine was a 1939 graduate of Tyndall High School. She married Willard Matuska September 10, 1940. They lived most of their lives on a farm near Tabor. She was known for her poultry raising especially ducks and geese which she sold throughout the Tabor area. She was also active with the Beseda Hall, Catholic Sokol Social Club, the Altar Rosary Society, and an active participant in Tabor Czech plays.
Bernadine’s memory is cherished by one daughter, Connie Miller of Newell, SD; one son, Ron (Jeanette) of Comstock, WI; one brother, Joe of Tyndall, SD; one sister, Anetta of Tyndall, SD; three grandchildren: Todd (Jennifer) Matuska of Ham Lake, MN, Brad (Nicole) Matuska of Cold Spring, MN, and Melanie (Todd) Williamson of Newell, SD; 10 great grandchildren: Tyler, Megan, Tera Jean, Mandee Sue, and Tia Faye all of Newell, SD, Jack, Will, and Charlie all of Cold Spring, MN, and Mitchell and Sidney of Ham Lake, MN.
She was preceded in death by her husband and two brothers, Peter and Wesley.
Funeral mass for Melvin Matuska, 74, of St. David, Arizona, will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, May 16 at St. Leo Catholic Church in Tyndall. Inurnment will follow at St. Leo Cemetery. Visitation will be held on May 16, from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. at St. Leo Catholic Church. Melvin died on Wednesday, December 25, 2013 at St. David, Arizona.
Melvin “Mel” A. Matuska, 74, of St. David, Ariz. died December 25, 2013. He had been a resident of St. David for the last four years after moving from Omaha, Nebraska.
Melvin was born May 18, 1939 in Tyndall, South Dakota to Alfred and Emma (Nehonsky) Matuska. Mel graduated from Tyndall High School in 1957 and joined the U.S. Marine Corps. Upon being discharged from the Corps, he was employed by Omaha Bedding Company, a bedding manufacturing company where he worked for the next 43 years, retiring as a plant manager in May 2002.
He is survived by his life partner, Betty Wagner; one brother, Leonard (Betty) Matuska; one daughter, Sheila Matuska; one son, Bernard Matuska; five grandsons; four great-grandchildren; six nieces; four nephews and one brother-in-law, Clyde Gill. Mel’s extended family includes, Paul Wagner, Jim and Mary Vincent; Jimmy and Jessica Vincent and Michael Wagner.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one sister, Dorothy Gill; one daughter, Shelly Matuska and an infant son, James.
William Edward Matuska passed away Monday, August 4, 2008 at age 90 in Stockton, CA. A native of South Dakota, Mr. Matuska was born on January 16, 1918. He was a WWII Veteran, serving in the Army Corps of Engineers. He was a member of the Operating Engineers and retired from Granite Construction, (formerly S.M. McGaw Construction). William was an avid sports fan and especially enjoyed supporting local high school and college sports programs. He was the beloved husband of the late Harriet Matuska. Devoted father of Jeffery Matuska (Karen) and Larry Matuska (Sharlene). Loving grandfather of Jeff, Ryan and Christy Matuska, Danica Casey and great grandfather of 7. He was also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
Elmer George Matuska, 80, of Stockton died Saturday (30 Sep 2000) in a hospital. Mr. Matuska was born in Tyndall, S.D. He lived in Stockton for 58 years. Mr. Matuska retired after 25 years as a self-employed general contractor. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He was a member of Karl Ross Post 16, Amblers Club and Stockton Rod Gun Club.
Survivors: wife, Bonnie Matuska of Stockton; children, Richard Matuska, Mike Matuska and Julie Matuska, all of Stockton, James Matuska of Gainesville, Ga., and Sandra Weber of Las Vegas; siblings, Emma Mathews, Bill Matuska and Frank Matuska, all of Stockton; 12 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
Services: private. Visitation: noon to 7 p.m. today, DeYoung Shoreline Chapel, 7676 Shoreline Drive. Committal: private. Memorials: American Lung Association of California Valley Lode Branches, 1231 Robinhood Drive, Suite A-1, Stockton, CA 95207.
Larry L. Monfore, 63, Vermillion, died Wednesday (Jan. 8, 2003) at the Sioux Valley Hospital, Sioux Falls.
Funeral service is 2 p.m. Saturday at the United Church of Christ, Vermillion. Burial is in the Springfield Cemetery. Visitation is from 3-5 p.m. Friday with a 5 p.m. prayer service at the church. The Hansen Funeral Home, Vermillion, is in charge of arrangements.
He was born May 8, 1939, in an Eskimo village in Tununak, Alaska, to Clarence and Nina (Thompson) Monfore. He graduated from Yankton High School and earned a bachelor's degree from Southern State Teachers College, Springfield in 1961. He received his master's degree in 1966 and a second master's in 1972 from the University of South Dakota, Vermillion. He married Mary Lou Dummer Aug. 23, 1964, at Gregory. He began his teaching career in 1962, and retired in 2002 as a science teacher at the Vermillion Middle School. Over his 40 year teaching career he taught science, industrial arts, mathematics and aviation.
He received his private pilot's license at age 18, and owned an airplane before he owned a car. He also had a commercial pilot's license, and an instructor rating, as well as an instrument instructor rating. He taught many people to fly. He was a part-time city building inspector for the City of Vermillion for 15 years, and also operated his own business: Home Inspection and Improvement. He had also worked for the Smithsonian Institute for a short period of time.
He was a past member of the Vermillion Jaycees and voted Outstanding Young Educator in 1969 and 1970. He was a member of the UCC in Vermillion and Spirit Mount co-founder and president of Spirit Mound Trust. He had worked hard over the past 20 years to preserve and protect Spirit Mound.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Lou, Vermillion; one son, Monte Ray, Kansas City, Kan.; a daughter, Lynn M. (Adam) Graham, Bozeman, Mont.; one brother, Ray G. Monfore, Eagle River, Alaska; and one sister, Sheryl Elliott, Maple Grove, Minn.
Memorials may be directed to the Spirit Mound Trust.
Margaret “Peggy” Mann, age 84, of Marion, OH and formerly of Yankton, SD passed away Sunday, April 13, 2014 at the Marion General Hospital, Marion, OH.
Funeral services will be 2:00 p.m. Friday, April 18, 2014 at the Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Chapel, Yankton, with Rev. Molly Carlson officiating. Burial will be in the Garden of Memories, Yankton, SD. Visitations will begin at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, April 17, 2014 at the Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home & Crematory, Yankton, with the family present at 7:00 p.m. Visitations will resume one hour to the service at the funeral home.
Margaret (Peggy) Mann was born in Tyndall SD Nov 1, 1929 to Martha (Plumb) and Merle Leyden. She graduated from Tyndall High School in 1946 then married her high school sweetheart Emil Bame in 1947. Peggy and Emil had three children Marsha (Bame) Schaefer, Camp Verde AZ; Gary Bame (deceased) and Greg Bame, Marion OH. Peggy had 6 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Peggy was widowed in 1972 with the loss of her husband Emil and remarried in 1989 to Leland (Buzz) Mann and became step-mother to Kris (Mann) Lawler and Michael Mann. She was also preceded in death by her sister Muriel and one brother James.
Peggy enjoyed a busy life working and retiring from Yankton Public School business office and part-time jobs with Gurney’s Seed and JC Penney and enjoyed bowling and gardening. Peggy and Buzz lived in New Braunfels TX before returning to Yankton where they were very busy in various civic and church organizations. Buzz passed in 2011 and Peggy moved to Marion OH with her youngest son Greg and his wife Annette until her passing. While in Marion Peggy lived at Primrose assisted living center.
Funeral mass for Gordon “Gordie” McCann, 88, of Tyndall will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 16 at St. Leo Catholic Church in Tyndall, SD with Fr. Joe Forcelle as celebrant. Honorary casketbearers will be Drew Duncan, Holly McCann, Julianne Wipf, Sam Kelley, Jeni Holtquist, Ron Kreber, and Rick Kreber. Active casketbearers will be Jim McCann, Joe McCann, Tricia Amen, Melissa Reynolds, Andra Fullerton, and Grant McCann. Burial will follow in St. Leo Catholic Cemetery, Tyndall with military graveside rites provided by Pike-Wagner American Legion Post #2, Simek-Ptak VFW Post #6895, and the South Dakota Army National Guard Military Funeral Honor Guard. Visitation will be held at St. Leo on Tuesday, April 15, from 3:00 p.m. until a 6:00 p.m. rosary and a 7:00 p.m. wake service. Gordie died on Sunday, April 13, 2014 at the Good Samaritan Society of Tyndall, South Dakota.
Gordon “Gordie” Charles McCann was born on Sunday, November 15, 1925 to Roy and Tillie (Dahlhoff) McCann on the family farm where he lived his entire life in rural Tyndall, South Dakota. He attended country school and graduated Tyndall High School in 1943. After graduation, Gordie enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in WWII Pacific Theater as a Storekeeper 2nd Class Petty Officer. Following the war, he returned home and took care of the family farm. On September 24, 1945, Gordie was united in marriage to Lenora “Lornie” Lang and four children were born to this union.
Gordie was very proud of his military service and was a lifelong member of the American Legion and V.F.W. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus and served two terms as Grand Knight. Gordie enjoyed bowling, playing cards, traveling, and was an avid fan of the Minnesota Twins.
Gordie died on Sunday, April 13, 2014 at the Good Samaritan Society of Tyndall having attained the age of 88 years, 4 months, and 29 days.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Lornie McCann of Tyndall; son, Greg (Diana) McCann of Tabor; daughters: Marie (Dennis) Duncan of Parker, Jan (Bruce) Holtquist of Waterford, Michigan, and Kris (Clark) Kelley of Sioux Falls; grandchildren: Grant and Holly McCann, Tricia Amen, Drew Duncan, Leilani Stewart, Melissa Reynolds, Jeni Holtquist, Andra Fullerton, Julianne Wipf, and Sam Kelley; and thirteen great-grandchildren.
Marvin (Bruce) Meyer, age 82, passed away Saturday, March 22, 2014 at Alegent Health Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Mass of Christian Burial will be on Thursday, March 27, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, Tabor with Rev. Steven Jones officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery with military graveside rites by the Kortan-Hatwan American Legion Post #183, Tabor. Visitations will be from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at the Opsahl-Kostel Memorial Chapel, Tabor with a 7 p.m. Wake service. Visitations will resume one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Luncheon will follow at the American Legion Hall in Tabor.
Bruce was born February 17, 1932 to Marvin (Pat) Meyer and Edna (Hanson) Meyer of Talmage, Nebraska. Bruce graduated from Talmage High School in 1950 and enlisted in the army that same year. He served six years in the Korean War as a paratrooper medic and was honorably discharged in 1958. After serving his country, he started work for Kelly Construction out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It was during this time he met the love of his life, Fern Sternhagen, and they were united in marriage on May 31, 1973. Bruce worked various jobs until settling with Airlite Plastics from where he retired in 1998 after 20 years of service. Bruce loved his family and was everyone’s favorite uncle. He loved watching football and was a die-hard Nebraska Cornhusker fan. Bruce could make friends anywhere and loved visiting with anyone.
He is survived by his wife, Fern of Council Bluffs, IA, sisters, Donna Kastens of Syracuse, NE and Anita Peterson of Syracuse, IN, many nieces, nephews, sister-in-law, Agnes Kerr of Denver, CO; brothers-in-law, Jim (Jane) Sternhagen of Yankton, SD and Alvin (Ruth) Sternhagen of Tabor, SD.
Bruce was preceded in death by his parents, and two brothers, Dennis and Gene Meyer.
Funeral services for Ivan McCollum, 68, of Springfield, were held Tuesday at the Congregational Church with Rev. Calvin Hay officiating. Burial was in Springfield Cemetery with Military and Mason and graveside rites. Mr. McCollum was born August 9, 1896 in Springfield and has been a lifelong resident here. He died at the Merritt Jane Nursing Home August 6, 1964. His wife preceded him in death. Surviving are 2 sons, James of California and Robert, who returned from France where he had been stationed in the armed services for 2 years; 2 daughters, Mrs. Charlene Dempster, Banyon Bay, S.C.; and Mrs. Kathleen Jensen of White Lake. He also leaves several grandchildren and 4 brothers, Amer of Tyndall; Clifford of Sioux City, Iowa; Lawrence of Hot Springs; and Maurice of Salem, Oregon; 3 sisters, Mrs. Charles Brownie of Beresford; Mrs. Earl Rose, Dallas, Oregon; and Mrs. George Havann of Forest Grove, Ore.
Funeral services were held Thursday, October 30th at the Springfield Congregational Church for Mrs. William McCollum. Rev. Walkerd, Elk Point, South Dakota, officiated in the absence of Rev. Trickey. Pallbearers were Sam Henderson, Bryson Fonfor, Perry Coleman, Norman Kibble, Lyle Irish, and Harley Ketchum. Burial was in Springfield Cemetery.
Amanda Christine McCollum, daughter of Nels and Cecelia Johnson, was born March 12, 1906 in Springfield, South Dakota. She passed away in St. Michael's Hospital in Tyndall Sunday October 26th, 1958 the age of 52 years, 7 months and 14 days. She grew up and has lived all her in the Springfield community. As a young girl, she was confirmed into the Episcopal Church. In 1923 she was united in marriage to William I. McCollum. Four children were born to this union.
Preceding her in death were her parents and one brother, Alfred Johnson. She leaves to mourn her loss, her husband; the children, James McCollum, Mpls, Minn.; Charlene, Mrs. Don Dempster, Cherry Point, N.C.; Kathleen, Mrs. Walter Janson, Elk Point, S.D.; Robert McCollum, US Air Force in Harrington, Texas; 13 grandchildren; sisters, Marie, Mrs. John Johnson, Mountain Home, Arkansas; Irene, Mrs. Ray Freidel, Utica, S.D.; Cecelia, Mrs. William Hennies, Springfield; Alyce, Mrs. Frank Miner, L..A.., Cal.; and Charlotta, Mrs. James McCollum, Salem, Oregon.
Marcy J. Marek, age 89 of Yankton, SD passed away at her residence Monday, March 3, 2014. No formal services will be held, she has donated her body to USD for medical research. Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home and Crematory is in care of the arrangements.
Marcy was born June 25, 1924 in Tabor, SD to Frank and Clara (Kudrna) Novak. She married Arthur Marek on September 24, 1958 in Slayton, MN. Marcy was in the United States Air Force for ten years. She moved to Salem OR in 1959, then later to Gresham, OR where she worked at Fancher Auto parts as an inventory controller for three years. She moved back to Yankton, SD in 1976, she worked at K-Mart for three years before retiring. She loved to work crossword puzzles, read, crochet and sew. She enjoyed her family and friends.
She is survived by her daughter, Julie (Les) Kirchner of Yankton, SD; step-son, Leslie (Mary) Marek of Yankton, SD; step daughter, Iris Brown of St. Charles, MO; 7 grandchildren; 9 great grandchildren and sister-in-law, Kay Novak of Denver, CO.
She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, and two brothers.
Neil (Mick) McLane, 78, Akron, Iowa died Thursday October 25, 1990 at Sioux Valley Hospital, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Mick was born January 5, 1912, to Paul and Iva (Reed) McLane in Avon, S.D. He attended Avon grade school and graduated from high school in 1930. He attended the University of South Dakota he was a quarterback on the Coyote football team and was also on the wrestling team. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He met and married Peggy Vindahl of Hudson, S.D., also a student at the University of South Dakota. After graduating, Mick and Peggy moved to Minneapolis, Minn. And Mick worked for the Buttercrust Bakery Company.
In 1935 they moved from Minneapolis to Avon where he owned and operated the McLane Meat Market. He sold the meat market to his brother C.N. (Stub) McLane and moved to Akron, Iowa.
When the United States entered World War II, he was called to active duty as an R.O.T.C Second Lieutenant in the Fourth Division of the United States Army. He went in on D-Day, at Normandy, going through Paris, France and on into Belgium. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge going on into Germany, and was credited along with his troops of capturing 55 German prisoners. While serving in the army he received four Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart.
After the war he returned to Akron and operated the McLane Grocery Store. Later he entered the teaching profession. He taught history and science and coached football, boys' basketball, and track and had many successful seasons at Gayville and Meckling, S.D. He taught junior high science in Elk Point, S.D. for 18 years, and retired from teaching in 1977.
He was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, the American Legion and served as Commander of Hoschler Post. He was a member of the V.F.W., Scoon Skinners, Lions Club and was a lifetime member of the Akron Golf Club.
Survivors include his wife, Peggy: two sons, Neil Gordon Jr., Denver, and Michael Harper, Dallas; five daughters Oralee Kasa, Huron, Patricia Olson, Minneapolis, Mary Plender, Oklahoma City, Norma Haan, Sioux Falls, Linda Burris, Ruthven, Iowa; 17 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren; a brother, C.N. McLane, Rapid City; four sisters, Lyle Wagner and Zola Dvoracheck, both of Rapid City, Zella Ackermann, Phoenix, Muriel Hollister, Seattle; a cousin Sylvia Whitmeir, Spearfish; and several nieces and nephews and other cousins.
Preceding him in death were his parents Paul and Iva McLane; a brother Ted McLane; and a grandson, Danny Olson.
H. Wendell McNeely, age 84, of Yankton, SD passed away very unexpectedly while visiting his son in San Diego, CA on February 19, 2014.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, February 28, 2014 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Yankton, SD with Rev. Mark Lichter officiating. Burial will be in the Sacred Heart Cemetery, Yankton, SD with Military Graveside Rites by the Ernest-Bowyer VFW Post #791 Honor Guard and the SDARNG Honor Guard. Visitations will begin at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, at the Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home & Crematory, Yankton, SD with a rosary at 7:00 p.m. followed by a video tribute and then Scripture service at 7:30 p.m. Visitations will resume one hour prior to the service at the church.
Wendell McNeely was born on a farm south of Avon, SD on November 11th, 1929, to Hugh and Gloria (Ward) McNeely. He grew up in Springfield, SD, helping his family in the family bus business. He also drove a bus for various bus companies through the years. Wendell attended Springfield Elementary, Springfield High School, and received a BS Degree from Southern State College and a Master's Degree from the University of South Dakota. He served his country in the Korean War and then began his career in Education. He worked as a teacher, principal, and superintendent for forty years at Redfield, Pickstown, Parkston, Yankton, Lake Norden, Hazel, and Lemmon. Wendell married Loraine Heisinger at Parkston on June 4th, 1955. He was a member of Sacred Heart Church, Knights of Columbus, VFW, American Legion, Retired Teachers, Yankton Forum, Elks, Senior Citizens Center, Hickory Stick Association, and was a life member of SDEA. He was a Team volunteer for Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, an usher at Sacred Heart Church, a Shiine volunteer, and he taught 55 Alive Safe Driving courses. Wendell was an avid reader and enjoyed playing bridge in numerous bridge clubs and at the Senior Center. He especially enjoyed his morning coffee group at Hy-Vee and the visiting sessions with his many friends in the evening.
He leaves his wife, Loraine, and five sons: Dr. Kevin (Nancy) of Poway, CA, Kurtes of Alameda, CA, Kraig (Scarlett) of Yankton, SD, Kory (Brenda) of Pittsburg, CA, and Kelly of San Jose, CA; nine grandchildren: Steven, Jacob, Shawn, Sheryl, Sheline, Tara, Arron, Samuel McNeely, and Shanice Smith; five great grandchildren: Matthew and Daniel McNeely, Jamisen and Genevie Vollin, and Cole Smith. He also leaves two brothers, Arlon (Marilyn) McNeely of Springfield, SD, and Don (Mary) McNeely of Tabor, SD; one sister, Jean Becker of Sioux Falls, SD; one sister-in-law, Ethel Gramm of Mitchell, SD; forty nieces and nephews, and many cousins and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, two infant brothers, an infant sister, four brothers-in-law: Waldo Becker, Merlin Gramm, Herman Schmidt, and Ed Heisinger, and sisters-in-law, Margaret Heisinger and Alice Schmidt.
Memorials are directed to Sacred Heart School, 509 Capitol Street, Yankton, SD 57078, Attention: Foundation Office.
Ruben & Elaine Mattis
Elaine Mattis, 80, of Avon died Monday, February 5, 2007, at the Good Samaritan Center in Wagner, SD. Funeral services will be 1 p.m. Thursday, February 8, 2007, at the Danzig Baptist Church, rural Avon. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will be Wednesday from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. and Thursday from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. at the Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Chapel in Avon.
Elaine D. Mattis was born November 3, 1926, at Tripp, South Dakota, the daughter of William and Elta (Guthmiller) Hille. Elaine attained the age of 80 years, three months and two days.
Elaine graduated from Tripp High School. She married Ruben Mattis at Tripp, SD on September 13, 1946. Together they farmed north of Avon. After the fire at their home, they moved into Avon. Ruben died April 1, 2005. Elaine entered the Wagner Good Samaritan Center in March of 2005.
Elaine was a member of the Danzig Baptist Church and the Ladies Aid. She also was a member of the Red Hat Society.
Elaine will be remembered for her love for her grandkids, reading and watching game shows.
Thankful for having shared her life are her son, Jim and wife Lila Mattis of Wagner; three grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; sister, Phyllis Krebs and husband Marvin of Chamberlain, SD; sister-in-law, Faye and husband (Herman) Kaul of Tyndall, SD; and step-brother, Jack Sayler of Tripp.
Elaine was preceded in death by her husband, Ruben, and her parents.
Jerry & Vlasta Miller
Funeral services for Gerald “Jerry” Miller, of Tyndall will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February 19 at United Methodist Church in Tyndall with Rev. Duane Coates officiating. Interment will follow in Czech National Cemetery, rural Tyndall, with full Military Graveside Rites by Pike-Wagner American Legion Post #2, Simek-Ptak VFW Post #6895 and the South Dakota Army National Guard Military Funeral Honor Guard. Active casketbearers are Bradley Miller, Mike Miller, Edward Miller, Denny Miller, Dave Callies, and Mark Mengenhauser. Visitation will be held on Tuesday from 3:00 p.m. until a 7:00 p.m. prayer service at the Goglin Funeral Home in Tyndall. Arrangements are being handled by Goglin Funeral Home of Tyndall.
Gerald “Jerry” Miller was born on Tuesday, May 31, 1927 in Canova, South Dakota to Vernon and Velva (Bunce) Miller. He attended Canova High School through the 11th grade. From 1946 to 1947, Jerry served in the U.S. Army infantry. For a short time following his service, Jerry farmed in the Canova area. He later began working for Loonan Lumber, Co. and was transferred to the Fullerton lumberyard in Tyndall in 1953. On August 6, 1960 at the United Methodist Church in Tyndall, Jerry was united in marriage to Vlasta “Lassie” (Ruman) Henderson. In 1975, Jerry retired from the lumberyard, yet kept himself busy by helping many people with his carpentry skills and playing several games of Pinochle with friends and family. He also loved to bowl and golf, so much so that he worked at the Bon Homme Country Club for two years in his retirement. Jerry was proud to be Czech and was a member of the Czech Heritage Society.
Jerry died on Saturday, February 15, 2014 at St. Michael Hospital in Tyndall having attained the age of 86 years, 8 months, and 14 days.
He is survived by four brothers: Robert Miller of Rapid City, SD, Duane Miller of Canova, Harold (Anita) Miller of Lake Andes, and Ronald (Joann) Miller of Canova; step-son, Roger (Marci) Henderson of Bloomington, MN; grandchildren, Jodi (Dustin) Lotz of FL and Sean Henderson of MN; great-grandchild, Zachary Lotz of FL; brothers-in-law, Lumir (Marcy) Ruman of Tyndall and Alois Ruman, Jr. of Tabor; sister-in-law, Esther Rumen of Marquette, MI; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife Vlasta “Lassie” in 2012, his parents Vernon and Velva, sisters Glenda and Beverly, and in-laws: Ed, Bob, Irene, Marie, and Marcella.
A. J. McKay, aged 35 years, a farmer of Scotland. South Dakota, died at 2:30 o'clock, yesterday afternoon, upon the steps of St. Joseph's hospital, just after alighting from a carriage in which he had ridden from his apartments in this city to the hospital. Deceased had been here but three weeks and was a sufferer from the dread white plague, but had not been afflicted very long and was still in fairly good health, considering the disease. As no autopsy was made the exact cause of his sudden death was not learned. The remains will be shipped to his former home in Scotland, S.D., accompanied by a friend, Henry Youngman, who came here with the deceased, and has been his constant attendant, during his illness.
*Albuquerque (New Mexico) Evening Citizen ~ April 07, 1906
Carol Lea Monfore, 73, of Hawaii, formerly of Waldport, Oregon, died Feb. 4, 2007, at the Maurice J. Sullivan Center in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, following a battle with cancer.
She was born Oct. 29, 1933, in Yankton, S.D., the only child of Bessie and Lawrence Muller.
She was raised in Springfield, S.D. where her father was a farmer. She attended elementary school in the one room county schoolhouse where her mother taught as a schoolteacher for Bon Homme County. She later attended Springfield High School where she participated in various social and academic activities, graduating in 1951.
She attended the Sacred Heart School of Nursing in Yankton, S.D., and received a degree in nursing in 1953.
During high school, she met and began dating Thomas E. Monfore. They were married in 1954 and moved to Madison, Wis., where he attended medical school while she worked as a nurse. The following year they welcomed their first child, Kimberly.
In 1958, Carol gave birth to their second daughter, Terrie. In 1959, the family moved to Fresno, Calif., where Tom took on a surgical residency, and Carol continued to work as a nurse at Fresno General Hospital.
In 1961, she gave birth to their third child, Montgomery, a son.
In 1962, the family spent a year in Tacoma, Wash., where Tom served on active duty with the U.S. Army at Madigan General Hospital during the Berlin Crisis.
In 1963, they returned to Fresno and Carol gave birth to their fourth child, Dana, a daughter.
In 1964, Carol and her family moved to Hanford, Calif., which became her home of nearly 40 years.
In addition to being a nurse, she was a homemaker and was active in the community and the activities of her children.
In the late 1970s, she became a single mother and returned to the field of nursing after a 25 year hiatus. She worked in a physician's office and for an insurance company before finding her place in home health nursing, which she did until her retirement.
She settled in Waldport in 2003 to be near her daughter and son-in-law, Dana and Paul. In 2005, she visited family and friends in South Dakota, and in 2006 moved to Hawaii to be near her daughters Kimberly and Terrie.
She occasionally attended the First Presbyterian Church in Newport.
She journeyed to Japan and Europe, took several cruises, and traveled throughout the United States to visit friends and her daughters in Hawaii and Oregon.
She enjoyed storytelling and watching professional football and basketball, and participated in water walking at the Newport swimming pool.
She loved her pets, including her dog Piper.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and a grandson, Rowan Monfore Lucas, in 2005.
Survivors include daughters and son-in-law, Kimberly A. Monfore of Kona, Hawaii, Terrie L. Monfore of Pahoa, Hawaii, and Dana M. and Paul F. Lucas of Waldport; a son, Montgomery T. Monfore of Legian, Bali, Indonesia; and several brothers and sisters-in-law, cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A private memorial service is planned. Disposition is by cremation. The family suggests memorial contributions to the American Cancer Society, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, or any non-kill animal shelter or rescue organization.
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Carol Lea Monfore, beloved mother, neighbor, friend, and nurse, passed away at St. Francis Hospice, Ewa Beach, Hawaii on February 4, 2007. She was 73.
Born Carol Lea Muller, October 29, 1933, in Yankton, South Dakota, she was the only child of the late Laurence Patrick and Bessie Verda Muller. Carol received her elementary education in Bon Homme County, in a one-room country school, and graduated from Springfield High School in 1951. In 1953, she received a degree in nursing from the Mount Marty Sacred Heart School of Nursing, Yankton, SD. In 1954, she married Thomas Monfore and moved to Madison, Wisconsin.
As a devoted wife, mother and homemaker, Carol and her family resided in Hanford, California, for nearly 40 years. She enjoyed her children's numerous activities and sporting events, and developed many life-long friendships in the community. Later in life, Carol resumed her nursing career and retired from home health nursing in 1997.
Carol will be remembered as a beautiful woman with a terrific sense of humor and as a committed humanitarian who gave of herself unselfishly. She was a fan of many sports and had a keen love for animals, especially dogs and cats.
She is survived by her children, Kimberly A. Monfore of Kona, Hawaii; Terrie L. Monfore of Pahoa, Hawaii; Montgomery T. Monfore of Bali, Indonesia; Dana M. Lucas and son-in-law Paul F. Lucas of Waldport, Oregon; and special family friend, Ingrid Gribble and her daughter, Reese S. Gregory, of Shell Beach, California; as well as several cousins, nieces, and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Laurence and Bessie Muller, and by her grandson, Rowan Montfort Lucas.
Carol requested cremation.
In lieu of flowers, she requested donations be sent to: The American Cancer Society, The Susan G. Komen Foundation, and/or your local animal shelter.
Funeral services for Helmuth Magstadt will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 25, 2006 at United Church of Christ, Scotland, South Dakota. Clergy is Pastor Del Neumeister. Organist is Shirley Orth, soloist is Brandi Magstadt accompanied by Robyn Magstadt. Casketbearers will be Dennis Magstadt, Todd Magstadt, Darrell Magstadt, Merlyn Stillman, David Bartel and Jim Maroon. Interment is in Gracehill Cemetery, Tripp, South Dakota.
Helmuth Arthur Magstadt was born June 10, 1906 at rural Tripp, South Dakota to Frederich and Lydia (Baltzer) Magstadt. When Helmuth was 8 years old, he was accidentally shot in the back and was taken first to Tripp by buggy, then to Yankton on the train. The doctors decided not to remove the bullet, and Helmuth's x-rays surprised more than one doctor over the course of his lifetime. Helmuth was united in marriage to Olga Marie Bartel on February 27, 1935 at Parkston, South Dakota. They farmed 4 1/2 miles north of Kaylor for many years. He enjoyed working with animals, and raised purebred Hampshire hogs. Helmuth was a friend to many and loved being with people — often helping his neighbors with veterinary work, cutting hair for family or friends, or enjoying a game of pinochle. He moved into the Westwinds Apartments in 1999 and became a resident of the Scotland Good Samaritan Center in July of 2004. Helmuth was glad to have been alive to see the new millennium and remarked that he would like to "stick around" for another 100 years to see how things would be in the 22nd century. Helmuth passed away on Thursday, March 23, 2006 at Landmann-Jungman Memorial Hospital in Scotland at the age of 99 years.
Grateful to have shared Helmuth's life are his son, Roger Magstadt and wife, Elaine of South Sioux City, Nebraska; two grandsons: Reed Magstadt and wife, Jean of Lincoln, Nebraska and Kurt Magstadt and wife, Lori of Columbus, Nebraska; three great-grandchildren: Kayla, Ben and Troy Magstadt; one brother, Elder Magstadt of Scotland; and one sister-in-law, Elsie Magstadt of Scotland. He was truly loved by his nieces, nephews, friends and neighbors.
Helmuth was preceded in death by his wife, Olga on January 22, 1999, parents Fred and Lydia, brothers Otto, Oscar, Ben, Rheiny, Roy and Alvin and sisters Ida Lagge and Esther Isaak.
Don Memmer passed away peacefully in Enloe Hospital. He was born in Avon, S.D. His parents were Lawrence and Laura Memmer. Don lived in Southern California before moving to Paradise in 1968. Don served in the U. S. Navy during WWII. He worked at the Paradise Post Office and was the original owner of Joy Lyn's Candies.
Don is survived by his wife of 45 years Joan, his daughters Martha Lyn Clements, Linda Joy Salcido, Donna Marie Memmer, his sister Iva Larson and nephews and nieces. He has nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Don loved antique clocks, gardening, old rusty iron and cooking.
At his request no services will be held. Arrangements are being handled by of Chapel of the Pines.
Donations in his memory may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Funeral services for Diana R. McCann, 65, of rural Tabor, South Dakota will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 11, 2014 at St. Leo Catholic Church in Tyndall with Fr. Joe Forcelle officiating. Burial will follow in the Bon Homme Cemetery, rural Springfield. Honorary casketbearers will be all of Diana’s many co-workers whom she worked alongside throughout the years. Active casketbearers will be Dvonna Kienow, Rachel Miller, Carolyn Schantz, Tom Clausen, Wayne Jelsma and Mark Rowen. Visitation will be held at St. Leo Catholic Church, Tyndall from 3:00 p.m. until a 7:00 p.m. wake service. Prior to the wake service, a rosary will be held at 5:00 p.m. and music by the Bon Homme Colony women will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Diana died on Friday, September 5 at Avera-McKennon Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Diana Rae McCann was born on her mother’s birthday, Tuesday, November 16, 1948 to Ralph H. and Rosina A. (Rowen) Yager in Huron, South Dakota. She grew up on a farm west of Wessington, where she attended grade school. She graduated Miller High School in 1967 and went on to double-major at South Dakota State University. While attending SDSU, Diana played basketball, softball and field hockey as well as serving as the SDSU Jackrabbit Mascot. She was a member of the Lothurp Electric Softball Team of Huron when they won the State Ladies Fastpitch Softball Tournament and runner-up in the College World Series in 1971. In 1972, Diana graduated with a B.A. in Math Education and a B.A. in Physical Education. She later went on to earn a Masters in Math Education. On June 7, 1974 at St. Leo Catholic Church in Tyndall, Diana was united in marriage to Gregory Charles McCann and two children were born to this union: Grant and Holly. Together, Greg and Diana enjoyed hunting, fishing and traveling. Throughout the years, they traveled to California, Washington DC, Ireland, Mexico, Hawaii, Canada and Alaska for a special fishing trip to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.
She was a dedicated and passionate math teacher, coach, and 4-H Leader. For over 35 years, she taught math and coached many sports teams in the Bon Homme School District. Diana actively supported all school activities throughout the years, even initiating the first female basketball program and team in Bon Homme and coaching the Girls’ Track Team who won the state championship. Her enthusiasm and abilities were acknowledged with many awards, including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics. Not only was she committed to local learning, but also served on the State and National Board of Math and Science.
In 2009, Diana retired, but never slowed down. Together, she and Greg built and managed the Cogan House and Cogan House RV Park. She was a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Tyndall, Tabor, Springfield, and Yankton as well as a part of Discover BH. She was an avid gardener and put lots of love in growing her beautiful flowers. Diana always loved sports, if she wasn’t playing or coaching, she was cheering on her favorite teams, such as the Notre Dame and Vikings football teams and the Twins Baseball team.
Diana died due to a sudden illness on Friday, September 5, 2014 at Avera-McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls having attained the age of 65 years, 9 months and 20 days.
She will be remembered and missed by her husband, Greg McCann of rural Tabor; two children; mother-in-law; two sisters; one brother; three sisters-in-law; and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and friends.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Ralph and Rosina Yager, and father-in-law, Gordon McCann.
Funeral services for Frank J. Melmer were conducted at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Dante Sept. 27. The Requiem High Mass was read by Rev. Father Benno Pokovsky with burial in the Dante Cemetery. Pallbearers were Al Holzbauer, Adolph and Laddie Payer, Steve Carda, Alvin Pesicka and Joseph Melmer.
Frank Joseph Melmer, son of Albert and Mary Melmer, was born Nov. 8, 1892 at Tabor, and the family moved to a farm south of Wagner when he was a small child. He married Clara Payer on April 24, 1922. He operated a farm south of Wagner until 1954 when ill health forced him to retire and they moved into Wagner. He died Sept. 24, 1960 at the Wagner Community Hospital after a lingering illness.
He served many years on school and township boards, was a past director of the Farmers' Cooperative Association and served on the Wagner City Council. He was a member of the Father DeSmet Council of Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Workmen of Dante.
Surviving are his widow; two sons, Wesley of Lake Andes and Leonard of Eugene, Ore.; two daughters, Leona Broker of Topeka, Kan., and Polly Ann Walsh of Bismarck, N.D.; five grandchildren; one brother, Albert Melmer of Wagner; four sisters, Anna Payer and Pauline Carda of Wagner, Agnes Pesicka of Lake Andes and Amelia Soulek of Yankton. He was preceded in death by one son.
Funeral services for Elmer Magstadt, 90, of Grinnell, Iowa and formerly of Scotland, South Dakota, will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 4, 2014 at the United Church of Christ in Scotland, South Dakota. Burial will follow in the Rosehill Cemetery, Scotland. Visitation will be held on Friday, October 3 from 6:00 p.m. until a 7:00 p.m. prayer service at the Goglin Funeral Home in Scotland.
Elmer passed away on Tuesday, September 30 at St. Francis Manor in Grinnell.
Elmer William Magstadt was born on Monday, February 4, 1924 to William and Margaret (Gall) Magstadt on the family farm southeast of Scotland, South Dakota. He graduated from Klinkner Country School after the eighth grade and then took over the family farm due to his father’s illness. On December 6, 1945, Elmer was united in marriage to Ethel Muhmel at Zion Lutheran Church in Scotland. Through the years, they farmed side by side and built up a herd of dairy cows. On the side, Elmer was a corn seed dealer and served on the ASCS Board for Bon Homme County. In 1980, they sold the farm and retired to Scotland. Elmer was then elected to two terms as the County Commissioner.
Elmer and Ethel enjoyed their mutual hobby of golfing as well as traveling. Together they visited all fifty states and a few other countries. He loved spending time on woodworking projects which he would sell or give to others. His favorite pastime was playing pinochle at the pool hall or with family and friends. He was a member of the United Church of Christ in Scotland, sang in the choir, and served on various church boards because of his commitment to Jesus Christ. After spending eight-nine years of his life in Scotland, he decided to spend his last year in Grinnell, Iowa where he passed away peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, September 30, 2014 at St. Francis Manor having attained the age of 90 years, 6 months, and 26 days.
Those who will miss his stories and hugs are his two sons, Ray (Kathy) Magstadt of Elk Point and Rick (Sharon) Magstadt of Grinnell; son-in-law, Harlan (Linda) Jerke of Great Bend, Kansas; eight grandchildren; nineteen great-grandchildren; one sister, Esther Gall of Scotland; two sisters-in-law, Donna Muhmel of Scotland and Mildred (Ted) Schaeffer of Viborg; and several nieces and nephews. Elmer was preceded in death by his wife Ethel, his parents, daughter Lois, two sisters: Alta (Peter) Orth and Laura (Jacob) Orth, brothers-in-law Aldon Gall and Floyd Muhmel, and sister-in-law Charlotte (Harold) Pankratz.
Memorials may be directed to the United Church of Christ, Scotland, SD.
Dolores Moriarty, 84, of Rogers, Arkansas died Sunday, July 13, 2008 at her home. She was born August 31, 1923 to Dennis Murphy and Mary Kelley Murphy.
She graduated from Eastern Montana University, and received her masters from the University of Rhode Island. Dolores was a member of the Women’s Faculty Club at the University of South Dakota. She enjoyed oil painting, creating bead jewelry, and researching genealogy. She was an avid card player, and she loved the Northwest Arkansas area.
She is survived by her husband of sixty three years, Thomas Edward Moriarty of the home, two daughters, Kathleen McInroe and husband Ronald of Bentonville, and Sheila Hellerich and husband William of Rogers; three sisters, Bonnie Jean Sadler and husband Leo of Casper, Wyoming, Anita Zecha and husband Bernie of Casper, Wyoming and Rita Murphy of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; nine grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by one son, Sean Moriarty, three sisters and one brother.
Delores will be buried at a later date in at Lakeside Cemetery in Spencer, South Dakota.
Memorials may be made in honor of Dolores to the American Cancer Society, 3291 South Thompson, Suite D 104, Springdale, Arkansas 72764.
Mass of Christian Burial for Mary Martin of Scotland, SD will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 21 at St. George Catholic Church in Scotland with Fr. Mathew Vazhappilly as celebrant. There will be a graveside committal service at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday at the Schuyler Cemtery in Schuyler, Nebraska with Fr. Gerald A. Leise, Jr. officiating. Visitation will be held from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Tuesday at the Goglin Funeral Home in Scotland. A rosary and wake service will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the church in Scotland.
Mary passed away on January 16, 2009 at Landmann-Jungman Memorial Hospital in Scotland after a valiant one-year battle with ovarian cancer.
She was born on June 6, 1958 in Schuyler, Nebraska. She graduated from Schuyler Central High School in 1976 and from Mount Marty College in 1981. She married Alexander Martin in Vermillion, South Dakota in 1986. Her heart was full of poetry and love. She loved meeting people, being a friend, cracking jokes, laughing and helping people in many ways. She loved gardening, baking, cooking, crafts, collecting angels, reading magazines, watching movies, fixing things, playing cards and singing. She loved the Catholic Church, Jesus, angels and many, many people in the Scotland, Yankton and Schuyler, Nebraska communities. She loved planting dill, tomatoes, peppers, and flowers in her two gardens. Mary’s life was full of joy and fun. Her great gift to us was her presence, caring and zest for living. She traveled to Germany, England, the Black Hills, New York, Chicago, enjoyed living in Mesa, Arizona for four years. She worked at Gurney’s Seed and Nursery for ten years. She also greatly enjoyed working part-time at the Scotland Post Office and St. George Catholic Church.
Forever grateful for having shared her life are her husband, Alex, daughter Ginger, and son Joseph, all of Scotland; her mother, Helen Jedlicka, sister Roberta (Tim) Kaup and niece Ashley Kaup, all of Schuyler, Nebraska.
Preceding her in death were her son, Joshua Martin; her father, Elmer Jedlicka; and a brother, Charlie Jedlicka.
Arlys M. Millard entered into eternal rest on Friday, December, 28 2012 at her residence. She was born in Avon, South Dakota on June 1, 1925 to the late William and Irene Millard.
Arlys graduated from East High School and St. Joseph College of Nursing. She joined the Navy as an operating room nurse in 1957 and retired after 21 years of service as Lieutenant Commander in 1978. She was predeceased by her parents and brother, Jim.
Arlys is survived by her sisters Betty Cook of Charleston and Judy Gruis of Moville, Iowa, along with 8 nieces and nephews.
The relatives and friends of Arlys M. Millard are invited to attend her Mass of Christian Burial at 12:00 Noon on Monday January 7, 2013 at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. The Rite of Committal, at Holy Cross Cemetery, will be held at a later date. The family will receive friends from 4:00PM until 6:00PM on Sunday January 6, 2013 at the James A. McAlister Funeral Home, 1620 Savannah Highway. Memorial contributions may be made to Blessed Sacrament Church Building Fund, 5 St. Teresa Dr. Charleston, SC 29407 or Hospice Care of South Carolina, 26 Bee St., Charleston, SC 29401.
Funeral services for Junior Meiers, 79, of Avon are 10:30 AM, Friday, January 17, 2014 at the First Baptist Church in Avon. Burial is in the church cemetery, rural Avon, with Military Honors. Visitation with family present will be Thursday from 5:30 to 7 PM at the church. Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Chapel in Avon is in charge of arrangements.
Junior A. Meiers was born Feb. 23, 1934 to George A. and Marion L. (Engler) Meiers in Avon, SD. He died Monday, January 13, 2014 at the VA Medical Center in Sioux Falls.
Junior attended country school at Myrtle School in Bon Homme County.
Junior ran heavy equipment while working on the Oahe Dam up until the time he was drafted. He served in the 8th Calvary of the US Army in North Korea.
Junior was baptized at the First Baptist Church in Avon on May 23, 1954. He loved his heavenly father and his faith was important to him.
On September 21, 1959, he was united in marriage to Dona C. Weisz at Avon, SD. After the service, he farmed the rest of his life. Junior’s grandpa homesteaded in Bon Homme County and Junior was a third generation farmer. He also worked at the Avon Livestock and became part owner with Rueben Gall from 1977-1979. He continued to work at the Avon and Wagner sale barn as an auctioneer and also auctioneered at farm sales for many years. Junior worked as a seed corn and feed dealer and did a lot of custom work, combining, baling, windrowing as well as hauling hay. He was a very hard working man and loved to work with his hands. He could fix almost anything and enjoyed blacksmithing and mechanical work. Spring, summer, fall and winter he could always be found, in his spare time, in the shop making things and altering things to make them work better or easier.
Junior was a devoted and loving husband, father and grandfather and loved all of his children and grandchildren. He especially loved when his grandchildren would come to visit him. He loved to care for the land and the livestock which the Lord allowed him to have. He had a love of hunting, fishing, gun collecting, stock car racing, and enjoying coffee with his children, friends and anyone. He also enjoyed cards, especially pinocle, polka and square dancing and was a great horseman.
Thankful for having shared his life are his wife, Dona C. of Avon; five children: Brian of Belle Fourche, Randy (Michelle) of Wagner, Jim of Avon, Kenny of Harrisburg and Shereen of Avon; 14 grandchildren; 20 great grandchildren; two brothers: Arnold “Mick” Meiers of Greenville, SC, Lauren (Sylvia) Meiers of Avon; and sister, Darlene Bye of Dell Rapids.
Junior was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers: LaVelle, Glenn and Leroy Meiers; and two sisters: Laurene Mitchell and Maureen Hassan; and several aunts and uncles.
Charles J. Moysis, 80, of Avon died Monday, September 11, 2006, at the VA Medical Center in Sioux Falls, SD.
Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, September 15, 2006, at the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Avon. Burial is in the Presbyterian Cemetery, rural Avon, with military honors. Visitation will be Thursday from 12 noon until 8 p.m. with the family present from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Chapel in Avon.
Charles J. Moysis, son of James and Emma (Pospichal) Moysis, was born July 14, 1926, on a farm near Kimball, SD. Charles attained the age of 80 years, one month and 28 days.
Charles moved with his family to a farm south of Dante when he was in the fifth grade. He attended Wagner High School for 2 1/2 years and then helped on the family farm.
Charles served in the U.S. Army from January 3, 1951, to October 5, 1952, during the Korean War. He was a recipient of the Purple Heart and the KSM W/1 B Star.
Charles married Viola Bertus on February 22, 1955, at the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Avon. Two daughters were born to their union. He farmed south of Avon and worked at Wilson Trailer in Yankton. Charles also was self employed as an electrician. The family moved into Avon in 1970. Charles later worked as a custodian for M-tron Industries in Yankton.
Charles was a member of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Avon and served on the cemetery board. He also was a member of the Rollie Bucholz VFW Post 7319 in Wagner.
Charles will be remembered for his "green thumb" and love of gardening and his "tinkering" in the basement. He also enjoyed fishing and listening to Bohemian music.
Thankful for having shared his life are his wife, Viola of Avon; his daughters: Charleen and husband, Casey Lalley of San Diego, CA and Ruth and husband, Craig Odens of Sioux Falls; granddaughter, Sarah Odens; four brothers: Edward of Avon, Alvin and Robert of Wagner, and Lee of Highmore; three sisters: Genevieve "Gen" Conger of Grand Island, NE, Martha Gengler of Rapid City, and Eleanor Anderson of Wagner; and many relatives and friends.
Charles was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters: Olive Dunsmore and Marie Anderson.
Mrs. Alice Ann Monfore died at the home of her daugher, Mrs. Andy Frank last Wednesday evening of a stroke of apoplexy. Her maiden name was McNeer and she was born in Pennsylvania July 27, 1854, and was 71 years, 11 months and 3 days of age at the time of her death.
She was married to Emerson Monfore Feb. 27, 1871. To this union were born seven children. She leaves to mourn her loss three daughters, two sons, 13 grand-children, five great-grand-children, and a host of friends. She was a kind and loving mother and all who knew her loved her.
Mrs. Monfore is survived by five children. They are Mrs. Frank of Americus; Mrs. P. H. Clodfelter of Emporia; Robert Monfore of Waverly; Roy Monfore of Jenks, Ok.; and Mrs. C. B. Stockton, of Stansberry, Mo., all of whom were in Americus at the time of her death.
The remains were taken by the Wise and Simons hearse to Stansberry, Mo., Friday, and the funeral held at that place Saturday.
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Funeral services for Mrs. Alice Monfore, who died last Wednesday night at the home of her daughter, Mrs. A. J. Frank, at Americus, Kansas, were held here last Saturday at the Methodist Church, at ten o'clock. The Rev. N. J. Moats conducted the services and interment was in the High Ridge Cemetery.
The following obituary has been handed to this office:
Miss Alice Ann McNair was born in Fayette, Penn., July 27, 1854, and died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. A. J. Frank, at Americus, Kansas, June 30, 1926, age 71 years, 11 months and three days.
She was married to Emmerson J. Monfore Feb. 29, 1871. To this union were born seven children---Mrs. A. J. Frank of Americus, Kans., Mrs. P. H. Clodfelter of Emporia, Kans., R. E. Monfore of Waverly, Kans., Mrs. C. B. Stockton of Stanberry, Mo., R. W. Monfore of Jenks, Okla. Mrs. P. H. Roe and an infant son have preceded her to the world beyond the skies.
Mrs. Monfore was converted in early life and joined the Methodist Church and has been a faithful member of the church until called to the Church Triumphant.
She died a triumphant death, asked her loved ones to meet her in that world where there is no parting, no suffering, but in a land of peace and joy.
She leaves to mourn her departure from the life that now is to that better life beyond the stars---five children, 13 grandchildren, five great grandchildren, and one brother living in Indianola, Iowa. She was a kind and loving mother, a true friend in time of need, and loved by all who knew her.
Alvin Magstadt, 84, died on Wednesday (February 11, 2004) in Mesa, Ariz.
Funeral services are at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Frieden's Reformed United Church of Christ, Tripp, with Rev. Greg Way officiating. Interment will be in the church cemetery with graveside military rites by Jelkin-Harms American Legion Post No. 142. Pallbearers are Daryl Magstadt, Roger Magstadt, Dennis Magstadt, Greg Gemar, Doug Orth and Warren Helson. Visitation is from 3-9 p.m. today (Monday), with a 7 p.m. prayer service, at Goglin-Kelley Memorial Chapel, Tripp. Visitation will resume two hours prior to the service Tuesday at the church.
Alvin was born March 19, 1919, to Fred and Lydia (Baltzer) Magstadt near Tripp. He attended rural school in Hutchinson County. He served in the U.S. Army. He married Elsie Gemar Dec. 15, 1944, in Scotland. He managed a lumberyard business in Kaylor and Tripp until retirement. After retiring, Alvin and Elsie enjoyed 22 winters in Mesa, Ariz., and in 1996 began spending their summers in Lake Andes.
He was a member of Jelkin-Harms American Legion Post No. 142 and Frieden's Reformed United Church of Christ. He enjoyed gardening, flowers and fishing, and he had raised pheasants for many years. He collected different kinds of hammers and had nearly 300 in his collection. He loved his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He is survived by his wife, Elsie; two children: Sharon (Merlin) Stillman, Brandon; and Todd (Robyn) Magstadt, Brookings; five grandchildren: four great-grandchildren; and two brothers: Helmuth Magstadt and Elder Magstadt, both of Scotland.
He was preceded in death by his parents, five brothers, two sisters and two sisters-in-law.
Patricia M. "Pat' Merkwan, 70, died Monday (June 2, 2003) at Sioux Valley Hospital, Sioux Falls.
Funeral mass is 10:30 a.m. today (Thursday) at St. Leo's Catholic Church, Tyndall, with the Rev. John Rasmussen officiating. Burial is in the church cemetery. Pallbearers are Michael Mayer, Matthew Mayer, Rick Goehring, Tim Goehring, Jim Holy and Cory Turner. Goglin-Kelley Funeral Home, Tyndall, is in charge of arrangments.
She was born on March 16, 1933, at Tyndall to Rose Bartekoske. She graduated from Tyndall High School in 1952. During high school, she worked at the bakery. She married Emil Merkwan June 10, 1952, in Tyndall. They farmed 10 miles east of Tyndall. She was a devoted farm wife and homemaker all her life. For a few years after her kids graduated from high school, she worked at Valkering Bulb Co. in Tyndall. She worked for the Green Thumb Program for about three years. In 1995, she was hired by Rural Office of Community Services to work for Dakota Senior Meals. She worked at the Nutrition Center until December of 2002, when ill health forced her to retire.
She is survived by her husband, Emil Merkwan, Scotland; three sons: James (Jolene) Merkwan, Tabor; Dennis (Lorrie) Merkwan, Watertown; and Steve (LaVona) Merkwan, Tyndall; four grandchildren and three step-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her mother.
Emil Merkwan, age 80, of Tabor, SD died Friday, May 12, 2006 at the Tyndall Good Samaritan Center, Tyndall, SD.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 15, 2006 at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, Tabor, with Rev. Joe Puthenkulathil officiating. Burial will be in St. Leo's Cemetery, Tyndall, with Military Graveside Rites by the Kortan-Hatwan American Legion Post #183. Visitations will be 1 to 9 p.m. Sunday, at the Kostel Funeral Home, Tabor, with a Scripture service followed by a rosary at 7:00 p.m. Visitations will resume one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Pallbearers will be Tim, Tony, and Rick Goehring; Ernie Merkwan; Cory Turner; and Joe Cap. Honorary pallbearers will be all of his grandchildren, nieces and nephews, Joey Cap, George Sedlacek, Joe Merkwan, and the staff at the Good Samaritan Center of Tyndall.
Emil was born March 12, 1926 at Tabor, SD to Thomas and Anna (Plihal) Merkwan. He grew up on the family farm and graduated from Koupal Country School District #24. He was baptized on May 1, 1926 in Tabor. He farmed all of his life in the Tabor area except for the time he served his country being inducted in 1949 and honorably discharged in 1952. He married Patricia Bartekoske at St. Leo's Catholic Church in Tyndall, SD on June 10, 1952. Patricia died June 2, 2003. Emil was a member of St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Tabor, SD. Emil loved farming, his pets and cattle he raised. He was also most fond of the work in putting up hay.
His memory is cherished by three sons; James and his wife Jolene of Tabor, SD; Dennis and his wife Lorrie of Watertown, SD; and Steve and his wife LaVona of Tyndall, SD; one sister Violet and her husband LeRoy Goehring of Delmont, SD; 4 grandchildren Katherine Turner, Amy Merkwan, Michael Merkwan, and Jennifer Merkwan; 3 step-grandchildren Michael Mayer, Matt Mayer, and Jill Eckmann; 1 great granddaughter Abagail Turner and 1 step-great granddaughter Emma Eckmann and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, and several uncles and aunts.
Donald Allen “Donny” Munkvold, age 58, of Tabor, SD went to be with the Lord on December 9, 2013 at the Landmann-Jungman Memorial Hospital, Scotland, SD.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, December 13, 2013 at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, Tabor, with Rev. Joe Forcelle officiating. Burial will be in the parish cemetery. Visitations will begin at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, December 12, 2013 at the Opsahl-Kostel Memorial Chapel, Tabor, with a Wake service at 7:00 p.m. Visitations will resume one hour prior to the service at the chapel.
Donald was born on April 26, 1955 along with his twin sister, Donna, to Jerome and Viola (Schaeffer) Munkvold in Scotland, SD. He grew up on the family farm by Lesterville and Turner County. He attended country schools, Odessa 41, Salem 81 and graduated from Freeman High School in 1973. He then attended Springfield College (USDS). He was employed by Albert Munkvold Construction, James Steel, and for the last 25 years Gehl Manufacturing of Yankton, SD. Donald fell in love and married Rita Hale on September 12, 1981. They had one son together; Jerry Allen was born on April 14, 1983.
Donald was a member of St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church. He was active with Tabor Czech Days and St. Wenceslaus Bazaar. Donald liked fishing, darts, gardening, carpentry, cooking, canning, and spending time with his family and friends.
He is survived by son, Jerry of Garretson, SD; step-daughter, Julie LeFebvre of Brookings, SD; mother, Viola Munkvold of Menno, SD; brothers: Harry (Marlene) Munkvold of Chamberlain, SD, Virgil (Patricia) Munkvold of Viborg, SD and John (Anna) Munkvold of Freeman, SD; sisters: Delila (Allen) Mehlhaf of Freeman, SD, Ida Mae (Ernie) Plate of Freeman, SD and twin, Donna (Charles) Mehlhaf of Sioux Falls, SD; sister-in-law, Dorothy (Terry) Dean of Springfield, SD; and many nieces, nephews, friends and his special dog, Missy.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Rita, father, Jerome, father-in-law and mother-in-law, Joseph and Helen Hale, brother-in-law, Gene Lang, nephew, Wade Lang, and niece Christina Munkvold.
Iola Bernice Mudder, 88, Tyndall, died Thursday (Nov. 29, 2001) at St. Michael's Hospital, Tyndall.
Funeral services were held Saturday at St. Leo's Catholic Church, Tyndall, with the Rev. Fr. John Rasmussen officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery. The Petrik-Kelley Funeral Chapel, Tyndall, was in charge of arrangements.
She was born Sept. 5, 1913, in Armour to James and Olive (Shearer) Garfield. She attended grade and high school there, graduating in 1932.
She married Kenneth Kornder on July 7, 1934, at Armour. They made their home in Armour, Tripp and Tyndall. She married Dick E. Mudder on Aug. 1, 1968, at Tyndall. Iola was active in community affairs and many organizations.
She was a member of the St. Michael's Hospital Auxiliary where she also worked as a nurse's aide for many years. She was a member of St. Leo's Catholic church and worked with the bazaar. Catechism teacher and member of the Altar Society.
She was a member of the VFW Auxiliary and was District 7 president. She was also named a Region IV Volunteer of the Year by the South Dakota Healthcare Association.
Survivors include her son, J. Richard (Judy) Kornder, Aberdeen; five grandchildren; three great-grandsons and many nieces and nephews.
Wilbur Maag, 90, of Wagner ~ Funeral Mass will be 10 AM, Saturday, February 23, 2013 at St John Catholic Church in Wagner. Burial is in St. Leo's Catholic Cemetery in Tyndall. Visitation will be an hour prior to services at the church. Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Home in Wagner is in charge of arrangements.
Wilbur Maag was born March 7, 1922 at Wagner, South Dakota, the son of Charles and Agnes (Crotty) Maag. He died Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at the Good Samaritan Society in Wagner.
Wilbur graduated from Wagner High School. He farmed all of his life in the Wagner area.
Wilbur was a member of St. John Catholic Church in Wagner.
He will be remembered for his enjoyment of singing and dancing.
Thankful for having shared his life are his nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, cousins and friends.
Wilbur was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers: Donald, Robert and Frank; and three sisters: Marie Maag, Margaret Gard and Kathryn Steele.
Grant Clifford Mitchell, 70, passed away September 4, 2012 in Salt Lake City, Utah after the effects of dementia.
Born March 31, 1942 in Scotland, South Dakota to Virgil B. and Hazel Dixon Mitchell. Grew up in Sioux City, IA. Later resided in Rapid City, SD and St. Augustine, Fl before retiring in Bountiful, Utah with his wife Eleanor Van Staagen.
He served in the US Navy. He was a successful real estate broker for over 35 years and owner of Mitchell Realty, Inc. of St. Augustine, FL. He was a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in many callings. He enjoyed golfing, fishing, gardening, genealogy and spending time with his family.
Grant is survived by his wife Ellie; children Steve Mitchell, WI; Grant Mitchell, Jr.,UT; Travis Mitchell, CA; Jason Mitchell, UT; John Mitchell, UT; David Mitchell, MT; Adam Mitchell, UT; Wendy Mustacci, WA; Sandra Smith, MA; Holly Parker, FL; Jill Carver; FL; and 25 grandchildren. Also survived by brothers Joe Mitchell, IA; Ken Mitchell, NM and Tubby Mitchell, IA. Preceded in death by his parents and brother Sonny Mitchell.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, September 8, 2012 at the Bountiful 24th Ward Chapel, 750 E. 550 N. Friends may visit family Friday, Sept. 7th from 6 to 8 pm at Lindquist’s Bountiful Mortuary, 727 N. 400 E. and Sat. from 11:45 to 12:45 pm at the church prior to services. Interment Concord Cemetery, Dixon County, NE. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Utah Alzheimer’s Association.
Memorial services for Randall G. Myers, 62 of Avon will be held 2:00 p.m. Monday, October 28, 2013 at the Avon Fire Hall in Avon, SD. Visitation will be Sunday from 12 noon to 2:00 p.m. with the family present at the Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Chapel in Avon, followed by cremation.
Randall Gene Myers, son of Merritt and Loyola (Hanten) Myers, was born December 22, 1950 at Mitchell, SD. He died unexpectedly Thursday, October 24, 2013 at St. Michael’s Hospital in Tyndall. Randy attained the age of 62 years, ten months and three days. He was a donor after his death.
Randy attended school through his Junior year and was later given an honorary diploma from Avon High School. He graduated from Denver Automotive and Diesel College on July 9, 1970.
Randy served in the U.S. Navy from August 7, 1970 to December 11, 1972. He was in Vietnam from November 9, 1970 to April 4, 1971 where he was a Sea Bee.
Randy married Pam Cahoy on October 17, 1969 at the Methodist Church in Avon. Two children were blessed to their union: Ann and Cory. Randy married Sara Ann “Missy” Thesenga on June 30, 1998 at Tyndall, SD, blending the family with her two children: Dennis and Michelle.
Randy worked in Springfield for Richie’s Body Shop, CR Industries and the City of Springfield. In 1976, he started Myers Sanitation, which serviced homes in Avon, Scotland, Kaylor, Delmont and Dante. He also owned M & M Greenhouse in Mitchell and worked at Mensch Greenhouse in Avon.
Randy was an active, faithful member of the Arthur Wissman American Legion Post #150 in Avon.
Randy loved spending time with his grandkids. He was often seen driving around town with his beloved dog Roxy right next to him. Randy will be remembered for his enjoyment of drinking Old Milwaukee and playing pinochle with his friends, collecting coins and old cars, and being a constant “prankster”.
Thankful for having shared his life are his wife Missy; his children: Ann Myers, Cory Myers and wife Tess, Dennis Powers and wife April, and Michelle and significant other Ryan Olson, all of Avon; seven grandchildren: Zachary Johnson, Shay, Ashton and Logan Mednansky, Clifford, Reese and Randall Powers and another on the way; his mother, Loyola of Avon; brother Terry and wife Gail of Springfield; two sisters: Deborah Palsma and husband Larry of Springfield and Merrill DeGroot and friend RIck Blain of Cedar Rapids, IA; several nieces and nephews; mother-in-law, Mary Thesenga; sisters-in-law: Sausan Thesenga, Sally Goodsell and husband Rick; and brother-in-law Scott Thesenga, all of Minnesota; many friends; and his dog Roxy.
Randy was preceded in death by his father; brother-in-law, Terry DeGroot, nephew, Scott DeGroot; and father-in-law, Jack Thesenga.
Services were held Monday, Sept. 6, for Mrs. Emelia Mehrer at Zion Lutheran Church in Scotland with the Rev. Gerald Lygre officiating. Interment was in Rosehill Cemetery in Scotland under the direction of Petrik Funeral Home.
She was born June 5,1909, in Bon Homme County to Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Mutchelknaus and died Saturday, Sept. 4, 1976 at Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton. On Jan. 7, 1930, she married Raymond Mehrer. She was a member of the Zion ALCW and past president of the American Legion Auxiliary.
Survivors include the widower, one son, Ellington, Lesterville, South Dakota; four grandchildren; one brother, Edwin, Scotland; three sisters, Mrs. Lenora Dean and Mrs. Gertrude Wright, Scotland; and Mrs. Lydia Vonderau, Wharton, Tex.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Edward Dale Moysis, 86, of Avon passed away Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014 at St. Michael’s Hospital Tyndall.
Funeral Services will be 10:30 a.m., Monday, November 3, 2014 at the First Presbyterian Church in Avon. Burial is in the Trinity Presbyterian Cemetery, rural Avon, with Military Honors. Visitation will be Sunday at the church with the family present from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Chapel of Avon is in charge of arrangements.
Edward Dale Moysis was born October 5, 1928 in Kimball, S.D. to James and Emma (Pospichal) Moysis. He passed away Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014 at St. Michael’s Hospital Tyndall.
Ed attended school in Brule county through the eighth grade. He then helped farm. Ed was enlisted in the Army from May 1951 to March 1953. He was stationed in Alaska.
Ed was united in marriage to Edna Oorlog on February 3, 1955 at the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Avon where he was also baptized on December 25 of that same year. Three children were blessed to their union. Together they farmed in the Dante area and moved into Avon in 1969. Ed continued driving back and forth farming until he sold the farm in October of 1995.
Ed took very special care of Edna until she entered the nursing home in 2008. Ed entered the Wagner Nursing Home in June of 2011 after having a fall and breaking a hip.
Ed will be remembered for his joy of farming, hunting, caring for his family and his ailing wife in later years.
Thankful for having shared his life are his daughters: Wanda Lippert of Ethan and Norma and husband Ron Kisch of Salem, OR; daughter-in-law, Renee Moysis of Ethan; four grandchildren: Jessica and husband John Kurtenbach; Haley Lippert; Jamie Kisch; and Cassie Kisch; three great grandchildren: Jalen, Jaya and Jaxx Kurtenbach; two sisters: Eleanor Anderson, Wagner, SD; and Martha Gengler of Rapid City; three brothers: Robert of Wagner; Alvin of Dante; and Lee of Highmore; sister-in-law, Viola Moysis of Lennox; brother-in-law, Donald Anderson of Wagner; and a host of relatives and friends.
Ed was preceded in death by his wife Edna in 2011, son Dave in 2010; son-in-law Doug Lippert in 2009; his parents; his wife’s parents; three sisters: Marie Anderson; Olive Dunsmore and Gen Conger; brother Charles; and in-laws: Wayne Dunsmore; Dale Conger; Paul Gengler; Jens Anderson and Delores Moysis.
Olga M. Mueller, 104, Scotland, died Saturday (March 17, 2001) at the Good Samaritan Center, Scotland.
Funeral services are at 1:30 p.m. today (Tuesday) at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Scotland, with Vicar David Ellis officiating. Burial will be in the Kaylor Cemetery, rural Kaylor. Pallbearers are Sandra Yaggie, John Yaggie, Matt Yaggie, Mike Yaggie, Amy Casey and Stefan Casey. Visitation is from 9 a.m.-noon today (Tuesday) at the Petrik-Kelley Funeral Chapel, Scotland.
She was born Jan. 9, 1897, in Bon Homme County, to David and Mary (Schmidt) Schelske. She worked as a nurse's aide for several years in the Sioux City and Yankton areas. She married Solomon Mueller Dec. 15, 1915, at Kaylor. She was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church, Kaylor, and later St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Scotland. She became of resident of the Scotland Good Samaritan Center in December of 1994.
She is survived by two granddaughters: Donna (Tom) Thompson, Yankton; and Janice (Jim) Synhorst, Lakewood, Colo.; four great-grandchildren: Amy Yaggie, Mission Hill; Amy Casey, Norfolk, Neb.; Jason Mielenz, Lakewood and Jill Mielenz, Lakewood; and nine great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, one son, three sisters, four brothers and her parents.
Sister Frances Moravec died in Yankton Hospital August 17, 1907 following an appendectomy. She came to the United States 34 years ago in 1873 with her parents from Moravia to Bon Homme Co., South Dakota when she was 8. Her parents farmed near Tyndall and she was married 24 years ago. Surviving are her parents, brother and sister, husband and 10 children, the oldest 22 and youngest 5. She joined our Lodge Pravda No. 80 on February 4, 1900. Funeral services were held August 18th with burial in the Czech National Cemetry, one-half mile from Tyndall. Frantisek Ptak was in charge and many friends and relatives attended, some from 30 miles away. Everyone who knew her loved her.
Source: Czech language ZCBJ periodical ~ Aug 1907
Emma H. Matuska, 93, Tyndall, died Sunday (July 13, 2003) at the Good Samaritan Center, Tyndall.
Funeral services are 10:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Leo's Catholic Church, Tyndall. Burial is in the church cemetery. Pallbearers are Mike Matuska, Garrett Matuska, Bernie Matuska, Kevin Gill, David Gill, Mark Gill and James Brown. Visitation is from 3-8 p.m. with a 7:30 p.m. rosary today (Wednesday) at the Goglin-Kelley Funeral Home, Tyndall.
She was born Aug. 27, 1909, in Bon Homme County to John and Anna (Brych) Nehonsky. She married Alfred Matuska Sept. 16, 1935, in Scotland. They farmed south of Tyndall. Her husband died in 1952 and she moved off the farm and into Tyndall. In 1957, she moved to Omaha, Neb., and worked at the University Medical Center in Omaha as a lab assistant for 25 years. She moved back to Tyndall in 1991 and has lived in The Good Samaritan Center since 1998.
She is survived by two sons: Leonard (Betty) Matuska, Yankton; and Melvin Matuska, Omaha; 12 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, her husband and four brothers.
Antonia C. Mazourek, age 100, of Yankton, passed away Saturday, March 31, 2001, at Avera Sister James Nursing Home, Yankton.
Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 3, 2001, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Yankton, with Msgr. Carlton Hermann officiating. Burial will be in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Dante, S.D., at approximately 1:30 p.m. Visitations were at 1-9 p.m. Monday at the Kostel Funeral Home, Yankton, with a rosary at 7 p.m. followed by a scripture service at 7:30 p.m. Pallbearers will be Charles Tielke, Douglas Tielke, Stanley Cap, David Cap, Mark Mazourek and Clem Cap. Honorary pallbearers will be all of her grandchildren.
Antonia was born March 9, 1901, to Frank and Mary (Teply) Cap on the family homestead in Yankton County. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, Tabor, S.D. She was raised near Yankton and attended school at Pleasant Hill, No. 63. She helped her parents, brothers and sisters do field work with teams of horses. She also learned to drive a car as her father would not. She married Martin A. Mazourek June 17, 1919, at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, Tabor, S.D. Together they farmed the homestead of Martin's parents in Charles Mix County, Dante, S.D. They farmed with horses and later a tractor during the depression years. Her husband passed away May 11, 1940.
She moved with her family to Tyndall, S.D., in March of 1943, later to Wakonda, Tabor in 1948, and finally to Yankton in 1951. She was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Yankton. All her life she enjoyed sewing, baking bread, kolaches, and rohlickes, garden, flowers, her children and grandchildren.
Her memory will be cherished by three sons: Theodore (Peggy), of Victorville, Calif.; Ben, of Yankton, S.D.; and Martin E. (Joan), of Yankton, S.D.; two daughters: Leona (Luvern) Cwach and Mary Ann (Vincent) Tielke, both of Yankton, S.D.; one sister, Barbara M. Anderson, of Anaheim, Calif.; 21 grandchildren; 44 great-grandchildren; three step-grandchildren; 15 step-great-grandchildren; 15 step-great-great-grandchildren; two daughters-in-law: Eleanor Mazourek, of Neillsville, Wis.; Cil Mazourek, of Yankton, S.D.; one sister-in-law, Jennie Hornstra, of Avon, S.D.; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; two sons; three brothers; four sisters; two daughters-in-law, Violet and Margaret Mazourek; one grandson and one step-grandson.
Funeral services for Mrs. Cecelia Merkwan, 76, will be at the Assumption Catholic Church at Dante with Father Adrian Clepac officiating. Rosary will be recited this evening at the Crosby Funeral Home at Wagner at 8 p.m. Burial will be in the Dante Cemetery.
She was born November 2, 1893 at Tyndall to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Mazourek and died December 21, 1969 at a Wagner hospital.
Survivors include three sisters, Mrs. Urban Greenfield, Lake Andes, Mrs. Ted Hornstra, Madison, and Mrs. Anna Ruhl, Moline, Ill.; one brother, Laddie, Wagner.
She was preceded in death by her husband, one daughter, one son, one granddaughter and two brothers.
Funeral services were held at the Assumption Church at Dante May 9, 1952 for Frank Mazourek, 84, who died at his home after a short illness. Rev. Benno Povkotsky officiated at the Requiem Mass.
Mr. Mazourek was born in Czechoslovakia and came to America at the age of 12. In 1892 he settled on a homestead in Charles Mix County, five miles from the present site of Dante.
He was married to Theresa Horacek, who survives him, along with two sons, Emil of Wagner and Laddie of Dante; four daughters, Mrs. Ceclia Merkwan of Dante; Mrs. Lillian Greenfield of Lake Andes; Mrs. Jennie Hornstra of Crookston, Neb. and Mrs Anna Ruhl of Little Falls, Minn. He also leaves two brothers, Joseph of Tyndall and Hyneg of St. Paul and six grandsons, LaVerne and Tom Mazourek, Albin Karolwitz, Billy Ruhl and Ben and Martin Mazourek, who served as pallbearers.
Ed Merkwan, age 73, of Tabor passed away Saturday, Jan. 5, 2002, at the Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, Yankton.
Funeral Services will be at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2002, at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, Tabor, with Rev. William Osborn officiating. Burial will be in the parish cemetery. Pallbearers will be Justin Smit, Ryan Smit, Richard Merkwan, John Merkwan, Jim Merkwan and Edward Cahoy. Visitation will be 4-9 p.m. today (Tuesday, January 8, 2002) at St. Wenceslaus Church with a prayer service at 7:30 p.m. followed by a rosary. Visitation will resume one hour prior to the service at the church. Kostel Funeral Home, Tabor, is in charge of arrangements.
Ed was born Nov. 4, 1928, on the family farm to Anton and Anna (Cahoy) Merkwan. He attended country school. On Jan. 31, 1950, he married Adeline Carda. They farmed northwest of Tabor and remained on the farm. He was a member of St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, Tabor, where he served as usher and on the parish council.
He was a director on the B-Y Electric Board for 24 years. He was also a member of the Czech Heritage Preservation Society.
He is survived by his wife Adeline, Tabor; two sons: Garry (Laura), Sioux Falls; and Joe, Tabor; three daughters: Janice (Mark) Smit, Platte; Jeanine (Rodney) DeLange, Corsica; and Julie (David) Kriz, Tyndall, SD; two brothers: Laddie and Alvin Merkwan, both of Tyndall; and seven grandchilden.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Willard W. Matuska, age 87, of Tabor, passed away early Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2002, at St. Michael's Hospital, Tyndall, S.D.
Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, 2002, at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, Tabor, with Rev. William Osborn officiating. Burial will be in the parish cemetery. Pallbearers will be Ron Bruna, Mike Slama, Gary Kronaizl, Todd Williamson, Todd Matuska and Brad Matuska. Visitations will be 1-5 p.m. at the Kostel Funeral Home, Tabor, with a Scripture service followed by a rosary at 7:30 p.m. at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church. Visitations will resume one hour prior to the service at the Kostel Funeral Home, Tabor.
Willard was born Aug. 28, 1915, at Tabor, S.D., to Joe and Rose (Kotalik) Matuska. He was baptized at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, Tabor. He married Bernadine Becvar Sept. 10, 1940. He lived all of his live on a farm near Tabor. He was a baseball player for the Tabor Blue Birds; a part-time police officer for Czech Days and the Beseda Hall; president of the Catholic Sokal Social Club; a Beseda Hall director for many years; a bus driver for Bon Homme Schools; and an active participant in Tabor Czech Plays.
Willard's memory is cherished by his wife of 62 years, Bernadine of Tabor; one daughter, Connie Miller of Sturgis, S.D.; one son, Ron (Jeanette) of Red Wing, Minn.; one brother, Leonard (LaVelle) of Lake Andes, S.D.; three grandchildren: Todd (Jennifer) Matuska of Ham Lake, Minn.; Brad (Nicole) Matuska of Cold Spring, Minn.; and Melanie (Todd) Williamson of Newell, S.D.; nine great grandchildren: Tyler, Megan, Tara Jean and Mandie Sue of Newell, S.D.; Jack, Will and Charlie of Cold Spring, Minn.; and Mitchell and Sidney of Ham Lake, Minn.; and three sisters: Norma, Margaret and Marcella, all of Lake Andes, S.D.
He was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers: Emil, Joe, Dean and James and one sister Viola.
Beverly Jo Machacek, 59, of Polson, Montana unexpectedly passed away on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011.
Bev was born as Beverly Jo Green on Nov. 16, 1951, in Cedar Rapids, Neb., to Walter (Bud) and Betty Green. She moved to Scotland, S.D., in 1963 where she met her high school sweetheart and future husband, Jim Machacek. Jim and Bev were married on May 25, 1973, in Scotland. A graduate of South Dakota State University with a Bachelor of Education degree, Bev became a schoolteacher at Harrisburg High in Harrisburg, S.D. After 25 years there, Bev took her talents to Washington High in Sioux Falls, S.D. During her time at Washington, she earned her master's degree in education. Bev retired in 2006 and moved to Polson with Jim to be closer to their daughter, Kelly Jacobson, her husband Dave, and her beloved grandchildren, Braden and Morgan of Lolo. While in Polson, Bev continued her love of working with young people as a youth outreach coordinator for Lake County. Bev spent most of her efforts working on reACT, a program designed to teach youth about the perils of tobacco.
Bev was highly involved within the Mission Bay Community of Polson. She enjoyed cooking, baking and caring for her plants and flowers. She also enjoyed boating, traveling and taking the occasional motorcycle ride with her husband. One of her favorite things to do was simply to sit on the deck with Jim and enjoy the beauty of Montana. She loved every second that she was able to spend with her family. Bev considered her parents, husband, daughter and grandchildren her best friends. She had that special kind of relationship with Betty and Kelly that only a mother and daughter can understand, and she was blessed to be close enough to her grandchildren to develop a relationship with them that most can only hope for.
Bev's passion for teaching showed in every aspect of her life, from her teaching years in South Dakota, to her work with local youth programs, and her dedication to helping her grandchildren succeed in life and school. Bev can best be described as the optimistic caretaker, when she was involved, you knew that things would be taken care of and taken care of with a smile. She was at her best, and her happiest, helping others; whether it was spending time with her parents, helping her grandchildren with their piano and homework, or simply preparing a family meal.
Bev was preceded in death by sister, Becky Green. She is survived by her husband Jim of Polson; daughter Kelly Jacobson, her husband Dave, and grandchildren Braden and Morgan of Lolo; parents, Bud and Betty Green of Fremont, Neb.; brothers, Bill, Bob and Dan; and a number of nieces, nephews and great-nieces and -nephews that she loved dearly.
Services to be held at 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10, at First United Methodist Church in Polson. Services also pending in Sioux Falls with a tentative date of Oct. 22.
The family suggests memorials to the Beverly Machacek Scholarship Fund, c/o Wells Fargo Bank, 1800 S. Russell St., Missoula, MT 59801. (Once a teacher, always a teacher!)
Avis R. A. (Mork) Meyer, age 91, of Tyndall, South Dakota passed away on Thursday, June 13, 2013 at the Good Samaritan Home in Tyndall.
Funeral services for Avis “Morky” Meyer of Tyndall will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 17 at St. John Lutheran Church in Tyndall with Rev. Dean Schroeder officiating. Interment will follow in the Tyndall Cemetery. Honorary pallbearers are Avis’ granddaughters and active pallbearers are Avis’ grandsons.
Avis was born on February 16, 1922 in Montevideo, Minnesota to Christine (Berquam) and Albert Mork. She was so tiny that she was taken home by sleigh in a shoebox. She was baptized on April 7, 1922 at the United Lutheran Church in Granite Falls, Minnesota. Avis attended country school in Yellow Medicine County until her father, Albert, passed away in 1928. Her mother, Christine, brother, LeDell and she moved to Granite Falls, Minnesota at that time. Following graduation from Granite Falls High School in 1939, Avis attended Bartron School of Nursing in Watertown, South Dakota where she earned a degree as a Registered Nurse in 1943. It was while in nursing school that she acquired the nickname “Morky.” After graduation she worked as a surgical nurse in Montevideo, Minnesota from 1943 to 1945 and later in 1945 and 1946 at Methodist Hospital in Mitchell, South Dakota.
On September 10, 1944 Avis married Marvin Henry Meyer at the United Lutheran Church in Granite Falls, Minnesota. From that day on, you rarely heard one name without the other — “Marv & Morky” were a team like no other. Following the birth of her first child, Avis retired from nursing on a full time basis. She moved with Marvin to Tyndall, South Dakota in February, 1949. She became active in civic and community affairs being a member of the Lutheran Ladies Aid, a 50 year member of Circle II, a Cub Scout Leader, and working with Meals on Wheels and the Extension Club. She also worked as a volunteer nurse during the administration of the polio vaccine in the mid-1950’s. She and Marvin were active members of several pinochle clubs and the square dance club.
Morky and Marv celebrated a wonderful partnership of 67 years until his passing on January 5, 2012. For their first anniversary they went camping in a tent and that was the beginning of more than 60 years of camping and traveling throughout the US and Europe. Dancing, fishing and gardening were times enjoyed together. She also joined Marv on hunting excursions including a goose hunting trip in October, 1946 when she was nearly nine-months pregnant.
Grateful for having shared her life are her sons Roger (Van), Yankton, SD; Larry (Anne), Yankton, SD; David (Patricia), Brookings SD; and her daughter Julie (Michael) Heyl, Lincoln, NE. Avis’ legacy of faith and love will continue in her grandchildren, Rachael (Chris) Olmstead, Michael Meyer (Laura Handy) and Colleen Meyer; Jennifer (Jeremy) Nolan and Amy (Larry) Barker; Andrea (Brian) Schmidt, Scott (Taylor Mertz) Meyer, John Meyer (Paige Pearson) and Paul Meyer; Eric (Rachel) Heyl, Alex Heyl (Hannah McLaughlin) and Emily Heyl, and 7 great-grandchildren. Remembering a life well lived will be her brother Roger (Darlene) Mooney, Blaine, MN; two brothers-in-law Delwin (Eloise) Meyer, Huntsville, AL; Lon (Miriam) Meyer, Phoenix, AZ; and sisters-in-law Selma Mork, Bloomington, MN; Ruth Elshere, Watertown, SD; and Eunice Meyer, South Shore, SD.
Avis was preceded in death by her husband Marvin; parents, step-father, Charles Mooney; brother, Le Dell (Bud) Mork; and sister, Carol Day.
Memorials may be directed to St. John’s Lutheran Church and The Good Samaritan Society.
Ex-Big Timber Rancher Dies
Body of J.A. McLane to arrive here today.
The body of Joy Atlee McLane, 63, former Big Timber rancher who died Saturday night near Butte, will be brought to Smith's funeral home Wednesday.
Mr. McLane died of a heart ailment. He had been ill for 14 years.
His widow and two daughters, Arlene and Betty, live at 119 South 39th St.
Mr. McLane was born Oct. 5, 1894 in Avon, SD, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank McLane. In 1815 he moved to Shepherd, and in 1921 to a ranch northeast of Big Timber. He married Elza Bignell in Kansas City, MO on Dec 10, 1923. Besides the widow and two daughters, survivors are three sons, Kenneth, Gale and Orville, all of Roseville, CA; two brothers, Oscar and Simeon, both of Big Timber; two sisters, Mrs. William Alfred of Tyndal, SD and Mrs. Elmer Andrews of Portland, OR, and a grandson Kenneth, of Roseville.
Source: The Billings Gazette ~ April 14, 1948
Charlotte Ann Petrik Mielke of Sioux Falls, SD died on May 13, 2013 at Avera McKennan Hospital, following a stroke.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, May 16, at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Sioux Falls, followed by a luncheon in the church fellowship hall. Burial will follow at St. Michael Cemetery in Sioux Falls Visitation begins at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday followed by a prayer service beginning at 7:00 p.m. that evening at Miller Funeral Home, located at 507 S. Main Avenue. The family will be present to greet friends from 5:00 to 7:00 prior to the prayer service.
Charlotte was born on April 6, 1943 in Yankton, SD. She attended grade school and high school in Tyndall, SD, graduating from Tyndall High School in 1961. Upon her graduation, she attended Stewart's School of Hairstyling in Sioux Falls, then worked for a hair styling salon in Wagner, SD. In 1966 she and her mother, Mabel Petrik, moved to Sioux Falls where Charlotte became employed at Stewart's in the Park Ridge Shopping Center.
Charlotte and Ron met in the fall of 1967 while he was attending graduate school at USD. They were married on November 28, 1969 at St. Therese Catholic Church in Sioux Falls. She retired in 1974 when their son, Steve, was born. Charlotte spent the next 18 years being the mother who took the kids to school, serving as a church volunteer, and enjoying her role as a homemaker. During later years, she enjoyed exploring her creative talents in painting, composing floral arrangements, and home decorating.
Charlotte is survived by her husband of 43 years, Ron; her son, Steve Mielke and his wife, Amy, of New York, NY; her sister, Janet Ackerman and her husband, Jerry, of Sioux Falls, SD, and their four children, Julie (John) Hajek, Troy, Brian (fiancée, Jody) and Lisa (Wayne) Rasmussen; Charlotte's sister-in-law, Jane Hauck and her husband, Bill, of Naples, FL and Lead, SD; and 10 great-nieces and great-nephews.
She was preceded in death by her father, Bill; mother, Mabel; and an infant brother, Frank.
John K. McCree, age 26, of Tabor, South Dakota died unexpectedly Thursday, August 4, 2005, at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton.
A memorial service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, August 13, 2005, at the Wintz & Ray Funeral Home in Yankton with the Reverend Dean Trapp officiating. Visitation with the family will be one hour prior to the memorial service.
John was born December 29, 1978, at Brigham City, Utah to Willis McCree and Pamela (Mathis) Kiser.
Survivors include his fiance, Jamie Eldred and her children, Christopher, Grace and Caleb of Tabor, South Dakota; father, Willis McCree of Wappingers Falls, New York; mother, Pamela Kiser of Brigham City, Utah; one brother; three sisters; his fiance's grandparents, Velma Decker and Wilma Hornstra both of Yankton and her parents, Herb and Jane Hornstra of Sinclair, Wyoming.
Funeral services for Marie E. Mehlhaff of Scotland will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 28 at the United Church of Christ in Scotland with Rev. Ron Shifley officiating. Linda Kronaizl will be organist and soloist will be Patty Anderson. Interment will follow in Rosehill Cemetery, Scotland. Casketbearers are all grandchildren and step-grandchildren. Honorary casketbearers are Brandan Anderson, Laura Harrington, Hope Mehlhaff, Janae Mehlhaff, Dana Triebwasser and Wendy Zbanski. Active casketbearers are Paul Harrington, Jared Mehlhaff, Jeffrey Mehlhaff, Luke Mehlhaff, Blaine Triebwasser and Taylor Triebwasser. Visitation will be held on Wednesday from 3:00 p.m. until a 7:00 p.m. prayer service at the Goglin Funeral Home in Scotland, with the family present to greet visitors from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.
Marie Elsie Mehlhaff was born on Saturday, January 7, 1928 near Menno, South Dakota to Fred and Martha (Guericke) Fischer and grew up in the Menno area. Marie was united in marriage to Clinton Mehlhaff on November 23, 1952 in Menno. They farmed near Kaylor and Marie was a farmwife until they moved into Scotland in 1968. She then worked at M-Tron in Yankton for nearly 20 years. Marie will be remembered for her baking, especially her chocolate chip cookies, pies and kuchen and her homemade ice cream. She also enjoyed embroidery, gardening and canning. Marie was a proud, devoted grandmother and loved spending time with her grandchildren. She was a member of the Scotland United Church of Christ. Marie died on Monday, March 25, 2013 at Landmann-Jungman Memorial Hospital in Scotland at the age of 85 years, 2 months and 18 days.
Grateful for having shared Marie’s life are her husband of 60 years, Clinton Mehlhaff of Scotland; three children: Marlene (Don) Harrington of Wagner, John (Jeanne) Mehlhaff of Mitchell, and Jack (Michelle) Mehlhaff of Sioux Falls; eight grandchildren, three step-grandchildren and one great-grandchild: three brothers: Ernest Fischer of Scotland, Helmuth (Ruby) Fischer of Scotland and Gebhardt (Marcella) Fischer of Menno; three sisters: Olga (Ruben) Mehlhaff of Tripp, Hildegard (Marvin) Mehlhaff of Yankton, and Bertha (Alton) Mettler of Menno; and a brother-in-law, Lawrence (Bonnie) Mehlhaff of Texas.
In addition to her parents, Fred and Martha Fischer, Marie was preceded in death by her parents-in-law, one sister, Lorentine (Erwin) Walz, and one sister-in-law, Ruth Fischer, and one brother-in-law, Erwin Walz.
The funeral service for Bertha McMacken, 101, of Mobridge and formerly of Timber Lake and Spearfish was held on Saturday, December 27, 2008 at the Kesling Funeral Home in Mobridge. Jeff Stradinger officiated. Burial was at the Timber Lake Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home.
Mrs. McMacken passed away Monday, December 22, 2008 at the Golden LivingCenter in Mobridge.
Bertha Wendell Dawes was born on June 12, 1907 along with her twin sister, Ann Van Dorn Dawes (Friese), to Bertha and John Edmund Dawes of Tyndall.
She attended school in Springfield where she received her two-year teaching degree. In 1927, she had her first teaching assignment in Trail City, where she met Francis McMacken. They were married on July 29, 1929. They ranched north of Trail City, where their first four children were born— Merriel, Ellen, Faye and Robert. In 1936 they moved to Timber Lake where Marvin, Joe, and twins Bonnie and Betty joined the family.
Bertha resumed her teaching in 1948 in Timber Lake, as married women were finally allowed to teach. She was active in the community and served as organist in the Methodist Church for many years. She was an active member of the Eastern Star for 81 years, was a Past Worthy Matron and was appointed to the State Office of Grand Ruth.
She was a “second mother” to many of her children’s friends.
She received an honorary B.S. degree from Northern State University just before her 100th birthday. Bertha is survived by one son, Marvin (Connie) McMacken of Piedmont; five daughters— Merriel (Lyle) Zimmer of Sun City West, AZ, Ellen Wilhelm of Custer, Faye (Paul) Stradinger of Isabel, Betty Schweitzer of Timber Lake, and Bonnie (Brother) Yuker of Glencross; 26 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren also survive.
She is preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 61 years, Francis in 1991; two sons, Joe in 1993 and Bob in 1994; a granddaughter, Joyce Jewett Mackenzie in 1995, and three sisters– Clara, Ella and her twin, Ann.
Casketbearers were Brett McMacken, James McMacken, Leon “Smoke” Schweitzer, Faron Schweitzer, Lynn Stradinger, Mark Gilmour, Tim Gilmour, Bill Yuker, and Lance Yuker. Honorary bearers were all of Bertha’s friends and family.
Jane Stradinger played the organ and Jessica Stradinger sang “Sweet Hour of Prayer.” Congregational hymns were “In The Garden” and “Silent Night.”
Helen Louise Meisel, 83, Tyndall, died Tuesday (May 15, 2001) at the Tyndall Good Samaritan Center.
She has been cremated and will be buried in the Czech National Cemetery, Tyndall, under the direction of the Petrik-Kelley Funeral Home, Tyndall.
She was born Jan. 4, 1918, at Tyndall to Milford and Sylvia Bambas. She married Milford Meisel in 1944 at Chicago, Ill. She attended nursing school in Omaha, Neb. She was a registered nurse for several years and was an army nurse during World War II. She and her husband moved back to Tyndall in 1982.
She was a member of the Eastern Star.
She is survived by one daughter, Kristine Stewart, Anaheim, Calif.; one step-sister, Olga Herman, Valley Springs, Calif.; and many friends in California and the Tyndall area.
She was preceded in death by her husband and her parents.
Lyle W. Magorien, age 69, of Yankton died Saturday, May 8, 2010 at St. Michael’s Hospital, Tyndall, SD.
Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at St. Benedict Catholic Church with Rev. Bob Lacey officiating. Burial of the cremated remains will be 1:15 p.m. at the Mission Hill Cemetery, Mission Hill, SD. Visitations will be 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, at St. Benedict Catholic Church, Yankton, with a rosary at 7:00 p.m. followed by a Scripture service at 7:30 p.m. His video tribute will be shown throughout. Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home & Crematory, Yankton, is in charge of arrangements. Pallbearers are Corey Freidel, Jeff Dressen, Chad Hovorka, Marc Hovorka, Travis Locker, Jason Loecker, Don Vandertuig. Honorary pallbearers are Gerald Koster, Dick Lane, Merlyn Schmuck, Duke Boyd, Craig Kennedy, Don Lepp, David Fiedler.
Lyle W. Magorien, Sr. was born February 14, 1941 in Yankton to Raymond and Marie (Westlund) Magorien. He grew up on the family farm along the James River, attending country school and later graduating from Yankton High School in 1959. He moved to Mitchell where he worked as a Journeyman’s apprentice, later moving to Tripp, SD where he worked in sales for 3 years and then moved to Yankton. Lyle worked as a Security Guard at the Human Services Center while attending USD. He later earned his Journeyman Plumber’s license and worked as a Journeyman Plumber for Johnson Control for many years. He later co-owned Midwest Controls for ten years and later started Lyle’s Heating and Cooling where he worked on pneumatic controls until his retirement.
Lyle was a member of St. Benedict Catholic Church in Yankton where he was confirmed into the church on March 22, 2008. He served as an usher/greeter and enjoyed volunteering for various church activities.
Lyle loved to garden, hunt, fish, play cards and spend time with family and friends. He was an avid fan of the Tabor Bluebird Baseball team and the USD Coyotes, especially the football team. Lyle made a gift of sight through the Lions Eye Bank of Sioux Falls, SD. He was a member of the Czech Heritage Society of Tabor.
He is survived by his life partner, Cheryl Hovorka, Yankton, his son Lyle Jr. (Lisa), Pierre, two granddaughters, Danielle Magorien, Madison, Shelby Magorien, Pierre and one great-granddaughter Peyton Marie Magorien, Pierre. 5 sisters Joanne Dressen, San Antonio, TX; Janet Shuff (Ross), Yankton, Margaret Magorien, Columbus, NE, Linda Luken, Dakota Dunes, Lois Hogate, Dakota Dunes, numerous nieces and nephews, his St. Benedict church family and his yellow lab, Goldie.
Lyle was preceded in death by his son, James R. Magorien, his parents, sisters Ilene Hamburg and Mary Magorien, brother-in-law Ron Dressen and his black lab Geraldine.
Memorials may be directed to:
One Heart, One Mind, One Spirit in Christ Catholic Campaign, 509 Capitol, Yankton, SD; Benedictine Health Foundation, 1000 West 4th Street, Yankton, SD; Senior Companions, 1000 N. West Avenue, Suite 260, Sioux Falls, SD 57104.
Clifford M. Manley, 88, Vermillion, died Monday (Sept. 3, 2001) at Sioux Valley Vermillion Care Center.
Funeral service is at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the United Methodist Church, Vermillion, with the Rev. Brook McBride officiating. Burial will be in the Bluff View Cemetery. Visitation is from 6-7:30 p.m. today (Wednesday), with a 7:30 p.m. prayer service followed by a Masonic service and an Eastern Star service, at the church. The Iverson-Siecke Funeral Home, Vermillion, is in charge of arrangements.
He was born Nov. 5, 1912, at Esmond to Myron and Bessie (Grotta) Manley. He attended DeSmet High School and Duluth Junior College, Duluth, Minn. He received his bachelor's from SDSU, Brookings, and his master's from Colorado University. He was in the U.S. Signal Corps stationed in India and attained rank of captain. He married Helen Dempster June 3, 1942, at Springfield. He was a superintendent at Hetland and Wentworth high schools and was a science teacher and principal at Vermillion High School. He retired in 1977.
He was a member of the United Methodist Church, Vermillion, Incense Masonic Lodge No. 2, Juno Chapter OES and American Legion. He was also a member of the Lions Club since 1952, where he held a number of offices.
He is survived by his wife, Helen Manley, Vermillion; two sons: Dr. Myrl Manley, Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Douglas (Gosia) Manley, Chicago, Ill.; one son-in-law, Allan Jones, Brookings; three brothers: Irwin Manley, Santa Maria, Calif.; Don Manley, Lincoln, Neb.; and Dale Manley, Arlington; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, one daughter and one brother.
Velma E. Meiers, 85, of Sioux Falls, formerly of Avon, died Tuesday, June 7, 2005, at the Bethany Lutheran Home in Sioux Falls, SD.
Services are 10:30 a.m. Friday, June 10, 2005, at the First Baptist Church in Avon, with burial in the Baptist Cemetery, rural Avon. Visitation is Thursday at the First Baptist Church from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m., with a 7 p.m. prayer service. Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Chapel in Avon is in charge of arrangements.
Velma Elizabeth (Hubner) Meiers was born August 13, 1919, in Avon, South Dakota, the daughter of Pauline (Engel) and Emanuel Hubner. She died Tuesday, June 7, 2005, at the Bethany Lutheran Home in Sioux Falls, SD at the age of 85 years, 9 months and 28 days. Velma attended Myrtle School in rural Avon. Pastor E. Broeckel baptized Velma at the Danzig Baptist Church near Avon on April 16, 1933.
On June 30, 1940, Velma was united in marriage to LaVelle A. Meiers in Luverne, Minnesota. Three children were born to this union. Together they raised a family and farmed near Avon from 1940 until 1998 when LaVelle was tragically killed in a farm accident. Due to health reasons, Velma moved to Sioux Falls in 2001.
Velma was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and homemaker. As a faithful member of the First Baptist Church in Avon, she taught Sunday School for many years. Velma loved to quilt, sew, cook, bake cookies and decorate cakes, and always had coffee and baked goods for anyone who visited the farm. Children were especially welcomed and soon realized she had a secret candy drawer filled with treats.
Her memory will be cherished by her children: Denis and wife Sandra (Sattler) of Scottsdale, AZ; Wanda and husband Ron Oorlog of Frisco, TX; and Alan and wife Carla (Powers) of Sioux Falls, SD; five grandchildren: Bradley Meiers and Beth Meiers Sparks of Colorado Springs, CO; Jayne Oorlog Patterson of Frisco, TX; and Ashley and Courtney Meiers of Sioux Falls, SD; four great-grandchildren: Catherine and Victoria Patterson of Frisco, TX; and Henry and Clara Jane Sparks of Colorado Springs, CO; two sisters: Joyce Janssen of Avon, SD, and Clarice Reiff of Sioux Falls, SD; along with many relatives and friends.
Her husband Lavelle, her parents and two brothers, Burnell and Cliff Hubner, preceded her in death.
Memorial services for Shirley L. Madden, 83, of Avon, South Dakota will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 8, 2014 at the First Presbyterian Church in Avon. Visitation will be held at the church one hour prior to the service. Burial will be held at a later date. Shirley passed away Monday evening, November 3 at the Good Samaritan Society of Tyndall.
Shirley Louise Madden, age 83 of Avon, South Dakota passed away peacefully surrounded by family at the Tyndall Good Samaritan Center on November 3, 2014.
She was born in St. Petersburg, Florida to Dorthea Goepel and James Carroll Walsh. Tim Madden married Shirley and her 7 children on November 20, 1976 in Livermore, California and moved to South Dakota in the year 2000.
Known for her gentle spirit, love, kindness, compassion, and selflessness; always giving and caring for others with such joy and love in her heart. She loved dancing, singing, music, sewing, many crafts, and her family.
Loving mother of seven children: daughter Lois Marie English of Halfmoon Bay, CA, son David Berberich of Clearlake, CA, daughter Nancy (Charles) Deitchman of Alexandria, VA, daughter Sheryl Berberich of Sioux City, IA, son Mark Berberich of Garden Valley, CA, son Jim Berberich of Sioux City, IA, and daughter Carol (Harlan) Hoffman of Tyndall.
Loving Grandmother to 18 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren.
She is also survived by her husband Tim Madden, six children, 18 grandchildren, and 29 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her mother Dorothea Swift, her sister Lois Marie Walsh Swift, and her son Mark Berberich.
Helen M. Manley, 87, Vermillion, died Saturday (Nov. 24, 2007) at Sanford Vermillion Hospital.
She was born Jan. 16, 1920, at Tyndall, SD, to Ray F. and Florence (Shoemaker) Dempster. She attended Southern Normal at Springfield and got her degree from USD.
She married Clifford Manley June 3, 1942, at Springfield, SD. The couple moved to Vermillion in 1948, where she was a special education teacher for the Vermillion Public Schools. Her husband died Sept. 3, 2001.
She was a member of Juno Chapter No. 44 OES, where she served as Worthy Matron, PEO, Retired Teachers Association and Delta Kappa Gamma. She attended United Methodist Church, Vermillion.
Helen is survived by her sons: Dr. Myrl Manley of Brooklyn, N.Y., Douglas (Gosia) Manley of Port Barrington, Ill.; son-in-law, Allan Jones of Brookings, SD; four grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Services are 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007, at United Methodist Church, Vermillion, with the Rev. Brook McBride officiating. Burial is in the Bluff View Cemetery, Vermillion. Visitation is 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007, at the church. Prayer service is 7 p.m. Tuesday at the church, followed by Eastern Star Service.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her daughter, Marjorie Jones.
Iverson-Siecke Funeral Home, Vermillion, is in charge of arrangements.
Funeral service for Doris "Faye" Muller, 76, of Avon will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, July 13, 2007, at the First Presbyterian Church in Avon, with burial in the Springfield Cemetery, rural Springfield. Visitation will be at the Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Chapel in Avon from 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday, followed by a 7:30 p.m. prayer service at the church.
Doris Faye Muller was born November 25, 1930, at the Hollingsworth Hospital in Avon. She died Monday, July 9, 2007, at the Good Samaritan Center in Tyndall. Faye attained the age of 76 years, seven months and 14 days.
Faye was the third child born to Ernest and Grace (Luke) Kibble. She lived with her parents and two sisters on a farm southwest of Avon and attended the rural Trumbo School. After Faye's father died when she was eleven years old, she and her mother moved into an apartment in Avon. Faye attended the Avon Public School for a few months, until she and her mother moved to Washington State where her oldest sister lived. They remained there a year and then returned to Avon, not caring for the city life. Faye again attended the Avon School, graduating in 1948. She attended USD and Southern State College and received a teaching certificate.
Faye married James Muller on October 28, 1949, and she returned to farm life with her husband. She also taught at the rural Rouse (Fees) School for two years. Jim and Faye wanted a family, so it was decided that she abandon teaching and begin their family. They were blessed with five children: three girls and two boys, who enriched their lives. Four of their children graduated from Avon High School and went on to become independent young adults in control of their destinies.
In 1978, Jim and Faye, along with their youngest son moved to Tabor, where they lived and worked for 16 years. Their youngest son attended school in Tabor and graduated from Bon Homme High School. He too, found his niche in the community and set out on his own life. After Jim's retirement, his health began to deteriorate and they moved to Tyndall in 1994. Jim passed away February 2, 2000, after a long illness. Faye continued to live in Tyndall until July 4, 2001, when she completed the circle, and returned to Avon.
Throughout Faye's life, she worked as a substitute teacher at the Bon Homme 4-2 School District, with her husband at his bar in Tabor, cooked at the Tabor Nutrition Center, was an Avon Lady, worked for the ROCS program, and was the assistant activities director at the Good Samaritan Center in Tyndall for many years.
Faye enjoyed playing the organ, researching genealogy, working on computers and the Internet, baking, canning, knitting and crocheting. She will especially be remembered for her joy of being near her family and enjoying their support.
Thankful for having shared her life are her children: Charmaine Pelton and husband, Larry, Michelle Muller, Mike and wife, llene, and Lisa Einrem and husband, Mike, all of Avon; and Jamie and wife, Barb of Tyndall; nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren: Chase and Clay Muller, Robin Muller, Bridgette Muller and her son, Keegan McAdaragh, Bret Muller and wife, Amanda, Jason Muller and wife, Shawna and their son, Aidan, Jen Muller, Maggie Einrem and her daughter, Gracie, and Casey Einrem and wife, Jen; one sister, Alice Marek of Yankton; and many nieces, nephews and close friends.
Faye was preceded in death by her husband; parents; sister, Nellie Kiehlbauch who died of throat cancer in 1990; and her grandparents: Richard and Rosina Kibble and R.J. and Nellie Luke.
Funeral services for Ardena Mueller of Tripp will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, February 19 at the First American Lutheran Church in Tripp with Rev. Barry Nelson officiating. Shirley Orth will be organist. Interment will be held on Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Rosehill Cemetery in Scotland. Casketbearers will be Steve Bares, Glen Batterman, Todd Bietz, Wayne Bietz, Doug Mehlhaff and Dale Werning.
Ardena Pauline Mueller was born on Wednesday, January 30, 1918 near Menno to Henry and Pauline (Neuharth) Mehlhaff. She was baptized and confirmed in the Reformed faith and attended school through the 8th grade. Ardena was united in marriage to Roland Mueller on August 23, 1936. They farmed in the Scotland area and later went into business in Scotland. They took care of the former Zion Lutheran Church prior to the new church being built. Ardena worked as a housekeeper at the Good Samaritan Center in Scotland for 20 years. She taught Sunday school for many years and was a member of the county extension club. In 1995, she moved to an apartment in Tripp and became a resident of the Good Samaritan Society of Tripp in January of 2003. Ardena passed away on Saturday, February 16, 2013 at the Good Samaritan Society in Tripp, having attained the age of 95 years, 17 days.
Grateful for having shared her life are her daughter, Carol (Elmer) Bietz of Tripp and her son, Marvin (Patty) Mueller of Parker, Colorado; seven grandchildren: Cindy (Glen) Batterman, Joan (Dale) Werning, Wayne (Tammy) Bietz, Todd (Charlene) Bietz, Linda (Steve) Bares, Deb Francies and Shelly Anderson; 16 great-grandchildren and 11 great-great-grandchildren; a sister, Lorrine Frey, of Waukesha, Wisconsin; and a sister-in-law, Marge Mehlhaff of Rapid City.
She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, brothers Edgar and Ray Mehlhaff, one daughter-in-law, one brother-in-law and one sister-in-law.
Wayne & Alma Metcalf
Wayne Anderson Metcalf, 85, Avon, died Thursday (Jan. 10, 2002) at St. Michael's Hospital, Tyndall.
Funeral services will be 3 p.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church, Avon. Visitation will be 1-5 p.m. today (Friday) at the Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Chapel, Avon. A prayer service will be at 7 p.m. tonight at the church. Visitation will continue at 10 a.m. Saturday at the church to the time of the service.
He was born June 30, 1916, in Greene, Iowa, to Clarence and Lucy (Anderson) Metcalf. He graduated from Avon High School in 1934. He married Alma Boese June 1, 1938. Together they farmed south of Avon until his retirement in 1993.
He was a member of First Presbyterian Church, Avon; the Masonic Lodge and the Bon Homme County Men's Chorus.
He is survived by his wife, Alma, Avon; one daughter, Joyce (Jim) Kurtz, Rapid City; one son, Robert (Ruth) Metcalf, Sioux Falls; five grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; one sister, Ruth Weinhart, Escondido.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother.
Memorials may be directed to the First Presbyterian Church, Avon.
Wayne & Alma Metcalf
Alma Metcalf, 85, of Avon, died Friday (May 10, 2002) at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton.
Funeral services will be at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the First Presbyterian Church in Avon. Burial is in the church cemetery. Visitation will be from 4-7:30 p.m. today (Monday), followed by a 7:30 p.m. prayer service; and Tuesday from 9 a.m. until noon at the Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Chapel in Avon.
She was born July 25, 1916, in rural Avon to Isaac and Nettie (Schultz) Boese. She attended country grade school and graduated from Springfield High School. She graduated from Southern Normal in Springfield and taught school for two years. She married Wayne Metcalf on June 1, 1938, at her parents' home in rural Avon. In 1941, they purchased a farm six miles south of Avon where together they farmed for 52 years. They retired in 1993.
She was a very active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Avon, where she served as a Sunday School teacher for many years, sang in the choir, and was a member and past president of the First Presbyterian Women. She was a member of the Reading Club and Eastern Star.
She will be remembered for her love of family, gardening, antiques, quilting, sewing and cooking.
She is survived by her daughter, Joyce (Jim) Kurtz, Rapid City; a son Robert (Ruth), Sioux Falls; five grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; two sisters, Opal Ratzlaff, Avon, and Carol Lukkes, Seattle, Wash.; a brother, Merlin Boese, Custer.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Wayne, on Jan. 10, 2002, her parents, one brother and one sister.
Memorials will be directed to the First Presbyterian Church in Avon.
Johanna A. Mutschelknaus, age 105, of Yankton, died Thursday, July 1, 2004, at Avera Sister James Care Center, Yankton.
A funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 5, 2004, at Riverview Park Reformed Church with the Reverend Rodney Veldhuizen officiating. Burial will be in the Garden of Memories Cemetery, Yankton. Visitation is from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. Sunday at the Ray, Cantrell & Wintz Funeral Home, Yankton with the family present from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and a VFW Auxiliary Memorial Service at 6:00 p.m. Pallbearers are Jason Gruneich, Joel Gruneich, Nick Gruneich, Alan Mutschelknaus, Dan Mutschelknaus, Dave Mutschelknaus, Kile Mutschelknaus and Bruce Ulmer.
Johanna was born March 11, 1899, on the family farm near Scotland, South Dakota, to Christian and Sophie (Dietrich) Weidenbach. She was baptized July 30, 1899, at Petersburg Congregational Church in Lesterville, South Dakota. She was confirmed February 23, 1913, at the Petersburg Congregation Church in Scotland. She attended grade school at Plum Country School. She then helped work on the farm with her parents. After World War I on March 20, 1919, she married Emil Mutschelknaus at her parents' home in Scotland. She then moved near Lesterville and farmed with her husband for 35 years. In 1954, they moved to Yankton. She worked in the Yankton College kitchen for five years and later at Lewis & Clark Drug Store in downtown Yankton for three years. After retiring, she became a babysitter.
She was a member of VFW Women's Auxiliary, Riverview Park Reformed Church and the Ladies Aide.
Survivors include her son, Lavern Mutschelknaus of Trent, South Dakota; six grandchildren; nine great grandchildren; and one great-great grandson.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, on June 15, 1969 at the age of 73; son, Arnold Ulmer; infant daughter; four brothers: Gust, Reuben, John and Theodore Wiedenbach; eight sisters: Emelia Schortzman, Christine Sayler, Lea Mutchelknaus, Minnie Weber, Sophie Schurtzman, Katie Meyer, Hilda Ulmer and Augustina Kraft.
Stanley James Matson, 76, of Sioux Falls, formerly of Springfield, passed away on Saturday, April 24, 2010 at the Royal C. Johnson Veterans Hospital in Sioux Falls.
Funeral services will begin at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at Heritage Funeral Home with burial in Woodlawn Cemetery. Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m. Monday at Heritage Funeral Home with the family present from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Stan was born on September 15, 1933 to Roy and Viola Matson in Elk Point, SD where he attended and graduated from high school. After high school Stan served with the United States Air Force from 1953 until his honorable discharge in 1961.
Stan married Irene Fischer on September 29, 1962 and lived in Elk Point, Kaylor and Scotland before moving to Springfield, SD in 1971. Stan retired after serving 25 years as chief of police for the community of Springfield. In 2008 Stan and Irene moved to Sioux Falls due to Stan’s failing health. Irene devotedly cared for Stan at the home until it was necessary to place him in Hospice/Palative care at the VA Medical Center late last winter.
Stan enjoyed fishing and spent many evenings catching fish from the banks of the Missouri with close friends. Stan was instrumental in the construction of the Springfield Golf Course and spent many hours enjoying the game. On Sunday he could be found with his friends watching football or NASCAR. Stan was a practical joker and played many jokes on his friends and in return had many played on him. When his grandkids would stay with him on the weekends it became a ritual to go for a ride after getting a “Bear Claw” for the Casey’s store in the mornings. Stan’s humor and wit will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
Grateful for having shared his life are: his wife, Irene, Sioux Falls; son Tim and his wife, Cindy, Hartford, and two grandsons, Spencer and Noah; two sisters, Betty Siebens, Port Angeles, WA; Nancy (Joel) Ryan, Elk Point, SD; a brother, Josef Matson, Clive, IA; two sisters-in-law, Barbara and Lois Matson, Sioux Falls and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral services for Norma E. Mueller of Tripp will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 17 at the Zion Lutheran Church in Scotland with Pastor Jonathon Vehar officiating. Organist will be Dorothy Bietz. Interment will follow in Rosehill Cemetery, Scotland. Honorary casketbearers are the residents and staff of the Tripp Good Samaritan Society and the Yankton Care Center and Erin, Nicholas and Evan. Active casketbearers are Eric Hoogshagen, Donavon List, Eugene List, Roger List, Larry Mueller and Lester Mueller. Visitation will be held on Monday from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the Goglin Funeral Home in Scotland.
Norma Ellen Mueller was born on Saturday, December 1, 1945 at Scotland, South Dakota to Alex E. and Hattie L. (List) Mueller. She attended Odessa #4 Country School and graduated from Scotland High School in 1963. She attended Mount Marty College in Yankton for three years, majoring in Sociology with a Psychology minor. Norma got a degree in medical transcription from a technical school in Seattle, Washington. She began working as a medical secretary and transcriptionist in 1968 and worked in Seattle, Minneapolis, Sioux Falls and Yankton. She retired due to ill health in December of 2004. Norma passed away on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls at the age of 63 years, 11 months and 10 days.
Norma is survived by her mother, Hattie Mueller of Scotland; a sister, Rose (Larry) Hoogshagen of Scotland; three nieces and nephews: Erin, Eric and Evan; and one great-nephew, Nicholas.
Norma was preceded in death by her father, Alex Mueller in January of 2009.
Funeral services for Hattie Mueller of Scotland will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, January 18 at Zion Lutheran Church in Scotland with Rev. Jonathan Vehar officiating. Organist is Dorothy Bietz. Interment will follow in Rosehill Cemetery, Scotland. Casketbearers are Joe James, Donavon List, Eugene List, Roger List, Larry Mueller and Lester Mueller.
Hattie Lou Mueller was born on Friday, September 29, 1922 near Utica, South Dakota to Norman and Hedwig (Hasker) List. She attended country school through the 8th grade. She worked at the state hospital in Yankton for a time. Hattie was united in marriage to to Alex E. Mueller on June 3, 1941 at Lesterville, South Dakota. She was a devoted farmwife who raised her family and cared for a large garden. Hattie will be remembered for her baking, especially her homemade bread, and sewing. She also enjoyed playing solitaire and artex craft painting. They farmed until 1990, when they retired and moved to Scotland. She and Alex were members of Zion Lutheran Church. She became a resident of the Good Samaritan Society in 2000. Hattie passed away on Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at Landmann-Jungman Memorial Hospital in Scotland at the age of 90 years, 3 months, and 17 days.
Hattie is survived by her daughter, Rose (Larry) Hoogshagen of Scotland; three grandchildren: Erin, Eric and Evan; and two great-grandchildren: Nicholas and Jadyn.
In addition to her parents, Norman and Hedwig List, she was preceded in death by her husband, Alex, and her daughter, Norma Mueller, both in 2009.
Dallas Mulford, age 69, of Yankton, passed away Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital after a short battle with Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS).
Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, March 12, 2011 at Kingsway Christian Church, Yankton, with Rev. John DeGroff officiating. Burial will be in the ZCBJ Cemetery, Tabor, SD at approximately 1:15 PM, Saturday afternoon. Visitations will be one hour prior to the service at the church. The Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home & Crematory is in charge of arrangements.
Dallas was born in Lindy, NE to Samuel and Mable (Hill) Mulford on October 17, 1941. He went to school in Lindy and Niobrara NE. Dallas worked for Moody Motors in Niobrara for several years before moving to North Platte to work as a carpenter. He moved to the Yankton area in 1979 where he married Susan Jane Black (Denton) on March 13, 1980. He worked at Morgen Manufacturing for approximately 28 years. He then retired and they moved to western Nebraska and enjoyed his retirement until he became ill. At that time, they returned to the Yankton area to be near family and friends. Dallas enjoyed the simple things in life. He spent his free time drawing and painting. He enjoyed drives in the country, fishing, hunting, and restoring antique tractors. The thing he loved the most was spending time with his grandkids.
He is survived by his wife, Susan of Yankton, SD; his daughter, Kathy Anderson (Dudley) of Winner, SD and their children: Kayla (Chancey) Kartak, Kaitlin, NaShara; his son, Kelly (Nikki) Denton of Tabor, SD and their children: Shania, Shaeley, Jayde and Jacob Dallas; one great granddaughter, Keasha Kartak; brother, Charlie Mulford and a sister, Bonnie Cash, both of Niobrara, NE; extended family Sandy Taggart, Todd (Kris) and their children: Emma and Abby; Tonya (Mike) Colby and their children: Mikayla and Addison, nieces, nephews and many friends and family.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his two brothers: Eugene and Dennis, and his sister, Dixie Mulford.
Elsie Merkwan age 95 of Tabor passed away Saturday (Nov. 22, 2003) at the Avera Yankton Care Center, Yankton.
Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2003, at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, Tabor, with the Rev. Joe Puthenkulathil and the Msgr. Carlton Hermann officiating. Burial will be in the ZCBJ Cemetery, Tabor. Casket Bearers will be Don Voudry, Jerry Albrecht, Clark Mola, Don Koranda, Timothy Svatos and Ed Melichar. Honorary Casket Bearers will be her nieces and nephews. Visitations will be from 4-9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, 2003, at the Kostel Funeral Home, Tabor with a rosary at 7 p.m. followed by a Scripture service. Visitations will resume one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.
Elsie was born Nov. 16, 1908, at Victor, Iowa, to Frank and Anna (Pidima) Chadim. At an early age, she moved with her parents to Tabor, S.D., in 1915. They moved to a farm near Tabor and continued living there. She attended Tabor Public School, through the 10th grade. She worked at various jobs until obtaining a job as Chief Operator for Northwestern Bell Telephone Company in Tabor. She worked for Northwestern Bell for 12 years until marrying Albert Merkwan Jan. 23, 1945. She continued farming with her husband until his death Aug. 20, 1992. She then moved to the Tabor Manor in the summer of 1992.
She is survived by one sister, Rose Lyons of Yankton, S.D.; nieces and nephews: Bob Svatos, Rose (Don) Voudry, Patricia (Jerry) Albrecht, Anita (Clark) Mola, Don (Irene) Koranda and Donna (Ed) Melichar.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and two sisters: Marie Koranda and Petronella Svatos.
Funeral services for Mrs. Steve (Josephine) Misar, 65, of rural Scotland will be at 10:30 am Monday at the Tyndall Methodist Church with the Rev. Gary Wolfer officiating. Friends may call the Petrik Funeral Home in Tyndall all day Sunday. Burial will be in the Tyndall Cemetery.
She was born March 28, 1907 at Avon to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Bartunek and died Nov. 24, 1972 at the Tyndall hospital. On Oct. 31, 1934 she married Steve Misar and they farmed north of Tyndall.
Survivors include her widower; two daughter, Miss Evelyn Sioux City, and Mrs. Orville (Josephine) Hauck, Menno; two sons, Elmer and Melvin, Scotland; two grandsons; a brother, Joe Bartunek, Tyndall, and four sisters, Mrs. Rose Ober and Mrs. Stanley Vellek, Tyndall; Mrs. Agnes Juran, Wagner, and Mrs. Hattie Nehonsky, Scotland.
Marvin Henry Meyer, age 91, of Tyndall, South Dakota passed away on Thursday, January 5, 2012 at The Good Samaritan Home in Tyndall.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, January 9 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Tyndall with Rev. Dean Schroeder officiating. Pianist will be Rachael Starwalt with special music by Scott, John and Paul Meyer. Interment will follow in the Tyndall Cemetery. Honorary pallbearers will be Marvin’s granddaughters and active pallbearers will be Marvin’s grandsons.
Marvin was born on March 24, 1920 on the family farm near Elkton, SD to Arthur, Sr. and Ella (Sandkamp) Meyer. Marvin attended country school in Brookings County. He attended Elkton High School for 3 years before graduating from Watertown High School in 1937. After attending SDSU for one year, he moved to California and worked at Lockheed Aircraft from 1940-1942. He returned to SD to work on the family farm near Watertown.
On September 10, 1944 he married Avis R. A. Mork (Morky) in Granite Falls, MN. From that day on, you rarely heard one name without the other — “Marv & Morky” were a team like no other. Marvin began his lifelong career with George A. Hormel & Company working in Austin, MN and Mitchell, SD. He opened the first hog buying station in Tyndall in August 1949, which he operated for 37 years until his retirement in 1985. During these years he enjoyed many friendships with local farmers. Marvin and Morky moved to Brookings in 2004 and returned to Tyndall to live in the North Point apartments in the summer of 2011.
Marv and Morky celebrated a wonderful partnership of 67 years of marriage. For their first anniversary they went camping in a tent and that was the beginning of over 60 years of camping and traveling throughout the US. Dancing, fishing and gardening were times enjoyed together. Marv was an avid hunter and collector of antique Red Wing stoneware.
Marvin served in many ways to support his church and community. He was a 50 year member of the Tyndall Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow, Tyndall City Council member and president of St. John’s Lutheran Church where he also served as treasurer for 25 years.
Grateful for having shared his life are his wife, Avis Meyer, Tyndall, SD, his sons Roger (Van), Yankton, SD; Larry (Anne) Yankton, SD; David (Patricia), Brookings, SD and his daughter Julie (Michael) Heyl, Lincoln, NE.
Marvin’s legacy of faith and love will continue in his grandchildren, Rachael (Chris) Olmstead, Michael Meyer (Laura) and Colleen Meyer; Jennifer (Jeremy) Nolan and Amy Meyer (Larry Barker); Andrea (Brian) Schmidt, Scott Meyer (Taylor), John and Paul Meyer; Eric, Alex and Emily Heyl, and 6 great-grandchildren.
Remembering a life well lived will be his siblings Delwin (Eloise) Meyer, Huntsville, AL; Lon (Miriam) Meyer, Phoenix, AZ; and two sisters-in-law Ruth Elshere, Watertown, SD and Eunice Meyer, South Shore, SD.
Marvin was preceded in death by his parents, three sisters, and four brothers.
Memorials may be directed to St. John’s Lutheran Church and The Good Samaritan Society.
Bernice E. Mann, 86, died Saturday, Jan. 3, 1998. Memorial services will be at 6:30 today in Brooks Funeral Directors Chapel in Canyon, Texas, with the Rev. Richard Bales, pastor of First United Methodist Church, officiating. Funeral service will be at 1:30 Friday in United Church of Christ in Springfield with the Rev. Howard Campbell officiating. Burial will be in Tyndall Cemetery.
Mrs. Mann was born in Tyndall, where she graduated from high school. She was raised in Bon Homme County and had spent her life in that area.
She married Frank V. Mann in 1928 at Sioux Falls. He died in 1981. She also was preceded in death by a son, Bill Mann, in 1947.
Survivors include a son, Buzz Mann of New Braunfels, Texas; a daughter, Kay Stahlecker of Canyon; two brothers, Stuart Curl of Avon and Don Curl of Charles City, Iowa; three grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
The family requests memorials be to United Church of Christ.
We are sad to tell you that our son, Trapper Douglas Magee (1 pound, 3 ounces and 12 inches long), was born and died Oct. 31, 2012, at 12:34 a.m.
Trapper is survived by his parents, Doug and Lisa (Ellis) Magee; his sister, Isabella and twin sister, Katlyn Magee, all of Springfield; grandparents: Leonard and Dorthy Magee of Springfield and Rose LaRoche of Springfield; great grandparents: Lorraine Kappenman of Montrose; Glayds Ost of Seward, NE; as well as aunts, uncles and cousins.
Services will be 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012, at the Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Home, Springfield.
John Gordon Monfore, 92, Tyndall, died Sunday (Jan. 28, 2001) at St. Michael's Hospital, Tyndall.
Funeral services are at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Home, Springfield. Burial will be in the Springfield Cemetery, rural Springfield. Visitation will be from noon-7 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home, and from 9 a.m. until service time Thursday.
He was born Sept. 6, 1908, at Springfield to Frank and Anna (Bouska) Monfore. He moved to a farm northwest of Springfield when he was two years old. In 1927, he graduated from Springfield Normal High School and continued to farm with his father.
He married Florence Kerr July 15, 1934, at the American Legion Lake, Custer. Two years later they moved to an acreage north of Tyndall where he built and operated a repair shop and filling station. He operated this station until World War II. He closed the shop and the family moved to Portland, Ore. He worked in the Kaiser Shipyard until the close of the War. The family returned to Tyndall and John worked for Franzen and Soukup as a mechanic for many years. He then opened his own repair shop and retired in 1989.
He was a member of the Tyndall Methodist Church, a 52-year member of the Bon Homme Masonic Lodge and a 52-year member of the Keystone Order of Eastern Star Lodge, Yankton.
He will be remembered for his love of flowers, doing carpentry work, and simply working and making things work.
He is survived by his wife, Florence, Springfield; daughter, Karyn (Frank) Konfrst, Avon; son, John D. (Linda) Monfore, Klamath Falls, Ore.; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers.
Funeral service for Florence E. Monfore, 96, of Springfield, will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday, March 6, 2008, at the Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Home, Springfield, with John McNeill officiating. Order of Eastern Star services will be conducted by Keystone Chapter #33. Burial is in the Springfield Cemetery. Visitation will be at the Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Home on Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Florence (Kerr) Monfore, daughter of John F. and Clara (Van Alien) Kerr, was born October 22, 1911, at Fairfax, SD. She died Friday, February 29, 2008, at the Good Samaritan Society in Tyndall, SD. Florence attained the age of 96 years, four months and eight days.
Florence attended a rural school in Gregory County, SD and graduated from high school in Spencer, NE in 1927. After graduation from high school, she attended college at Southern State Teachers College in Springfield for two years.
Florence was baptized and confirmed at the Baker Messiah Lutheran Church in 1924. She taught Sunday School classes in that church and also played the organ for Sunday School and church services.
In 1934, Florence married John Monfore of Springfield at Legion Lake in the Black Hills. Two children were born to their union: Karyn Jo and John D.
Florence was a member of the Tyndall United Methodist Church for 59 years and served in various offices of that church. She was a past president of the U.M.W., a past Matron of O.E.S., past president of Chapter AZ P.E.O., a charter member of the Good Samaritan Guild, and a member of the Rachel Circle of the United Methodist Church.
Thankful for having shared her life are her daughter, Karyn Konfrst and husband, Frank of Avon; son, John D. Monfore and wife, Linda of Ft. Klamath, OR; six grandchildren: Karla (Duane) Tucker of Yankton, Gene Konfrst of Avon, Eryn (Donnie) Stadler of Kimball, F. J. (Shelley) Konfrst of Parkston, Shareen (Nathan) Webb of Klamath Falls, OR, John E. (Courtenay) of Klamath Falls, OR; and 11 great grandchildren.
Florence was preceded in death by her husband, John G. Monfore on January 28, 2001; parents; two brothers: Clark G. and John R. Kerr; and sister, Leila Kerr.
Our city was shocked to learn Friday morning last, of the death of Mrs. Monfore, widow of the late Peter Monfore. Mrs. Monfore had returned from Minnesota the previous week with her daughter, Mrs. Whiting, not feeling well, but none of her friends suspected that she was so near the end of her earthly sojourn. Her death came very suddenly Friday morning (Aug. 31, 1906) about seven o'clock of heart failure. None but Mr. and Mrs. Whiting were with her during her last moments, her death being so unlooked for that her children in town could not be summoned in time to reach her side before she had passed away.
Mrs. Monfore was buried in the Springfield cemetery beside her husband on Sunday morning. The funeral services were held at the Episcopal church, the Revs. Williams and Wicks officiating. A very large number of old friends of the Monfore family were present. Mrs. Monfore's sons Elmer W. and Peter G. and her daughters Mrs. Macbeth, Mrs. Whiting, and Mrs. Burkholder were present with their families. The Monfore family is one of our oldest and most esteemed. They have the deepest sympathy of all in this city in their sudden bereavement.
Diana A. Howland was born at Centre Lisle, Broome Co., N.Y., May 26, 1830. She was the oldest in a family of nine children. At the age of sixteen she was called upon to go through a most extraordinary bereavement. The cholera scourge swept through N.Y. state and in a few days her mother and eight brothers and sisters were carried off by the scourge, leaving only the father and oldest daughter of the large and happy family. Thus early, the care of a home was laid upon her shoulders.
In 1847 she was married to Mr. Peter Monfore. They lived in Broome county until 1866, and then moved to Putnam county, Ill., and three years later to Warren county, Iowa. In 1872 they came to Bon Homme county, settling about four miles north of town, but in a short time building a home in this city and living here until the death of Mr. Monfore in 1894. Since then Mrs. Monfore had lived with her children, chiefly with Mrs. Macbeth in Mankato, Minn. She was the mother of seven living sons and daughters, namely: Mr. Emerson J. Monfore, now living in Indian Territory, Mr. Elmer W. Monfore, Mr. Peter G. Monfore, and Mrs. J. W. Whiting of this city, Mrs. Clark S. Rowe, of Boston, Mass., Mrs. C. J. Macbeth, of Mankato, Minn., and Mrs. Alfred Burkholder, of Sioux Falls. One son died in childhood.
Mrs. Monfore was one whose religion worked itself out in the active service of others. From the time when the care of her father's house was thrust upon her at the age of sixteen years, until called away to "the rest that remaineth for the people of God" she was ever full of labors for those she loved. Her children rise up and call her blessed, and she had won the respect of all who knew her by a life of self sacrifice and devotion to those about her. She was a devout communicant of the Episcopal church, having been confirmed therein 28 years ago by Bishop Hare. "Sorrow and toil may come, but at last the Father giveth his beloved sleep." And while all hearts are made sad by a sudden calling away of loved ones, yet in such a case as this the sorrow is drowned in a sense of joy of the loved one called so quickly and with so little pain and weakness from the toils of earth to the rest and peace of Paradise.
John "Mitch" Mitchell was born June 19, 1919 at Wood, South Dakota to Elmo and Katie (Krieger) Mitchell. He married Edna Kappelman on October 21, 1945 at Gregory, South Dakota. Together they raised two children.
Mitch served in the US Army during World War II. Following the war he worked for Schramm Brothers in Winner, South Dakota hauling mail between Winner and White River. In 1950, they moved to Grand Island, Nebraska where he worked for Sullivan Furniture Movers.
Mitch and Edna moved to Springfield, South Dakota in 1964, where he built the Corral Lanes Bowling Alley with his brother-in-law Adolph Hauf. At the same time he started his garbage route in Springfield. He was an avid bowler for many years.
He was baptized in the Lutheran faith and was an active member of Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Springfield. He was also a member of the Dwight Wood Post 132 American Legion.
He is survived by his wife, Edna; his son, Bobby Gene; his daughter, Dee; his mother Katie Mitchell; nine grandchildren; eight great grandchildren; one sister, Mrs. Tony (Margaret) Lebada; and three brothers, Louis, William and Charles.
He was preceded in death by his father and two infant sisters.
Jerry & Vlasta Miller
Funeral services for Vlasta “Lassie” Miller of Tyndall will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, December 14 at the United Methodist Church in Tyndall with the Revs. Duane Coates and Donna McLaird officiating. Organist will be Kathy Koenig and soloist is Lisa Knoll. Interment will follow in the Czech National Cemetery, Tyndall, with auxiliary rites by presented by the Simek-Ptak VFW Post #6895 Auxiliary of Tyndall. Honorary casketbearers are members of the Czech Heritage Preservation Society. Active casketbearers are Bradley Miller, Ronald Miller, David Ruman, Todd Woods, Trevor Woods and Richard Wurts. Visitation will be held on Thursday from 3:00 p.m. until a 7:00 p.m. prayer service at the Goglin Funeral Home in Tyndall.
Vlasta “Lassie” (Ruman) Miller was born on Friday, April 27, 1923 at Tyndall, South Dakota to Alois and Alice (Hladky) Ruman, Sr. She graduated from Tabor High School in 1940. She received her teaching certificate from Southern State Normal School in Springfield, then taught school for four months. She was a civil service clerk for the War Dept. for one year in Washington, D.C. and three years in Detroit, Michigan. She married Orville Henderson in December of 1945 and they had a son, Roger. After returning to South Dakota, Lassie worked for the ASCS for 31 years, retiring in 1981. Lassie married Gerald “Jerry” Miller on August 6, 1960 at the United Methodist Church in Tyndall. She was an active member of the Methodist Church and was treasurer for 17 years. She was a member of the WFLA for over 50 years and was a nominee for “Fraternalist of the Year.” She served as secretary for 39 years and also 2 years for the state chapter. She was a member of the Czech Heritage Preservation Society and was secretary for that organization for 32 years. She was a member of the Tyndall VFW Auxiliary and was secretary for 31 years. She enjoyed bowling and was secretary of the Women’s Bowling League in Tyndall for 20 years and president for 4 years. Lassie passed away on Saturday, December 8, 2012 at the Good Samaritan Society of Tyndall at the age of 89 years, 7 months and 12 days.
Grateful for having shared Lassie’s life are her husband Jerry Miller of Tyndall; her son, Roger (Marci) Henderson of Bloomington, Minnesota; two grandchildren: Sean (Andrea) Henderson and Jodi (Dustin) Lotz; one great-grandson, Zachary Parker Lotz; two brothers: Lumir (Marcy) Ruman of Tyndall and Alois Ruman, Jr. of Tabor; a sister-in-law, Esther Ruman of Marquette, Michigan; and numerous nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents, Alois and Alice Ruman, Sr., she was preceded in death by two brothers: Edward Ruman and Robert Ruman; and two sisters-in-law, Irene (Mrs. Robert) Ruman and Mildred (Mrs. Alois) Ruman.
Deanne Carol (Clough) Maruska was born Friday, December 24, 1943 to Glenn and Maxine (Lutz) Clough in Scotland, South Dakota. She attended Scotland schools and graduated from Scotland High School in 1961. During her senior year, Deanne was crowned Homecoming Queen.
Dee attended college in Springfield until her marriage to Raymond Kay Kayser on February 14, 1963. To this marriage, five children were born.
During her lifetime, she had many jobs: M-Tron, Dakota Poultry, operating two cafes, and others. When not working, Dee loved her sports – bowling, golf, and fishing.
On May 22, 1993, she married Gerald (Jerry) Maruska in Scotland. In 1995, she and Jerry started to spend winters in Texas and moved there permanently in 2002. Dee passed away on Wednesday, November 14, 2012 at the Briarcliff Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in McAllen, Texas at the age of 68 years, 10 months and 20 days.
Left to cherish her memory are her husband, Jerry, of Mission, Texas; five children: Kurtis (JoAnn) Kayser of Huron, Wayne (Chris) Kayser of Aberdeen, Sherrie Wagner of Tripp, Carrie (Jim) Gunn of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Steven (Kristi) Kayser of Mitchell; four stepsons: Jeff (Micheale) Maruska of Indiana, David (Carmen) Maruska of Texas, Klaus Maruska of Wisconsin and Brian (Selena) Maruska of Colorado; 12 grandchildren and 11 step-grandchildren; and two brothers: Bob (Pam) Clough of Rapid City and Dwight Clough of Scotland.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Glenn and Maxine Clough, one sister, Rita, and her maternal and paternal grandparents.
Funeral Mass for Charles Merkwan, 85, of Wagner will be 10:30 a.m., Thursday, November 29, 2012 at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Catholic Church in Dante. Burial is in St. John’s Catholic Cemetery in Wagner. Rosary/Wake services are 7 p.m., Wednesday at the church in Dante. Visitation is Wednesday from 1-5 p.m. at the Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Home in Wagner.
Charles “Charlie” A. Merkwan was born June 21, 1927 at Avon, SD, the son of Frank and Frances (Zacharias) Merkwan. He passed away Monday, November 26, 2012 at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls.
Charles attended the Rouse Township Country School until the eighth grade. He then started farming with his dad south of Wagner.
Charlie married Valeria M. Kelly (whom he called his sweetie) at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in Dante on June 12, 1950. Five children were blessed to their union.
Charlie will be remembered for his love of farming (with his “756” International tractor), listening to Polka music, fishing, looking for someone to speak the Czech language with, his word search puzzles and he would never pass up a cup of coffee and a cookie. Charlie kept up a daily journal of events for over 40 years. He loved spending time with his children, grandchildren and friends and he will always be remembered for his sense of humor.
Thankful for having shared his life are his wife, Valeria, of Wagner; children: Dennis and Mary Merkwan and their daughter Megan, of Wagner; Douglas and Jeanette Merkwan of Ft. Worth, TX; Debra Merkwan and Bob Cuka of Wagner; Denise and Mitch Hertz and their daughter Emma and son Alex, of Sioux Falls; and Donna and Shawn Smejkal and their sons, Cameron, Carter and Dashel and daughter, Sheridan, of Wagner.
Charles was preceded in death by his parents.
Mass of Christian Burial for Richard "Dick" McCann, 71, of Tyndall will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 12 at St. Leo Catholic Church in Tyndall with Fr. Gerald Thury as Celebrant. Organist will be Marcene Kniffen. Interment will follow in St. Leo Cemetery, Tyndall. Casketbearers will be Ben McCann, Seth McCann, Zac Orth, Andrew McCann, Sean McCann and Drew Delvaux. Visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday at the Goglin Funeral Home in Tyndall. There will be a 7:30 p.m. wake service on Wednesday at the church.
Richard “Dick” McCann was born to Floyd and Margaret (Delany) McCann on Sunday, November 5, 1939 in Yankton, South Dakota. They made their home in the Tyndall area before moving to their farm in Scotland, South Dakota, where he attended high school from his sophomore to senior year. After graduating in 1957, he attended college at Southern State University in Springfield. He moved to Pierre, South Dakota in 1960 and held various jobs for the State of South Dakota. He married Kada Eckman in 1961 and four children were born to this union. In 1975, he returned to the Scotland area to assist with the family farm. He attended the University of South Dakota in Vermillion and worked in the mental health field, mainly in the area of alcohol abuse counseling.
In 1985, Dick married Patricia Delvaux (nee Mack). They moved to Tyndall in 1988, where he worked in various positions at the Mike Durfee State Prison, retiring as a Unit Manager in 2001. In his retirement, Dick became active in city politics and served on the city council and then as mayor of Tyndall for six years. Dick enjoyed restoring old houses and working in the yard. He bowled for years on Lange’s Barbershop Bowling Team and enjoyed coffee with Lamont and “crew” at the barbershop. In addition, attending the Tabor Bluebirds baseball games with friends brought him great pleasure.
Dick spent his life helping others through his work with chemical dependency programs and with his affiliation with Alcoholics Anonymous, where he was a member for 43 years.
After a courageous battle with cancer, Dick passed away peacefully at his home in Tyndall on Monday, May 9, 2011 at the age of 71 years, 6 months and 4 days.
Dick is survived by his wife, Pat, of Tyndall; four children: Tate (Kristine) McCann of Vermillion, Bridget (Hilary) Hanisch of Yankton, Richley (Anthony) Turner of Canon City, Colorado, and Timothy (Cheryl) McCann of Newell; four step-children: Mike (Deb) Delvaux of Grand Island, Nebraska, Brad Delvaux and partner Cindy Hirsch of Yankton, Jennifer (Todd) Howard of Amarillo, Texas, and Joe (Lisa) Delvaux of Yankton; 18 grand-children and 4 great-grandchildren; and his former wife, Kada McCann of Scotland.
In addition to his parents, Floyd and Margaret McCann, Dick was preceded in death by a brother, Joseph, in infancy, and his parents-in-law, John and Kelly Mack.
George Stanley McGovern, 90, Sioux Falls, formerly of Mitchell and Avon, died Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012, at Dougherty Hospice House, Sioux Falls.
He was born on July 19, 1922.
Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Friday in Mary Sommervold Hall at Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science, Sioux Falls. Private burial will take place at Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D.C., at a later date. Visitation will be from 1 to 6 p.m. Thursday at First United Methodist Church, Sioux Falls, with the family present from 5 to 6 p.m. A 6:30 p.m. prayer service will also be at the church.
He was born in Avon to the Rev. Joseph and Frances McLean McGovern.
George left Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, where he excelled in debate, to join the Army-Air Force in 1943.
That same year, on Halloween Day, he married Eleanor Stegeberg, a fellow DWU student who had grown up on a Woonsocket farm and got to know George after having beaten him in a student debate competition.
They would eventually have five children — Ann, Susan, Teresa, Steven and Mary — and a 63-year marriage.
A B-24 pilot at the age of just 22 and assigned to a bomber group in Italy, George flew 35 combat missions across Europe, safely landed his damaged plane on several occasions and was discharged at the war’s end as a first lieutenant having won the Distinguished Flying Cross with three oak clusters.
After the war, he and Eleanor returned to DWU, and following his graduation, joined its faculty as a professor of history and political science. He later completed a Ph.D. in history at Northwestern University and studies at nearby Garrett Theological Seminary. But living through the war pushed George toward public service, so he began traveling town-to-town and farm-to-farm rebuilding the South Dakota Democratic Party and competitive two-party system in the state.
No one worked harder or with greater organization on the campaign trail; George would walk both sides of the entire length of a main street, shake the hand and listen to every person on the sidewalk or in the coffee shops. In an era before handheld electronic devices, George had accumulated an archive of 40,000 voter 3x5 cards and could retrieve names and details from memory with ease.
In 1956, George won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. There he served two terms, lost a run for the U.S. Senate in 1960, but won a Senate seat in 1962 after having served as the first executive director of President John F. Kennedy’s new Food For Peace program — a formative experience which allowed George to peaceably shift government power and American food resources toward hungry people.
After a run for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 1968 to help hold together theassassinated Sen. Robert Kennedy’s delegates, George worked to reform party rules so the nominating procedure would be more transparent and accessible.
And during a drawn-out primary campaign, George won the Democratic Party’s nomination for presidential in 1972 — a race he led with unprecedented grassroots support under the banner “Come Home, America” — for peace in Vietnam and reconciliation at home.
It was a race he did not win against President Richard Nixon, but the campaign’s integrity restored hope to a dispirited public and established a principled model for national campaigns to come — validated by the resignation of a scandal-ridden President Nixon two years later.
George served three terms in the Senate, until January 1981, where he contributed substantially to a series of comprehensive farm bills and chaired the new U.S. Senate Special Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs. After his Senate career, George worked on Middle East peace, and further focused on child nutrition through two appointed positions: U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Agencies for Food and Agriculture, and, separately, as U.N. global ambassador to the World Food Program.
He also co-founded a worldwide school lunch program with longtime friend Bob Dole, the former GOP senator from Kansas. For these decades of work enriching the lives of countless families and children around the globe, George was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom — our country’s highest civilian distinction — by President Bill Clinton in 2001.
In more recent years, George stayed intricately connected to South Dakota, national and international issues. He lectured about policy and politics on campuses here and abroad. He would work, as was his habit, on just a few hours of sleep, and frequently asked arriving visitors for their input on a fresh draft of an op-ed or magazine piece he had been crafting on a yellow pad.
He even finished last year, at age 89, the 14th book he had written, co-authored or edited — “What It Means To Be A Democrat” and conducted book signings in several states also for a recent biography of President Abraham Lincoln.
No portrait of George would be complete without remembering the succession of outrageously affectionate and outsized Newfoundland dogs George and Eleanor nurtured and cherished.
He loved going for a walk across the DWU campus, or on a drive to Lake Mitchell, or to a night at the movies. He enjoyed dinners at Chef Louie’s and kept everyone amused and amazed with stories and anecdotes from his youth, the campaign trail, or the Senate floor.
And he kept his childhood and lifelong faith with his beloved St. Louis Cardinals, expressing no surprise at their last-minute qualification for this year’s playoffs — just as they had done last year on their way to a World Series championship run that George had followed with inning-by-inning delight.
More than anything, George adored Eleanor, their grown children, and 10 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, was engaged in their interests, schooling and careers, and generously helped with advice, encouragement and support.
George McGovern lived an exceptional public and private life of more than 90 years with an uncommon energy, adherence to ideals, thirst for knowledge and a consuming dedication to others. George rarely raised his voice in anger, but always raised the level of discourse and achievement around him.
He didn’t live for confrontation, but risked his life in the greatest struggle of the century to defeat evil on a grand scale, yet never bragged about his personal wartime achievements. Instead, he used that experience instead as a working, life-long foundation for a more peaceful, constructive and forgiving world.
We who knew and loved him will remember his singular dedication to a life that made a difference. We resolve to honor George’s spirit by emulating his example.
A committal service was held in Rosehill Cemetery in Scotland, South Dakota on June 24, 2006 for Hilda Mutschelknaus who died June 19th at age 91. She was born near Herreid, South Dakota in 1915. Mrs. Mutschelknaus was a former resident of Aberdeen, South Dakota; Zeeland, North Dakota; and Java, South Dakota where she was a homemaker and her husband Elton was a depot agent for the Milwaukee Road Railroad. Elton was born and raised near Lesterville, South Dakota. Hilda passed away in Newberg, Oregon where she lived since the death of her husband in 1991.
Survivors include her son, Craig and his wife, Carol of Cheyenne, Wyoming; her daughter, Pamela Boschee and her husband, Gene of Sherwood, Oregon; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Goglin-Kelley Funeral Home.
Funeral services will be held Thursday afternoon at 1:30 o'clock in the Zion American Lutheran Church here for Mrs. Jacob Mutschelknaus, 80, who died Sunday morning (Jan 28, 1962) while attending church. The rites will be conducted by the Rev. Theo Judt and burial in Rosehill Cemetery here will be in charge of the Hoch Funeral Home. A family prayer service will be held Wednesday evening in the Hoch Funeral Chapel.
Mrs. Mutschelknaus was born Sept. 11, 1881 in Bon Homme county. She lived her entire life in this locality.
She is survived by one son, Edwin of Scotland, four daughters, Mrs. Kenneth Wright, Mrs. Ray Mehrer and Mrs. Orin Dean of Scotland, Mrs. Clinton Vonderau of Wharton, Tex. Also surviving are 11 grandchildren, three great grandchildren, one brother, Julius Max of Scotland and four sisters, Mrs. H. Stoller and Mrs. Anna Schaeffer of Yankton, and Mrs. Lydia Gemar, and Mrs. Adam Muehlbefer of Scotland.
The pallbearers will be Ellington Mehrer, Donoven Dean, Dewayne Dean, Lindon Wright, Dennis Wright, and Allen Krieger.
Funeral services for Earl C. Muhmel of Scotland will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, January 7 at the Goglin Funeral Home in Scotland with Rev. Mar Werner officiating. Soloists will be Rich Hall and Ron Suess. Interment will follow at 3:30 p.m. on Friday in Rosehill Cemetery, Scotland with military graveside rites by the Paul Grossheusch V.F.W. Post #2966, the Joseph Verm American Legion Post #155, both of Scotland, and the South Dakota Army National Guard Military Funeral Honor Guard. Pallbearers are Arlo Burbach, Rich Hall, Larry Hebbert, Ryan Kocourek, Ted Schaeffer and Gary Schelske. Visitation will be held on Friday at the funeral home from 9:00 a.m. until time of service.
Earl Carl Muhmel was born on the family farm near Scotland, South Dakota on Tuesday, January 2, 1923 to Carl and Naomi (Smith) Muhmel. He attended the Schatz Country School through the 8th grade. His mother passed away when he was only 13 years old.
Earl was called into the armed forces during World War II and was stationed with the U.S. Army at Hawaii. It was a time that Earl remembered vividly throughout his life. Following his military service, he returned home to the family farm and farmed the home place until well into his seventies.
Earl and his father were very helpful in establishing the new Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #2966 in Scotland in 1945. He was a past Post Commander. Following in their footsteps, his sister Irene became active in the new V.F.W. Ladies’ Auxiliary, which was chartered in 1947. She also served as President for two years.
Earl and Irene were active members of the Highland Square Dance Club and square dancing provided them both with a rich social life, many friends, and a diversion from the hard work of the farm. Over the years, Earl became known as an accomplished square dance caller.
In 2000, Earl and Irene moved from their farm home into the new townhouse complex in Scotland. Earl and Irene became residents of the Good Samaritan Society of Scotland in the fall of 2003, and Irene passed away in October of 2004. Earl passed away on Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at the Good Samaritan Society of Scotland at the age of 88 years and 2 days.
Earl is survived by two sisters: Alice Mellotte of Portland, Oregon and Helen (Harry) Voy of Santa Ana, California; and a niece, Julie Voy, also of Santa Ana, California. He is also survived by long-time family friend, Evelyn (John) Haynes of Scotland, who was both friend and caregiver to Earl and Irene for eight years.
Earl was preceded in death by his parents, Earl and Naomi Muhmel, his brother, Stanley Muhmel, and his sister, Irene Muhmel.