David Helfinstine's Mother Passes Away

Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to David Helfinstine on the passing of his mother. This is the obituary that appears on eidsnessfuneralhome.com.

Jean M. Helfinstine
Jun 11 1920 - Dec 28 2010
Jean M. Helfinstine, age 90, of Brookings, died Tuesday, December 28, 2010, at the Brookings Hospital. Funeral services will be 10:30 A.M. Thursday, December 30, 2010, at First Presbyterian Church in Brookings, with interment in Greenwood Cemetery. Visitations will be from 5-8 P.M. Wednesday at Eidsness Funeral Home in Brookings. Memorials may be directed to the Rex & Jean Helfinstine Scholarship at SDSU or First Presbyterian Church. Jean M. (Fellows) Helfinstine was born June 11, 1920, at Janesville, Iowa, to Lloyd H. and Marian (Ballou) Fellows. She grew up in Waterloo, Iowa, and graduated from East Waterloo High School in 1938. She attended St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and transferred to Iowa State Teachers College (now UNI) in Cedar Falls, Iowa, graduating in 1946. She taught home economics, history, government, and English at Colesburg and Remsen, Iowa. She introduced and managed the school lunch program at Colesburg. On June 11, 1949, she married Rex D. Helfinstine at Berkeley, California. They lived in Fargo, North Dakota, in 1950 until 1951 where Rex was on the USDA staff at the university. Jean was a member of the faculty women’s chorus. She was employed at St. Luke’s Nursing School and taught a class in child growth and development to student nurses. In June 1952, the Helfinstines moved to Brookings where Rex was employed by the USDA and Extension Service. Rex died September 30, 1995. Jean was an active member of First Presbyterian Church, serving two terms as elder, teaching Sunday School, singing in the choir, and serving as president of Presbyterian Women. She organized and taught an ecumenical Bible class. She gave piano lessons for 23 years, retiring in 1976. She served as president of NARFE, was a member of the Saturday Literary Club, and served as pianist for Golden K Kiwanis for seven years. Her hobbies included gardening, knitting, sewing, and playing piano and organ.Survivors include a son, David Helfinstine and his wife, Cathy, of Willmar, Minnesota; and two grandchildren, Ryan Helfinstine and his special friend Erin, and Betsy Staley and her husband Adam; and five great-grandchildren: Cole, Tucker, and Koda Helfinstine, and Jack and Ellie Staley.

Lee Colburn To Be Inducted Into SD Basketball Hall Of Fame

This spring, the South Dakota Basketball Hall of Fame will induct several new members, including our classmate, the late Lee Colburn. Someone involved with that project gave me a call, inquiring if I had some old game films. Fortunately, I do. They are only regular-season games, however, and not from the state tournaments. When I go home in a few weeks, I will lend them to him so he can transfer them over to a more suitable format.
Also being inducted are Roger Nelson, a 1954 alumnus of BHS, and Renee Sallquist, a 1985 alumna. Roger was friends of our family. He has known me since I was born, and was one of the pallbearers for my brother's funeral in 1965. They had run around together in high school. Roger had individual scoring records for a game and a career for a number of years. Lee broke his single game record of 37 by scoring 38 in a game at Pierre in our senior year. Oddly enough, Roger was there. He was teaching at Onida, and had actually refereed the sophomore game that night. He told me later that he wanted to be in the stands when his record would be broken. His wish came true that night. His career record was broken about four years ago by a boy named Phil Workman. Phil had been playing varsity basketball since he was an eighth-grader, so it seemed like only a matter of time before he would become the career scoring leader for BHS. Since Roger still lives in Brookings, he saw that record fall, also.
I was extremely fortunate to be associated with the girls basketball teams during their first 20 years of existence, so it is truly gratifying to see Renee earn this honor, also. In the future, there will likely be other girls from that era who will achieve Hall of Fame status. That team was ranked in the top 5 in the nation by USA Today, and their coach was selected by that newspaper as the national coach of the year. He taught me so much about the game, and I am forever thankful. Congratulations to all of the new inductees.
On another related note, many of you may remember Mr. Stuart "Skip" Webster. He taught at the Junior High/Middle School for a number of years. I believe he also coached us in freshmen football (with Mr. Rykhus), and he definitely coached us in "JV" basketball, because I was on that team. I can only speak for myself, but he had a big influence on my chosen profession. After teaching for about 11 years, he started selling State Farm Insurance. That career change proved rather profitable for him, and he is retiring at the end of this month after 35 years in the business. From the class of 1969, we wish him the best.
Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year.
On a sad note, Andy Zephier passed away on Dec. 14, 2010. He was the long-time coach at the Flandreau Indian School. We defeated them to earn a trip to the state "A" basketball tournament in 1968. He has been inducted into various South Dakota Halls of Fame, and was inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame this past summer. His cross-country teams were legendary back in the 1960's. Our condolences go out to him and his family.

Happy Thanksgiving

Things have been quite busy at school out here and have not had time to post any items. Just want to wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving. October was rather sad for us, as we lost two faculty members to sudden heart attacks. A student was struck by a car, but suffered only a broken collarbone when he smashed into the windshield. It's a miracle he wasn't hurt more severely.
Just read the web edition of the Brookings Register. The leading article was about a young college student who hit a bridge on the S-curve south of town after coming back from a school assignment in Sioux Falls. I wasn't aware of this accident, which happened about a year ago. I know him very well, as he is a former student and athlete at BHS. He has made an amazing recovery, it appears.
On a more somber note, do any of you remember Donna Holzkamp? She was two years ahead of us. If girls would have had the sports opportunities then that they do now, she may have been all-American. She was quite talented athletically. Her sister Jean was a year behind us, and was also very athletic. Jean, I believe, is coaching at Kadoka. She may have been the only female to coach a boys high school basketball team in this state. Donna passed away recently, leaving behind twin daughters Dana and Darcy. They are both former students of mine. There was an older brother Doug. He and I coached a teener baseball team one summer in the early 70's.
Also passing away recently was Lynn Emmett. He was a year behind us. Condolences may be sent to the family through rudesfuneralhome.com.
If anyone who reads this will be in Brookings during Christmas, perhaps you will want to get together with fellow classmates. I am going to visit a niece for Christmas, but will be in Brookings from about Dec. 29-Jan 7.

Bob Ishmael's Sister Passes Away

Our prayers and thoughts go out to Bob Ishmael, whose sister passed away recently. She was a few years ahead of us in school. I actually had her daughter as a student when she was in the 6th grade. Formerly, I could copy the obituary from the newspaper, but I am unable to do that on the computer where I am presently attending school. Condolonces may be sent to the family through www.rudesfuneralhome.com. The complete obituary can be found at www.rudesfuneralhome.com/index.php?option=com_obituary&task=details&oid=778

Children's Museum Set To Open

The conversion of Central Elementary to a first-class children's museum is complete. This link will direct you to a recently published article on the Brookings Register webpage. http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=9100&page=76

The Changing Neighborhood Of Central Elementary

The Carnegie Library was just across the street south of Central. It was turned into a Cultural Community Center when the new library was built on the south end of the block in the 70's. Ignore the date on the picture; I was borrowing the camera and I did not know if this whole project would even turn out as planned. Thankfully, it was not too bad.

As an old building, it needs to be refurbished periodically. Our own Ron Kruse is in the boom.

This phot is similar to the one in our 1967 yearbook. The band was sitting/standing in the area behind the flagpole.

A closer view of the previous shot.

This is the view looking east down Fourth Street from in front of the old high school. The Presbyterian Church is on the left.

The building now houses offices and apartments, and is called "The 1921" because it was built in that year. The annex was demolished when the remodeling began in the early 2000's. Mark Kratochvil, as a deputy states attorney, works here.

Our beloved(?) Central Elementary School. The halls and rooms seemed so big when we first entered 50 some years ago.

The lawn appears to have been well taken care of. In reality, this sod was only put in a week or so ago. The playground of our kindergarten days is no longer there.

This edifice is the main addition to the exterior. It is adjacent to the classroom of Miss Neubauer, one of our fifth grade teachers. Notice the large swallowtail butterfly in the middle window.

This is the view from home plate of the baseball field in the southwest corner.

This picture was taken about where third base would have been.

As you can see, much landscaping has taken place. This is the west side of the gym. The outdoor basketball courts were in this area.

This photo was taken from the home plate area of the northwest ballfield (right across the street from the First National Bank). The whole area is now encircled by a gate. On the left, one of the posts sneaked into the picture.

Here is a gazebo with Tyrannosaurus Rex nearby. Those workmen might satisfy her voracious appetite.

This view is looking toward the north and is what Robyn would see if she were standing on her porch.

Here is another look at Mrs. Tyrannosaurus Rex. Her baby is supposed to arrive in a few weeks. A good articel can be found at http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/dinosaur/2010/08/10/super-sized-tyrannosaurus-comes-to-south-dakota/

This is what we would have seen if we were playing on the old swings and monkey bars.

This is one of the "back doors" to the school, and the entrance to the gym, Mrs. Petersen's third grade was in the corner to the left. Her husband taught junior high science and shop. I believe he was more affectionately known as "Uncle Petey."

The conversion of Central Elementary into the first children's museum would not have been possible without the generosity of the Larson Family (Vern Olson's employer). The opening date is scheduled for mid-September.

Central Elementary

Central Elementary is no longer an elementary school. It is being converted into a children's museum, which will be the first one in the state of South Dakota. The opening date is ony a few weeks away. Funding for this renovation is being provided by Larson Manufacturing (Vern Olson's employer). Some of the people on staff there are colleagues or former students. They asked me this summer if I had any memorabilia of the old school. I gave them what I could find. If any of you have items of interest, you may contact

Jill Hungerford

Director of Marketing

Children's Museum

521 4th St.

Brookings, SD 57006

or email her at jhungerford@cmosd.org (605-692-6700).

In my search, I came across these two photos from the late 50's, early 60's. The first photo is First Communion at St. Thomas More Catholic Church. The year may have been 1959. I think the fourth row, from the left, consists of Arnie deBlonk, Jerry Martinson, Dan Holm, unknown, Tim Serlet, unknown, John Martinson, Greg Graff, Doug Biggar, and Jim Wakeman. The third row is Rick Thompson, Steve Braley, Mike McClemans, Pat Durland (?), John Iverson, Alan Leibel, Stan Skubic, Jim Herrig (?), unknown, Rocky Watson, and Kevin O'Connell. The boy on the left in the second row looks like Jim Antonides. The only girls I recognize in that row are Cecilia Kellogg in the middle, and perhaps Kathy Howell (from Volga) on the end. In the front row, the second and third girls from the left look like Patsy Bates and Kathy Funk respectively. The two middle girls appear to be Debi Shirley and Robyn Connelly, while the girl on the end seems to be Margaret Pearson. We were not all in the same class; I don't know the reason for that.

The second one is the Cub Scout pack (den?) some of us were in. From the left is Greg Graff (anybody know whatever happened to him? Didn't he move when we were in Jr. Hi?), Jim Egeberg, Jim Wakeman, Arnie deBlonk, Mike McClemans, Lynn Roberts, and John Iverson.

Reminiscing

Finally, some good news. Have been exchanging emails with Janice (Briggs) Remmele. We had the same 5th and 6th grade teachers, and virtually the same schedule in the 7th and 8th grades. We both went to Central, and had Mrs. Walker as our teacher. Another teacher was Miss Joyce Pedersen, whose class is pictured above (how many of these students can you identify?). Does anyone remember who the other 6th grade teacher at Central was? Could it have been Mrs. Travis? If anyone has pictures of our school years that you would not mind posting, you can email them to me and I will try to get them up here.

Former Superintendent Passes Away

Our thoughts, condolences, and prayers go out to the family of Bruce Crosswait, who passed away recently. He became superintendent for the Brookings school district in 1966, succeeding Mr. Horrigan, who had been in Brookings many years as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. The funeral arangements have been made by Kirk Funeral Home in Rapid City. The manager and one of the owners is Ken Kirk, a BHS graduate of 1971. He also had an older sister Kathy, who graduated in 1968.

I became acquainted with Dr. Crosswait when I began teaching at the Brookings Middle School in 1973. His son Mark was in the seventh grade and played on the basketball team that I was coaching. I was promoted to eighth grade basketball coach next year, so I had essentially the same boys again. I was reassigned to the ninth grade coaching spot the following season, thus having the good fortune of teaching the same boys three years in a row. That class graduated in 19979. When they had their class reeunion last summer, they invited a number of their former high school teachers (Mr. Tlustos, Mr. Jostad, Mrs. Fiedler, Mr. Gibbons, Mr. Walder, Mrs. Gerberding {she was our student teacher for sophomore English; Joan Donaldson, Nancy Webbenhurst's sister, was one of the sophomore English teachers}). I was honored that they included me in that elite group.

Thanks to Nancy Webbenhurst for informing me of his passing. Her father, as the business manager for many years at the school, worked very closely with Dr. Crosswait.

The complete obituary can be found at http://www.kirkfuneralhome.com/index.php?option=com_obituary&task=details&oid=1958

Georgia Wright's Father Passes Away

Just received word yesterday that Georgia Wright's father passed away on Tuesday, July 7, 2010. Some of you may remember Kenner Plumbing from our younger days. Mr. Kenner passed away a number of years ago, and Mr. Wright married his widow. I often saw them in church. The Kenners had two boys, Marty and Brian. Marty was two years behind us in school (some of us had siblings in that class, also), and Brian was a little younger yet. Marty went to Dartmouth, and returned to Brookings to teach Middle School science in 1975. I got to know him quite well during that time, as we were just down the hall from each other for many of those years. He then went to the Twin Cities area in 1983(?), where, I think, he made a little bit more than he did teaching. Our thoughts, condolences, and prayers go out to Georgia, her brother Jim and sister Barb, Marty, and Brian at this difficult time.

Kenneth M. Wright age 92, of Brookings, South Dakota., died Wednesday, July 7, 2010, at Brookview Manor in Brookings. Funeral services will be 10:30 A.M. Saturday, July 10, 2010, at Ascension Lutheran Church of Brookings, with interment in the St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery in Humboldt, South Dakota. Visitations will be from 4-7 P.M. Friday at Eidsness Funeral Home in Brookings. Ken’s family requests that memorials be directed to Ascension Lutheran Church.Kenneth Milton Wright was born on February 10, 1918, in Elliot, Iowa, to Gail and Blanche Wright. He grew up in Elliot and graduated from Elliot High School. In 1939 he moved to Humboldt, South Dakota, to work at Tuthill Lumber Yard, prior to entering the army. On October 8, 1942 he married Dorothy Bunning in Humboldt. Ken was stationed in Portland, Oregon, and Okinawa, Japan.After World War II, Ken and Dorothy returned to South Dakota, where Ken worked in lumber yards and in the construction industry in Sioux Falls, Gregory, Lennox, and Clark, South Dakota. In 1960 the family moved to Brookings, where Ken built houses for Oliver Gottschalk. In his retirement, Ken and Dorothy owned and operated Ballons Because from 1983 to 1988. Also during this time, Ken started the Wright Locksmith business. He was Journeyman Electrician, as well as a masterful carpenter.Dorothy died July 22, 1996. November 8, 1997, Kenneth married Audrey (Welsh) Kenner. Ken was a charter member of Ascension Lutheran Church and a Lifetime Member of the VFW.Ken is survived by his wife, Audrey of Brookings; two daughters, Barbara (Darwin) Egeberg of Madison, South Dakota, and Georgia (Bill Kopp) Wright of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; a son, Jim (Nancy) Wright of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; five grandchildren: Chad and Eric Egeberg, Colin and Jason Kopp, and Lauren Wright; two stepsons: Marty (Pam) of Burnsville, Minnesota, and Brian of Philip, South Dakota; two step grandchildren; Abbi (Cory) Koscielski, and Patrick Kenner; a sister, Katherine Slater; a sister-in-law, Ollie Wright; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Dorothy; his parents, Gail and Blanche Wright; two brothers, Donald and Jack; three grandchildren, Dane and Johannah Wright in 2005, and infant, Sean Kopp in 1987; and a nephew, Dennis Slater in 2010.

Teresa Steen's Father Passes Away

Teresa Steen's father passed away last week. I personally became acquainted with him when I worked at the post office during 1968. He was wonderful to work with, and was very kind and helpful to me as I learned the ropes. He took great interest in our basketball team, and really cared about the players. He was a pretty talented athlete himself. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Teresa and Russ at this difficult time. Here is the obituary from http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/index.php?option=com_obituary&task=details&oid=762

Wayne E. Steen
May 10 1923 - Jun 30 2010
Wayne E. “Husker” Steen, 87, of Brookings, SD died Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at Brookings Hospital, Brookings, SD. Memorial Services have been set for 11:00am, Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at Ascension Lutheran Church, Brookings. Visitation will be from 4:00pm to 7:00pm Monday, July 5, 2010 at Rude’s Funeral Home, Brookings. Wayne E. Steen was born May 10, 1923 in Brookings, SD the son of Elmer and Ruth (Hollands) Steen. Wayne was baptized in the Baptist Church and was raised in Brookings where he attended grade school and high school. Wayne was called into active duty in the U.S. Naval Air Core in August of 1943. He went from Brookings, SD to St. Olaf Minnesota. After several weeks there he was transferred and attended classes at Wold Chamberlain Field in Minneapolis. When his tour of duty was over he was called into the University of Minnesota for a brief session and was then transferred to the University of Chicago, Illinois. After several weeks of instruction he was called in for a meeting and given the option of assignment. Wayne chose Bell Telephone Research in New York. While attending classes at the Bell Telephone Research Lab, he stayed at the Dolphin Hotel at 57th and Broadway, New York.He served until June of 1946 when he was honorably discharged.Wayne was united in marriage to Leona Meyer on October 8, 1949 in Yankton, SD. He worked in Pickstown, SD helping build the Fort Randall Dam and also worked in Amarillo, TX with the Atomic Energy Commission. He returned to Brookings and was employed by the U.S. Postal Service as a window clerk for 31 years. During his career at the Post Office he was also a Civil Service Examiner, was promoted to Chief Examiner, and gave tests for the Peace Corp. He retired from the Postal Service in 1983. Wayne will be long remembered for his love and devotion to his family and many friends across the nation and Canada. Wayne loved the outdoors and spending time at his cabin at Lake Poinsett. During his high school years he lettered in baseball, basketball, football and tennis. He was an avid hunter, fisherman and hiker. After his retirement he enjoyed playing golf nearly everyday with many of his friends and spending winters in Florida with his wife Leona. When he returned to Brookings he enjoyed working in his yard and having morning coffee in his backyard. Wayne was an avid organizer of various reunions for his high school classmates.Wayne has been a member of the Ascension Lutheran Church since 1964.Wayne is survived by his wife, Leona of Brookings; his children, Teresa (Russ) Anderson of Rock Springs, WY, Marcia Greene of Ft. Myers, FL and Randall (Kathy) Steen of Eden Prairie, MN; two granddaughters; one grandson; one brother Clarence (Bette) Steen, a brother-in-law Alan (Colleen) Rickert and several nieces and nephews.He was preceded in death by his parents, one sister Betty Rickert, son-in-law Patrick Greene, and his niece Debra Rickert.The family suggests memorials be directed to the Ascension Lutheran Church in Wayne’s memory. 2030 3rd Street, Brookings, SD 57006.

Linda Perkins' Mother Passes Away

Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to Linda Perkins on the death of her mother. This is the obituary from the funeral site's homepage:
Ada (“Cookie, Aday”) Yvonne Perkins died June 28th 2010 in the presence of her family and care givers at her home at Park Place Assisted Living in Brookings, South Dakota. Memorial services will be 3:00 P.M. Friday, July 23, 2010, at First Presbyterian Church in Brookings, with interment of cremated remains at Greenwood Cemetery, Brookings. In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to Brookings Hospice Care, Brookings Park Place Assisted Living, and/or Alzheimer’s Research.She was born December 11, 1927, in Lead, South Dakota to Gladys (Clark) and Orlan Cook. Her early years were spent enjoying life in the Black Hills area. Cookie went on to study at South Dakota State College, Brookings, SD, and Macalester College in St.Paul, MN. Aday married Douglas E. Perkins on December 29, 1949. While Doug was busy with the family moving business, Perkins Storage and Transfer, Aday/Cookie graduated from South Dakota State College with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1950. In 1968 she finished her teaching certification in Art Education and subsequently taught art at Central and Medary Elementary Schools in Brookings. She retired from teaching in 1988 and in 1994 moved to Port Angeles, Washington to live with her sister, Mary Alyce. After 14 wonderful years in beautiful Washington State she returned to live in Brookings in 2008. She lived most recently at Park Place Assisted Living where she enjoyed many great conversations with wonderful friends.She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, belonged to the Retired Teachers Association, Nature Conservancy and participated in many local charities and church activities and Girl Scouts during her lifetime. Her interests included family, art, sewing, knitting, reading, nature, volunteering, visiting with family and friends, and having peaceful hours spent at the lake. Aday is survived by her sister, Mary Alyce Washburn (Port Angeles, WA); 4 children and their spouses, Linda and Len Rasmussen (Port Angeles, WA); Clark and Deb Perkins (Brookings, SD); George and Barb Perkins (Madison, WI); Boyd and Jessi Perkins (Aberdeen, SD); a foster daughter and spouse, Isis and Rich Koenders; 7 grandchildren (one more to arrive soon) and 2 great-grandchildren. She is fondly remembered by her nieces and other close friends and family.She was preceded in death by her parents; Orlan and Gladys, husband Doug, and brother-in-law Jerome.
Also passing away recently were Mel Henrichsen and Rhys Schmidt. Mel ran the bookstore at SDSU for many years. Rhys played basketball for Pierre when we were in school. Their obituaries can be viewed at http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/

Martha Sterud and Stan Lorenz

Lloyd Sterud passed away recently. He was Martha's uncle and the father of Dan, who was a year ahead of us in school. Dan was a wrestler and football player, but some of us remember him best as the catcher of the teener baseball team that went to the 1965 national teener tournament in Hershey, PA. On that team were Jud Bergan, a pickup player from Watertown, and Lloyd Beneke (another football player and wrestler), and Phil Trautman, who were both a couple of years ahead of us in school. A number of players were only a year older, including Dan, Chip Kabrud, Barry Buehler, Don Tordoff, Jim Arndt, and Randy Hofer. From our class were Tom Bozied, Bernie Hendricks, Tom and Walt Osterberg. A couple of younger players were Doug deBoise and Tim DeWitt. The coaches were Bernie VanEssen and Bob Webbenhurst. I believe Lloyd and the fathers of Chip Kabrud, Barry Buehler, Tom Bozied, and Tim DeWitt were our chaperones. If I am in error, let me know. Dan was a guidance counselor in the Brookings School system in the late 70's, early 80's (I think; the years have all fused together). Here is the obituary for Lloyd Sterud, courtesy of the Brookings Register webpage:

Lloyd G. Sterud, 87, died Tuesday, June 8, 2010 at Brookview Manor. Funeral services are at 10 a.m. Friday at First Lutheran Church in Brookings. Visitation is from 9 a.m. until the time of the memorial service at First Lutheran Church. Rude’s Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.Lloyd G. Sterud was born Nov. 9, 1922, in Brookings County to Bernhard M. and Tilda (Julson) Sterud. Lloyd received his education in the Brookings Schools and was a graduate of Brooking High School in 1940. Lloyd married Alma Lutterman on June 8, 1947, in White. After their marriage they farmed in Brookings County until his retirement in 1987. Alma died on Oct. 19, 1992, in Arlington.He is survived by a son, Daniel (Gloria) Sterud of Maple Grove, Minn.; two daughters, Debra Sterud of Omaha, Neb., and Gretchen (Ron) Walterman of Omaha, Neb.; three grandchildren, one great grandson and one sister, Altie (Myron) Domsitz of Sioux Falls.He was preceded in death by his wife and two brothers, Joel and Paul.Condolences may be sent to the family through www.rudesfuneralhome.com.

I also noticed this obituary in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader of June 18, 2010. Is this the mother-in-law of Stan Lorenz who graduated with us?
Dalores Bartels of Davis, SDPublished: June 18, 2010
Davis - Dalores Bartels, 81, died Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at Bethany Lutheran Home in Sioux Falls. Dalores Otten was born in 1928 at Lennox, daughter of Ben and Hattie Otten. She married Hilbert Bartels in 1946. They farmed in the Davis area. Survivors: husband, Hilbert; son, Lowell (Paula) Bartels, Beresford, daughter, Diane (Stan) Lorenz, Harrisburg; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren. Services will begin at 10:30 am Saturday, June 19, at First Baptist Church in Chancellor. Visitation will begin at noon Friday at Dindot-Klusmann Funeral Home in Lennox with the family present from 6 pm to 8 pm to greet friends. Online registry: dindotklusmann.com

Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to Dan, Martha, Stan and their families.

Good and Uplifting News

The Brookings Register recently had a nice piece on the Lake Campbell Lutheran Church. I believe a number of our classmates may have attended services there. David Berge's father is an elder, and his family played a prominent role in the formation of the church. The complete article can be found at http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=8459&page=76

An Unexpected Death

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Peggy and the family at their loss.

Leon F. Bush, 86, died suddenly Thursday, June 10, 2010 at his Sunnyview home in Brookings, SD. The funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 15, at First United Methodist Church in Brookings. Visitation is from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Monday, June 14, at Eidsness Funeral Home, with a brief prayer service at 7:00. Leon was born January 28, 1924 in Brooksville, KY, to George and Anna (Kalb) Bush. He grew up in a family of seven children on a tobacco farm in the hills of northeastern Kentucky and graduated from Brooksville High School in 1941. Following graduation from high school, he farmed for several years with his father and brother Bill. He enlisted in the Army Corps of Engineers in April 1945, served in Japan, and was discharged in December of 1946. He attended the University of KY in Lexington, earning a B.S. in Animal Science in 1950 and an M.S. in Animal Science in 1951. While at the university, Leon married his high school sweetheart, Mary Wood Lee, on June 7, 1949. They moved to Ithaca, NY, where Leon earned his Ph.D. in Sheep Nutrition & Reproduction at Cornell University in 1954. Following graduation from Cornell, Leon and Mary Wood made their home in Brookings, SD, where they raised their family of four children. Leon was an associate professor in the Animal Science Department of South Dakota State University from 1954 until his retirement in 1985. From 1972-1974, he took a leave of absence from the university to travel to Iran with Mary Wood and his two youngest children, where he served as a consultant for Development & Resources. During his employment at SDSU, from April 1979 to August 1983, Leon and Mary Wood lived in Gaborone, Botswana, where he worked with U.S. Aid at Botswana Agricultural College. Leon was a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Alpha Zeta, and the American Society of Animal Science. He served on various church boards and commissions, and was an active 4-H leader and Boy Scout leader for many years. He recently served as treasurer for Retired Teachers Association, Brookings Township Board, and Sunnyview, Inc. He farmed and raised sheep throughout most of his life and was recognized as an FFA Honorary Farmer. He also enjoyed raising and showing Morgan horses with his daughter and granddaughter. Other favorite pastimes included gardening, traveling, and woodworking, especially intarsia projects that he created for family members. Leon was devoted to his family, and loved spending time with his three grandchildren. He is survived by his wife, Mary Wood; his daughters, Margaret Bush of Brookings and Patricia Bush of Mitchell, SD; his sons, David Bush of Loveland, CO and John (Connie) Bush of Mitchell; three grandchildren, Ashlee Wakeman, Justin Bush, and Kelsey Bush; and siblings, Ruth Figgins, Jane Bush, and Alma Bush of Brooksville, KY; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, brothers Otto and Bill, and sister Erma Mains. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to either First United Methodist Church in Brookings or Brookings Habitat for Humanity.

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Another Parent Passes Away

The mother of Doug Voss passed away recently.
Esther Leona Voss, 84, died Tuesday, May 25, 2010, at Brookings Health Care System. Funeral services are at 2 p.m. Saturday at First Lutheran Church in Brookings. Visitation is from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday with a 6:30 p.m. prayer service at Rude’s Funeral Home in Brookings.Esther Leona Steinberg was born Sept. 17, 1925, in Tyndall, the daughter of Andrew (Florence) Hanson Steinberg. Esther received her education in the Brookings school district. Esther married Arthur R. Voss on May 13, 1941, in Ivanhoe, Minn. After their marriage they farmed for seven years near Anoka, Minn., and Ogilvie, Minn., area until moving back to Brookings in 1950. Art died Jan. 30, 2004.She was a lifetime member of First Lutheran Church in Brookings. She enjoyed bingo, playing 31 and especially enjoyed spending time with her family and visiting with her many friends. Her greatest joy was taking care of her grandchildren and her special dog, Muffin.She is survived by three sons, Leroy (Shirley) Voss of Brookings, Douglas (Kathy) Voss of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Gary (Shirley) Voss of Tremonton, Utah; two daughters, Jeanette (Leonard) Huffman of Bushnell and Sherrie (Steve) Hougland of Brookings; 16 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, four great-great- grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.She was preceded in death by her husband, Art, two infant grandchildren, two sisters and two brothers.Condolences may be sent to the family through www.rudesfuneralhome.com.

Any Good news?

For those of you who have been following this feeble attempt at blogging, you have noticed that there does not seem to be a great deal of pleasant news. If any of you have anything that could put a little cheer into our lives, please feel free to make a contribution. Surely, there must be some joyous occasions that your classmates would like to know about. Perhaps you can think of something that happened while we were in school . This is OUR class blog, not my own personal one. All of you can make some valuable contribution. Let us know if you are traveling; maybe you can arrange to meet some classmates in the area. I'm actually not even in Brookings anymore. I have returned to school in the Boston area, trying to discern if I should continue studies for the priesthood. It's been a struggle. Life was much simpler in Brookings, and school was easier, at least for me.

This is more like it. Barb Koenders just informed me that she has been blessed with a new granddaughter. Her oldest daughter had an adorable baby girl on May 9. Congratulations.

Our Class Suffers Another Loss

We lost another one of our class recently. I had some of her children when I taught school. Her brother Mike was on our basketball and track teams our senior year. I also taught her two youngest sisters and many of her nephews. Our condolences, sympathies, and prayers go out to the family. If you go to this website (http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/index.php?option=com_obituary&task=details&oid=748), you can sign the guestbook.


Susan M. Zimmerman
Mar 14 1951 - May 07 2010
Susan M. Zimmerman, 59, Brookings died Friday, May 07, 2010 at the Brookings Health System. Funeral services have been sent for 10:30am Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Brookings. Visitation will be held Monday, May 10, 2010 at Rude’s Funeral Home from 4:00pm to 7:00pm with a Liturgical Wake service beginning at 6:30pm Susan M. Redmond was born on March 14, 1951, in Brookings, South Dakota the daughter of Kenneth and Mary (Collins) Redmond. She received her education in the Brookings Schools and was a graduate of the Brookings High School in 1969. She continued her education at Stewarts School of Hairstyling in Sioux Falls, SD. Sue was united in marriage to Gail Zimmerman on July 12, 1975. She was employed at the Carousel and Scissor Shanty for many years. She was presently employed at MTR in Brookings. She was a member of the St. Thomas More Catholic Parish of Brookings. She enjoyed traveling, camping, arranging flowers, gardening, cross stitching, decorating, cooking and baking and walking her dogs. She also enjoyed spending time with her family and especially her grandchildren.Susan is survived by her husband Gail of Brookings; her children, Toby (Alicia) Zimmerman of Bruce, SD, Tennille S. (Richard) Taylor of Stratford, SD, Gayle Dean (Butch) Rodman of Antioch, CA; her grandchildren Tage, Taryn and Lanell; her mother Mary Redmond of Brookings; one brother Mike (June) Redmond of Brookings, SD; five sisters Becky (Don) Salonen of Sioux Falls, SD, Betty Steen of Sioux Falls, SD, Teresa (Randy) McLagan of Brookings, SD, Lori (Butch) Oseby of Crooks, SD, Mary Frances Redmond of Minneapolis, MN; two uncles Bob (Ginny) Collins, John Collins; cousins Vaughn (Joe) Ripley, Rex Collin and many relatives.She was preceded in death by her father and one daughter Tennille M. Zimmerman.

Emmett Earley, Jr.

The mother of Emmett Earley, Jr. passed away on March 31, 2010. Our condolences and sympathies go out to the family. In a roundabout way, Emmett and I have some close ties. He was my neighbor for the last three years, and has helped me to maintain my old car. Emmett is well-known around Brookings for his love of 50's and 60's classic automobiles, and his ability to maintain and restore them. His mother was first married to an Iverson, who was a cousin to my father, I believe. He died from leukemia, and she later married Emmett Earley, Sr. I am not familiar with all of the details, as all of this obviously happened before we were born. It may have been difficult to talk about it, so it was not mentioned while we were growing up. The Argus-Leader ran this brief obituary today, April 1.

Elsie Mae Earley of Brookings, SDPublished: April 01, 2010
Brookings - Elsie Mae Earley, 92, of Brookings, SD died Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at her residence. Funeral Services have been set for 1:30pm Saturday, April 3, 2010 at First Lutheran Church, Brookings, SD. Visitation will be from 4:00pm to 7:00pm Friday, April 2, 2010 at Rude's Funeral Home, Brookings, SD. Condolences may be sent to the family through http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/.

This is the additional information from the funeral home website:

Elsie M. Clark was born on January 19, 1918 in Bagley, IA the daughter of Charles and Lena (Ehlers) Clark.Elsie attended schools in White, Bushnell and Brookings, South Dakota. In 1936, she married Lyle Iverson in Brookings. She was employed for several years at the Produce Company in Brookings. Lyle died on February 13, 1949 in Brookings. Elsie was united in marriage to Emmett Earley on April 24, 1950, in Pipestone, MN. In 1953, they moved to San Francisco, CA until moving back to Brookings later in that same year. Elsie was then employed at various places in Brookings throughout her life.She was a life member of the VFW Auxiliary. She enjoyed gardening, flowers and especially spending time with her family and friends.Elsie is survived by her husband, Emmett of Brookings, SD; three sons, Lyle Butch Iverson (Linda) of Colorado Springs, CO, Richard Earley and Emmett Earley, Jr. both of Brookings, SD; one daughter, Donna Anundson also of Brookings, SD; many grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren and one sister Helen Walsh of Martinez, CA.She was preceded in death by her parents, first husband, Lyle; one son, Warren Iverson; one daughter, Beverly Shearer; one granddaughter, Sherrie Shearer; five brothers, James, Richard, Warren, Oarn and Roy and one sister, Laura Hammond.

Rodney Hill

The mother of Rodney Hill passed away recently. I believe Rod attended country school before 9th grade. We were in the same homeroom , so I became acquainted somewhat with him (they always placed us in homerooms alphabetically). At our 20th reunion, I believe he was chosen as the one who had changed the most. Our condolences to Rod and his family. The online obituary from the Brookings Register is below.

Ruth A. Hill, 93, died on Monday, March 15, 2010, at the Brookings Health System.Funeral services are at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at First Lutheran Church in Brookings. Visitation is 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, at Rude’s Funeral Home in Brookings. Ruth Adelia Nelson was born on June 27, 1916, in Volga, the daughter of John and Anna (Skaar) Nelson. She received her education in the Volga public school and was a graduate of Volga High School in 1934. She continued her education at Parisian School of Beauty Culture in Minneapolis. Ruth married Arley D. Hill on Dec. 23, 1934, in Volga. After their marriage they farmed north of Brookings for 37 years. She was employed at Cole’s Department Store for 13 years. Arley died Jan. 15, 1975 in Brookings. In 1975, Ruth moved to Brookings where she continued her employment at Cole’s Department Store. She entered Greenleaf Assisted Living in November 2009.She was a member of the First Lutheran Church in Brookings, the Ladies Circle and taught Sunday school for many years. She enjoyed sewing, music, reading and traveling.She is survived by two sons Marlin (Kathy) Hill of Brookings and Rodney (Toni) Hill of Moorhead, Minn.; four daughters Joanne (Dale) Saxton of St. Paul, Minn., Elaine (James) Sellers of Pickstown, Eleanor Beaudette of Menno and Karen (Ron) Paulson of Sulfur Springs, Texas; 21 grandchildren; many great-grandchildren; and several great-great-grandchildren and one sister , Olga Pederson of Brookings.She was preceded in death by her husband; one daughter, Ardys Olson; two brothers, Joe and Gerhard and two sisters, Alice and Marie.Condolences may be sent to the family through www.rudesfuneralhome.com.

Brookings Is Healthy

This article was on the web page of the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader:

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20100217/NEWS/2170335

Do you remember Captain 11?

Dave Dedrick was Captain 11 on KELO-TV for about 40 years. Many of us probably watched his program, and even wanted to be on it and turn the dials to start the cartoons. He passed away on Jan 22 at the age of 81. This link will take you to an article in the Sioux Falls paper: http://www.argusleader.com/article/20100123/UPDATES/100123001

This link will take you to obituary page. http://www.argusleader.com/obits You will have search for his last name. I think if you use January 24, 2010 for the date, you will be able to find his obituary.

This is two days later. Lavonne Fuller recently passed away. She was a radio personality for a number of years. She was on with Bert Getz on a program that may have been called "The Club Calendar". Her children were about our age. Her husband Ed had the Brookings Steam Laundry. They washed all the towels and uniforms that we used for gym classes and games. They were long-time fans of the Bobcats. Ed could really chew out the referees if he did not like the calls they made.

LaVonne Fuller of Brookings, SDPublished: January 26, 2010
Brookings - LaVonne Fuller, 85, died Jan. 21, 2010, at Brookview Manor in Brookings. Memorial services will be 11:00 A.M. Sat., Jan. 30, 2010, at First United Methodist Church in Brookings. Visitations will be from 4-8 P.M. Friday, January 29, at Eidsness Funeral Home in Brookings. Memorials may be directed to First United Methodist Church or the church choir. Survivors include a son, Richard (Janice) Fuller, of Tunas, MO; two daughters: Sandra (Jeff) Harms of Canby, MN, and Cynthia (Dave) Diesen of Weston, WI; five grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and two sisters.