The Mother of Dennis and Danny Kruse Passes Away

The mother of Dennis and Danny Kruse (Vada J. Iverson) passed away on April 8, after a long courageous battle with cancer. She was born June 22, 1930, in Brookings, the daughter of John and Helen (Johnson) Swedlund. She grew up in Brookings, and married Donald Kruse on Feb.2, 1948 in Volga. They made their home in Brookings and had six children: David, Danny, Dennis, Debra, Dwight, and Susan. Her husband Don passed away on Aug. 20, 1974 in British Columbia while on a hunting expedition. She married Darrell D. Iverson in 1976. She worked at SDSU from 1975-2003. She was a member of the Morningside Community Church in Brookings, and had a special gift for knowing just when to set the hook on her many fishing excursions. Vada is survived by her husband Darrell of Brookings; two sons, Dennis (Nettie) Kruse of Brookings and Dwight (Marilyn) of Lake Preston; two daughters, Debra (David) Stewart of Brookings, Susan (Kenneth) Weinberg of Lake Poinsett; two daughters-in-law, Julie Kruse and Sheila Kruse; 17 grandchildren; 31 great-granchildren, and one sister, Lola (Don) Stampe of Brookings. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Donald; two sons, David Kruse and Danny Kruse; one daughter-in-law, Wanda Kruse; one grandson, Scott Kruse, and three sisters, Mabel Severson, Frances Nordbye, and Blanche Evans.

Mary Moulton's Mother Passes Away

Our condolences and prayers go out to Mary Moulton and her family on the passing of her mother. She was a wonderful woman. I met her a few times when she, Dianne Sturdevant's mom, and my mom would get together and socialize every once in a while. They all grew up around the Faulkton area about the same time, so they had many things to talk about.

Irene Ellen Moulton passed away on April 2, 2011 at the of of 93 while living at the Sanford Mid Dakota Care Centerin Chamberlain, SD. She was born on May 22, 1917 in Faulkton, SD to Dorothy and Lars Andersen. Irene was long time resident of Brookings, SD and the wife of Lowell C. Moulton, who died April 4, 1979. Irene was beloved mother of four daughters, Janice Christian (I'm wondering if that should be "Christiansen"-I recall looking at annuals of my older brothers and sisters and seeing the name of Janice Moulton; there was also a boy named Christiansen (Bob?), whose father may have had Chris's Market across from the swimming pool. Did they get married?) and Cheryl Paulson of Oacoma, SD, Mary Steen and Rita Vanterpool of Colorado Springs, CO. She has six grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. A memorial service in celebration of her life will be held in Brookings, SD around her 94th birthday (May 22, 2011). Information on the time and exact date will be published in Brookings Register when this information is known.

Mark Bortnem's Mother Passes Away

Our condolences and prayers go out to Mark Bortnem on the recent passing of his mother. What a truly remarkable woman. She was obviously devoted to her faith and her family, and had a passion for helping, assisting, and aiding her fellow men and women. Her unselfish love and willingness to sacrifice for others is unmatched.

Ruth A. "Ruthie" Eggebraaten Bortnem passed away on March 28, 2011 at Brookview Manor in Brookings. She was born on June 21, 1918, so she was almost 93. She had 12 siblings, and was very active at Lake Campbell Lutheran Church for her entire life. She graduated from Brookings High School in 1937. As a student, whe was involved in drama, vocal and band groups, and athletics (there was competitive girls' athetics back then; why they were done away is anybody's guess). After graduation, she was a bookkeeper and secretary for Service Grocery (I remember that store; it was sponsoring a woman's fastpitch softball team in the 50's), and a secretary for attorney B. H. Schaphorst in Brookings.

She married Harris W. Bortnem on June 21, 1939 (her birthday) at Lake Campbell Lutheran Church, and worked alongside him on their small, diversified farm near the church. They lovingly and faithfully raised three children, Eileen, Ralph, and Mark, and attended church regularly. Ruth supported her children in their church, 4-H, and school activities, encouraging creativity and perseverance. She made time to nurture a flower garden and yard and loved to cook and sew.

As often as possible over the years, she visited her adult children, grandchildren, and her extended family in South Dakota and elsewhere.

For decades Ruth diligently maintained the formal written lineage for her father's family, and she published and distributed current versions to family members. She took two trips with family to Europe, including Scandinavia from which her father's and mother's families emigrated.

After moving from the farm to Brookings, Ruth worked at Midtex where she assembled electrical relays for about eight years. She befriended SDSU foreign students and their families. Then she worked as a Senior Companion for 18 years in the Brookings-Volga area, selflessly caring for her clients until her own health began to fail at age 86.

Ruth was the secretary-treasure of her townhouse association in Brookings for about two decades. She enjoyed caring for her flowers at her home. Written history was one of special interests. She even learned how to play the guitar at an advanced age.

At the church, Ruth sang in the ladies' chorus, rang in the bell choir, taught Sunday School and was Superintendent, participated and held offices in the women's groups, and prepared and presented programs at nursing homes for many years. She carefully prepared and presented radio programs for the Christian Women's Hour on KBRK for many years. She designed and constructed many large Christian-theme banners which have been used at the church for nearly 40 years.

After suffering strokes in late 2004 and in early 2007, Ruth's conversation ability was diminished, but her current and past memories of family and events remained very solid. She made her home in assisted-living facilities in Brookings for about six years and continued to live a fulfilling life, with her supportive and loving family and friends close by her side.

She was preceded in death by her parents, twelve siblings, and her husband. She is survived by her three children: Eileen (James) Klein of Prescott, AZ; Ralph Bortnem of Kent,WA and Brookings, SD; Mark (Janet) Bortnem of of Newberg, OR. She is survived by two grandchildren in California: Eric and Julie Klein; three grandchildren in Oregon: Nathan (Addie) Bortnem, Grant (Megan) Bortnem, Luke Bortnem; three great-grandchildren in Oregon: Jameson and and Jackson Bortnem, and Colby Bortnem. She is survived by two sisters-in-law: Velma Eggebraaten of Oregon And Drusilla Ness of Colorado, and many nieces and nephews.

Lee Colburn Into South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame

From the Sioux Falls Argus Leader web edition of April 2, 2011: Perhaps the greatest basketball player in South Dakota State history, Lee Colburn probably was the most exciting as well. The Brookings High grad was all-state in 1968 and 1969 as the Bobcats won the state "A" title in 1968 and were runners-uup in 1969. Colburn, who set the scool single-game scoring record with 38 points, was a prep All-American in 1969. After being recruited by Division I coaches Joe Cipriano (Nebraska), Tex Winter (Washington), and Cotton Fitszimmons (Kansas State), Colburn signed with Jim Marking and SDSU. The number one reason for choosing State was that Division I did not allow freshmen to play varsity, while Division II did, and Colburn wanted to play right away. At State, he finished his career Nol. 1 in scoring (1,822 points) and rebounding (837). But more than scoring or rebounding, the 6'6" Colburn is remembered most for his exceptional speed, body control, and twisting-turning lay-ups. "He just always went flying down the court," Marking told the Brookings Register. "Lee was a great competitor. He laid it on the line every ballgame." Colburn was an All-American in 1973, when he led the North Central Conference in scoring (23.3), was third in rebounding (12.2), and shot 52.9 percent from the field. He earned all-conference honors three times (1971-72-73). The Jacks were in the NCAA playoffs in 1970, 1972, and 1973. Colburn was a third-round draft choice of the Houston Rockets, surviving until the final cuts. He played pro basketball for a season in Belgium and atttended the NBA summer league in Los Angeles, playing for the Rockets. He tried out again with Houston the next year, again making it to the final cuts. He was a co-owner of MC&R Pools, Inc. in Sioux Falls from 1975 until his death in a car accident in 1997. Lee married Connie Wikle in march 1973. They had one daughter, Cristina Lee. Connie passed away in 1984. Lee was married to Karen Dickerson at the time of his death. I believe that Lee is also going to be inducted into the South Dakota Basketball Hall of Fame later this spring, along with two other Bobcats, Roger Nelson, class of 1954, and Renee Sallquist, class of 1986. Roger held the school single game scoring record of 37. He later played at USD, and was a starter on the team that won the national championship in 1958. Ironically, when Lee broke his record in Pierre in 1969, Roger was there. He was teaching in Onida, and had refereed the sophomore game. He later told us that he always wanted to see the game in which it was broken. Fortunately, he was able to be there. Renee was a member of two undefeated teams in 1984 and 1985. Their teams were rated as high as number three in some of the national girls basketball rankings during those years. Also rather ironically, their coach (Jim Holwerda--he was also the athletic director at BHS until 1992, replacing Nig Johnson) played for Tex Winter at Kansas State. Coach Winter left Kansas for Washington, where he tried to recruit Lee. It is a small world.

Kevin O'Connell's Mother Passes Away

Kevin O'Connell's mother passed away recently.

Northfield, MN--Margaret (Wall) O'Connell was born July 20, 1914, in Gettysburg, SD to Frank and Winona Hall. Following two years as a teacher, Peg married Jim O'Connell, a livestock specialist at South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD. She and Jim raised three sons and resided in Brookings until their move to Northfield, MN, in 1998. Peg died March 10, 2011, at the Northfield Retirement Community Care Center.

Peg, a devout Catholic, had a passion for reading and a lifelong pursuit of knowledge. Her love of crossword puzzles contributed to her excellence as a wordsmith. Art was a constant in Peg's life. She volunteered as a tour guide at the SDSU Art Museum and continued to champion art appreciation throughout her years in Northfield. She was currently enrolled in water color painting at the senior center.

She is surviver her son Patrick and wife Donna of Spearfish, SD; Kevin and his wife Kay of Northfield, MN; daughter-in-law Suzan O'Connell of Bismarck, ND; sisters Marion Lowrey and Patricia Wall of The Woodlands, TX; six grandchildren and four great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Jim and son Michael.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 13, from 2-4 pm at the Northfield Retirement Center Chapel. Interment services and Mass will be held later this spring in Brookings, SD.

Memorials can be directed to the Northfield Public Library or the South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings, SD.

Arrangements are with the Benson & Langehough Funeral Home.

If anybody has any comments to add, feel free to do so. I spent a great deal of time over at the O'Connell house, especially during the summer of 1963. We were altar boys at the Newman Center right across the alley from their house, and served there almost every day.

Bob Gustafson's Sister

Bob Gustafson's sister passed away recently. I did not realize this, but she graduated from BHS in 1962. I had a brother who graduated that year. It was also the year that they won the State "A" basketball title, which we duplicated six years later. Her complete obituary can be found at http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/index.php?option=com_obituary&task=details&oid=827

The Mother of Lonnie Herron Passes Away

Lonnie Herron's mother passed away recently. She was 94. On a personal note, Lonnie was on the same Little League team when we were 11-12 years old. He was our catcher, and could really hit the ball, too. Her complete obituary can be found at http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/index.php?option=com_obituary&task=details&oid=828