The Loss of A Hall of Famer

 On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, Willie Mays, a member of baseball's hall of fame passed away (https://www.mlb.com/news/hall-of-famer-willie-mays-passes-away-at-93).  He is considered one of the best baseball players of all time.

One day previously, on June 17, 2024, another member of a hall of fame, and a brother of one of our class members, also passed away.  Jim Wright, brother of our classmate Georgia, "passed away surrounded by family."  (https://www.heritagesfsd.com/obituary/jimmie-wright)

As the obituary indicates, Jim had a love for music.  His future wife Nancy Engstrom was the daughter of Erling Engstrom (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/erling-engstrom), the instrumental music instructor in the Brookings Junior High School, which later became the Brookings Middle School when we moved into the "new" high school.  During his high school days, Jim was in the select choir all three years. Additionally, he was involved in the monogram club for two years, having earned letters in football his junior and senior years.  He was also in student council his junior year, and participated in track and field and wrestling.  Jim was definitely a well-rounded student. 

It's interesting that he married Nancy on June 6, 1981.  June 6, 1944, was D-Day:  "On June 6, 1944, nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day's end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe."  Was that day chosen to honor Jim's service in the army and the national guard?

Ten years ago, Jim and the band Ride were inducted into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association (https://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/inductee?id=85#Ride).  Most people refer it to the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but because of copyright laws, "Hall of Fame" refers to that museum in Cleveland (https://rockhall.com/).

Can you identify Jim in this colorful photograph?  

This appears to be an earlier version of the band.

Two years later, Jim was again honored as a member of "Military Pickle."  Some of us were privileged to be in attendance for their induction.  (https://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/inductee?id=191#Military-Pickle)

I seem to recall that at the festivities that night, Jim indicated that one of his early bands (perhaps even his first band) was called "The Outsiders."  However, around that time, a popular song called "Time Won't Let Me" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS1sYR7xky8;  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Won%27t_Let_Me) was soaring up the charts.  This band was named "The Outsiders."  I don't know if  Jim changed the band's name because he was threatened with a lawsuit or if he wisely wanted to avoid one. 

The Brookings Register article below highlights Military Pickle's selection.

Were they the house band at Horatio's?

Were they taking a break from their military duties?

Was it prom night somewhere?

Jim and Dave Adamson meeting the crowd before their induction.  Dave's sister Glenda was also in our class.   

Jim is on the left, while on the right is John Behrend, Jim's classmate.  Who is the man in the middle?

Bob Adams is getting reacquainted with the band, as he was also involved with both instrumental and vocal music when they were all in high school.  

Below, Bob seems to be having an intense conversation with classmate Rob Dimit. Rob's younger brother Beatty (Ed) was also in our class.  Thus, three of our classmates had brothers in this renowned band.  

Jim was a wonderful person.  It was just a year ago that his father-in-law passed away.  Some of us were able to visit a little with Jim on that sad day. 

As we come to grips with reality, we realize that we are no longer the active and energetic teenagers we were back in the 1960's.  Unfortunately, death will conquer all of us.  While we are still alive, let us follow Jim's example and make the most of our lives. 

I expect to pass through this world but once;

any good thing therefore that I can do, or any

kindness that I can show to any fellow-creature,

let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it,

for I shall not pass this way again.    Stephen Grellet

 

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”

― Edward Everett Hale 

Our prayers and condolences go out to Georgia at this difficult time.

The Not-So-Merry Month Of May

The format for posting on this blog has changed, so there may be some glitches that need to be worked out.  After a few tries, it seems that the bugs have been eliminated.

 About 1880, the song "Fountain In The Park" (https://www.bethsnotesplus.com/2016/02/fountain-in-the-park.html) was composed. This May of 2024 was not so merry for some of us. On May 21, we lost Jim Connelly (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/james-connelly), older brother of Robyn of our class.

Does anybody recall the big tree house mentioned in the obituary? Building tree houses seemed to be a worthwhile project that summer, as there was at least one other tree house undergoing construction then, and the "contractors" just happened to be Jim's classmates. Since the funeral was held the day after Memorial Day, not as many people were able to attend as would have liked. Although the priest did not personally know Jim (he was rather new to the parish), he did a nice job at the Mass, and had some kind words to say about Jim, his friends, and his faith. Our condolences and prayers go out to Robyn and Jim at this time. 

Just eight days later, another unexpected death occurred with the passing of Dan Lamp (https://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/obituary/daniel-lamp).

Dan was a year ahead of us in school, and married Dawne Seas, who was a year behind us. Their two children, Brady and Kali, were students of mine when they were in the 8th grade. Since our house is on the 4th of July parade route, Dan and his family would often watch from our boulevard. One of the parade entries a few years ago was an 8-door Pontiac station wagon. The vehicle was about as long as a bus!  The one in the parade was white, but looked just like this one shown below.

My niece asked me what year it was. I thought it was a 1965 model, but Dan corrected me and said it was a 1966. His brother Scott lives one house from my niece's family. Our paths have crossed a few times, and have resulted in some interesting and memorable conversations. Our condolences and prayers go out to Dan's family at this time. 

Earlier, on May 14, Beau Thomas Bielfeldt succumbed to Osteogenesis Imperfecta, or brittle bone disease.

His father, Daniel Bielfeldt, was a former student and athlete of mine. Daniel ran on our cross-country and track and field teams, but was better known as a musician and a top-notch student. If memory serves me correctly, he played the tuba. His father Dennis is a Lutheran minister, and was a philosophy-religion professor when Daniel was in middle and high school. He then helped to found the Institute of Lutheran Theology, and is the current president (https://ilt.edu/about-ilt/staff/; https://ilt.edu/). ILT is located on the former property of St. Thomas More Catholic Church (rather ironic, isn't it?). I believe Dr. Bielfeldt has also invested in some properties in the area, and has helped increased the number of lodging facilities in Brookings. 

Sadly, we were recently informed about another sudden loss on March 12, 2024, of the passing of Patricia Hegstrom, sister of Mary of our class.

(https://www.thepublicopinion.com/obituaries/pabd0762579) Thank you to whoever forwarded this email to us. Our prayers and condolences go out to Mary and her family at this time.

 Preparations are winding down for the big reunions this summer. Name tags have been made, and final preparations should be finalized in a few weeks. We will get out that information as soon as possible.

Another Loss For A Classmate

Recently we learned the passing of Kathryn "Kathe" L. Shockey (https://brookingsregister.com/stories/kathryn-kathe-l-shockey,80292?), the sister of Glenda (Adamson) Skovly of our class. Kathryn graduated from BHS in 1966. In that class were also many of our siblings: Rosetta Ahlers, Janet Briggs (she was an older sister of Jerry; they may have moved away after this year), Jim Connelly, Dan Gulsleth, Susan Gustafson, Roger Haverman, Tom Hegstrom, Tom Henry, Jeff Johnson, Joyce Jordan (would she have been a sister of Jill Jordan?), Dave Kallemeyn, Darrell Larson, Cheryl Lee (a sister of Bob Lee?), Craig Martin, Diane Moad, LaVerne Peterson, Tom Rufer, Klare Schroeder, Sally Sterud (sister of Martha?or a cousin?), Paul Vick, Patricia Watson, and Mary Westbrook. Our condolences go out to Glenda and her family at this difficult time.

A Double Loss

Our condolences go out to Paula Hoffman on the loss of her sister-in-law and to Jerry Moad on the loss of his sister. Their losses were not two different persons. Diann Kay Hoffman was the sister-in-law of Paula, and also was Jerry's older sister. Her memorial indicates what a truly remarkable woman she was.

Several of us were able to show our support and attend the services that were held in Dell Rapids. It seems like funerals are the only times some of us classmates are able to see each other. Diann's husband was Paula's older brother Jerry. Jerry was a few years older than we, but is best known to some of us boys as the manager of our Aurora Body Shop slo-pitch softball team that formed in 1970. We had all played baseball at some point in our lives, from little league to legion, so we thought we could field a rather competitive team. Our first game, though, truly humbled us. We played the Spies team, which was proctically a dynasty back then. They often were the class not only of the city, but of the state, winning several state championships in the 1970's. The final score was something like 45-4. It may have been the most runs the Spies team ever scored. Even when we were behind by 25 runs, one of their players hollered out "Show no mercy!" We did improve, and even won a "B" division tournament one summer. Although we were competitive, we seemed to come up short against the powerful teams. Nevertheless, those summers in the early 70's provided many of us with some grand times and memories. Perhaps some of those visions will resurface this summer at our reunions, both the all-60's reunion and our own 55th class reunion. As of now, about 70 people have plans to come. We are looking to forward to a wonderful time.

Memento etiam, Domine, famulorum famularumque tuarum,,,

 Most, if not all of you, are thinking what kind of heading is this?  This phrase is the beginning of the prayer "Meménto, Dómine, famulórum famularúmque tuarum N. et N. et ómnium circumstántium, quorum tibi fides cógnita est et nota devótio, pro quibus tibi offérimus: vel qui tibi ófferunt hoc sacrifícium laudis, pro se suísque ómnibus: pro redemptióne animárum suárum, pro spe salútis et incolumitátis suæ: tibíque reddunt vota sua ætérno Deo, vivo et vero." that is prayed in the Catholic Mass.  It can be translated as "Be mindful, O Lord, of Thy servants and handmaidens, N. and N. and of all here present, whose faith and devotion are known unto Thee, for whom we offer, or who offer up to Thee, this sacrifice of praise for themselves, their families and friends, for the redemption of their souls, for the health and salvation they hope for; and who now pay their vows to Thee, the everlasting, living and true God."  The "N. and N." refer to the people to be remembered. 

 Within the last month, there have been half a dozen funerals of people that are closely connected to our class.  On Feb. 9, 2024, we lost Sandra Wilber, sister-in-law of Cathy (Wilber) Madson; six days later, we lost our classmate Arlo Berkland; nine days later, we lost two noble men in Bernard Hietbrink, father of classmate Deanne (Hietbrink) Jacobs, and Bob Bartling, whose daughter Jane was a year behind us; five days later, on February 29, leap day, the wife of our teener baseball coach Bernie Van Essen, Sandy, passed away, and on March 5, Boyd Shank passed away.  His two sons were about our age, the older one having graduated in 1966, while the younger one graduated in 1972.  

Sandra (Rymerson) Wilber (https://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/obituary/sandra-wilber) graduated from BHS in 1957.  In addition to marrying Art Wilber, BHS class of 1956, she was a classmate of Cathy's sister Mary, who later married "Chuck" Cecil.  (Disclaimer:  I also had a sister in that class).  The annual lists Sandra's activities as: Chorus 1, 2; Cheerleader 1; GAA 1, 2, 3; HR Off 1, 2; Bobcat 4; Spanish Club 2, 3.  The 1956-57 school year was the first year of the junior high program, with "Lefty" Johnson assuming the principal's position.  He had previously been a science teacher (9th grade?).  Some of the 13 Jr. Hi teachers listed were Etta Olson (history), Neva LaChance (Math and Art), Francis Dolan (PE and coach). 

At the high school level, some of the teachers that we would later know were Mr. Serlet, Miss Mahlstrom, Mr. Kleinsasser, Mr. Karnes, Miss Helland, Mr. Stewart, Miss Briscoe, Mr. Hauschild, and Mr. Arne B. Larson.  Mrs. Rodee is listed as director of plays for both the Junior Class ( "December Bride"--https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_Bride) and Senior Class (Dear Daffodil--could not find any internet entry for this play). Her picture, however, was not listed for either senior high school or junior high. 

11 honor students were listed out of a class of 76, which is about 15 %.  Today, it seems that half the class is composed of honor students.  

  When Tom Bozied and I were in college, Mr. Dolan asked us to supervise the elementary intramural athletic program.  Todd Wilber, son of Art and Sandy, was a fifth-grader one year, and was on the championship basketball team.  That team is pictured below: 

Lyle Steenson's brother was a year younger than we were.  Their father was a respected mechanic at Kjellsen's Chevrolet and Cadillac.  Kenny Olson's parents had the Pheasant Cafe.  The Pheasant was recently awarded a prestigious award from the James Beard Foundation (https://brookingsregister.com/stories/nation-about-to-learn-pheasants-secrets,73825?).  Jim Woslager's father had the gas station by the old Spies store on 6th St.  Anyone remember the name?  Bob Grimsley's father was a custodian in the school district.  Was Bruce Palmer's father a chemistry professor at SDSU (Ivan Palmer)?  Jon Colburn is Lee's youngest brother.  Joey Getzug is the son of Bert, the voice of KBRK when we were growing up.  Bill Kenefick's father was our legion baseball coach in 1968.  Bill was a fine swimmer in high school.  Sadly, he lost his life in a car crash when the swim team was returning home from a meet in McLaughlin, South Dakota, while Bill was still in high school (late 1970's?)  Jon Colburn, too, lost his life in a car crash near Sinai just about a year ago (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/jon-colburn).  

 Our classmate Arlo Berkland (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/arlo-berkland) was a well-known and respected farmer.  He farmed south of Volga.  In our younger days, our running group often ran by his farm, but I never realized that he was farming that parcel of land.  

Arlo's influence and respect was county-wide.  His visitation was one of the largest I have ever seen.  The parking lot was overflowing, and cars had to park a few blocks away.  Arlo's twin sister Arlys told me that after Arlo's accident many years ago, doctors told them he likely would not walk again.  However, Arlo's strength and determination proved them wrong.  He recovered and resumed his love for the land.

Interestingly, just a few days before Arlo passed, Cody Rufer, Brad's brother, stopped by to catch up on old times.  He lives at Lake Campbell.  One of his neighbors is Arlo's sister Mary Ann.  She had told Cody that Arlo was in the hospital in Sioux Falls with pneumonia.  She thought he was making progress, but unfortunately, his condition worsened, resulting in Arlo's untimely death.  

On Feb. 24, we lost two significant figures of the community.  Bernard Hietbrink (https://brookingsregister.com/stories/bernard-edward-hietbrink,73111?) was the father of Deanne of our class.  He was a renowned professor in the pharmacy department at SDSU.  His obituary attests to the well-rounded life that he lived.  I was fortunate to have a couple of his children as students during my tenure in the Brookings school system.  

Also going to his eternal reward that day was Bob Bartling (https://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/obituary/robert-bob-bartling).  Most of us probably associate him with Bartling's Furniture Store.  However, in the mid 1960's, the exercise bug re-infected him and also his brother Lorne.  In high school, both were outstanding athletes.  Bob's performances in track and field would still be competitive today.  He set the then-school record in the long jump (called broad jump at the time), and was also a fine long sprinter.  The 1944 annual lists his activities as HR off 1; Jr. Prom Committee; "B" FB 1,3; "A" FB 4; "B" BB 1,2; "A" BB 3,4; Monogram club; Lord of Bobcat Day; Track and Field 1, 2, 3, (4); Rotarian 4; BB captain.  The annual attributed this honor to Bob:  "His sportsmanship and ready smile; Definitely give him style."  Anyone who knew Bob never failed to mention that he seemed to have a perpetual smile on his face (where else would one have a smile?)  Notice the smiles in the images below.

  

Bob was best known around the area, though, as a lover of track and field.  Mentioned above is the running group that ran by Arlo Berkland's farm.  Bob was a key member of that group.  He was one of the founders of the local running club, Prarie Striders, and helped organize numerous road races in the area.  He kept copious records of athletes, not only in track and field and road racing, but also in collegiate wrestling.  He accumulated so many records and performances of athletes, as well as  books on track and field, running, road racing, and wrestling, that the Briggs Library at SDSU has a section devoted specifically to those topics.  

When Bob started jogging, he opened a shoe store in the basement of the furniture store.  This would be the first Nike dealership in the state.  His prices were much lower than anyone else's, and many schools and universities supplied their teams with shoes from that store.

My initiation into the local running community started right after college graduation.  A few of us would meet at 6:30 am for our daily weekday jog (the above named Cody Rufer came as often as his schedule permitted) , while on Sunday, even more would gather at 7:00 am for our longer Sunday run.  Suffice it to say that there were some interesting conversations during those forays into the countryside.  

Bob's influence on the Brookings community was immense.  Before he became so involved in running, he was and remained a supporter of athletics for all ages, from the youngsters up to the collegians.  He was active in the promotion of amateur baseball, from the little leagues to the adults, and a contributor to the local high school and college athletic programs.  He also served on the Hall of Fame committee for BHS since its inception about 20 years ago.  

Having known Bob for many years, and having run many miles with him, it would be easy to write much more about what a truly wonderful man he was.  Accolades abounded at his visitation and his funeral.  Perhaps a couple of newspaper articles can summarize his humility and humanity.  https://brookingsregister.com/stories/brookings-register-02272024,72422

This clipping was written by Mr. Walder, our junior English teacher, who was a close friend of Bob.  https://brookingsregister.com/stories/remembering-the-running-mischief-master,73347

On leap day this year, we lost Sandy Van Essen (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/sandy-van-essen).  That name may probably mean little to most of us, but she was the wife of one of our teener baseball coaches, Bernie Van Essen (Nancy Webbenhurst's brother Bob was the other coach).  About 11 years ago, Bernie passed away, and we recognized him with this post:  

Passing away recently was Bernie Van Essen (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=970705VanEssen).  For most of you, that name probably means very little, but for some of us boys, he was a big part our summers in 1965 and 66.  He and Bob Webbenhurst, Nancy's oldest brother, were our teener baseball coaches those years.  In 1965, we qualified for the national teener tournament by winning our section tourney in Brookings, (Brookings, Watertown, Sisseton, and Milbank), the state tourney in Madison, and the region tournament at Igloo in the southeast corner of the state. I think it was called Igloo because it was a munitions depot, and the munitions were stored in buildings that looked like igloos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hills_Ordnance_Depot). We stayed in some old barracks that were there. Only two other teams were in the tournament:  Miller, South Dakota and, I believe,a team from Crawford, Nebraska (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crawford,_Nebraska and http://crawfordnebraska.net/).  Fortunately, we prevailed, and were on our way to Hershey, PA, for the national tournament.  It was a great time.  The bus ride was long, but memorable.  We had picked up Judd Bergan, a pitcher from Watertown.  He brought along his guitar, playing I'm Henry VIII, I Am by Herman's Hermits regularly.  Bob Webbenhurst liked the Kingston Trio, so MTA (he will ride forever through the streets of Boston, he's a man who'll never return) was also played with some frequency.  When we stopped to eat, the jukeboxes were quite busy, playing (if memory serves correctly) I Got You Babe (Sonny and Cher); Baby, The Rain Must Fall (Glenn Yarborough): What's New Pussycat? (Tom Jones); Satisfaction (Rolling Stones); Catch Us If You Can (Dave Clark Five); Eve of Destruction (Barry McGuire); Down in the Boondocks (Billy Joe Royal--this song may have been Walter Osterberg's favorite).  We stayed at the Hershey Ballroom, right across from the amusement park.  For me, that was the first time I had been more than a couple of hours away from home, so it was a thrill.  We also visited the world-famous Hershey Chocolate Factory, and saw how they made some of their products.  The Philadelphia Eagles conducted their pre-season football training camp at Hershey, so Bob Webbbenhurst, who played football at SDSU, arranged for Pete Retzlaff (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/846090-crazy-canton-cuts-pete-retzlaff) to visit with us at one of our practices.  Pete had played at SDSC (as it was then known) over a decade earlier.  He also gave us an autographed picture, which I can no longer find.  In the picture above, we are receiving our trophy after the championship game in Igloo.  Judd Bergan is the recipient, while in the back are Bob Webbenhurst, Tom Bozied, Phil Trautman, Lloyd Beneke, Doug deBoise, John Iverson, and Bernie Van Essen.  In the front are Walt Osterberg, Tim DeWitt, Tom Osterberg, Chip Kabrud, Barry Buehler, Don Tordoff, Jim Arndt, and Randy Hofer.  Also going along to Hershey were some of the fathers (Bozied, Kabrud, Buehler, DeWitt? others?) to help as chaperones. At the wake was a scrapbook with a number of pictures and news stories about that team that Bernie and his wife had put together.  Looking at that brought back many fond memories.

March 5, 2024 saw the passing of Boyd Shank.  What is most remarkable about him is that he was born in 1914, making him almost 110 years old (https://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/obituary/d-boyd-shank).   In our senior annual, there is picture of his son Tim diving into the pool.  

Notice additionally that our class had the intramural basketball champions.  

Our condolences go out to the families that have been saddened by the loss of these wonderful people.  

   

   

December, 19963 Sixty Years Late

We may remember the popular Four Seasons song "December, 1963" from the mid-1970's (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December%2C_1963_(Oh%2C_What_a_Night) and (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTUhnIY3oRM). While December is generally associated with the happy and exciting time of Christmas, 60 years later, December 2023, was a rather sad time for many in Brookings.  Funerals were held for three teachers, Bill Everding, Pat Lyons, and LeRoy Klavetter. These three men greatly affected the lives of many of their students.  Since their obituaries highlight their lives better than I can, it seems redundant to add anything more.  

On December 2, 2023, services were held for Bill Everding.  He began his teaching career in Brookings in 1976.  He was in the business department, teaching typing and related courses (typewriters were still used back then).  When personal computers became more common, he became a proficient teacher in their use.  Not only did he teach students, but he also taught an adult education class for us older people (I was in one of his classes).  

He was also well-respected as a powder-puff football coach, as his obituary attests.  The powder-puff football game during homecoming week is still going strong since its inception in 1966, the year we were sophomores.

Mr. Everding's obituary can be found at https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/william-h-everding-jr

Pat Lyons, older brother of Kris of our class, passed away on Dec. 5, 2023 (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/patrick-lyons).  Pat graduated five years before we did, was an outstanding golfer in high school, and a beloved professor at SDSU.  His two daughters were talented students in the Brookings school system.  

At the service, I was most fortunate to be able to have a long converstion with Kris's daughter, who grew up in Sturgis.  She indicated the Kris's email had been hacked, so she has a different email address than what we have.  If anyone has contacts with Kris, perhaps you can fill her in on the upcoming reunions to be held this August.  

On December 14, 2023, LeRoy Klavetter passed away (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/leroy-klavetter).  Many of us may have had him for Algebra 2 and Trig.  Our sophomore year was his first year teaching in Brookings.  Since that was the last year in the "old" school, some classes were held at 8:00 because there were over 1000 students cramped into that building, which housed both junior and senior high school students.  Mr. Klavetter had the "honor" of having some of us for his 8:00 class.  Sometimes, a few of us did not quite make it on time.  However, Mr. Klavetter did not seem to get unusually upset, as the guestbook comments indicate.  

What struck me as rather strange, though, was that very few of his colleagues attended the funeral.  There were a number of them that attended the visitation, though, so perhaps that was their way of extending their condolences.  

Our condolences to the families of Mr. Everding, Mr. Lyons, and Mr. Klavetter.

A Pillar of the Community

 Death has a way of rearing its ugly head at the most inopportune times.  November is frequently associated with the time for thanksgiving, but sometimes sadness overcomes the joy and happiness found in this feast.  A couple of examples would include the assassination of President on Nov. 22, 1963 (all of us likely remember when we learned of his tragic death) , and the wreck of the Great Lakes freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald on Nov. 10, 1975, perhaps best remembered in the song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu1GpQeYh5g and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wreck_of_the_Edmund_Fitzgerald )

This past November 9, 2023, death again visited our class when Patty Kratochvil, the wife of Mark of our class, passed away (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/patty-kratochvil).  

Words cannot truly express our thoughts on what a wonderful person Patty was, and how blessed she and Mark were able to be together for so many lovely years, and to raise a wonderful family. 

The scripture readings chosen for the funeral service reflect Patty's devotion to her faith, to her family, and to her community.  The eulogy given by her daughters was truly a celebration of Patty's life.  The funeral service is posted below;  if you wish to view the funeral service, you may go to:  https://boxcast.tv/view/patty-kratochvil-memorial-service-lmyuxrhvoisb2nn1zvbn?_gl=1*13wrzye*_ga*MTQ1ODAxNDQ3Ny4xNjgzMDM0Njky*_ga_PXBBF7HVWQ*MTcwMDQ4ODg4MC4yNS4xLjE3MDA0ODg5NDYuMC4wLjA.  A number of classmates were able to extend our condolences in person.  Perhaps you can spot them.  

Patty was a frequent guest on "The Great Afternoon Smorgasboard" program on KBRK.  This afternoon program was hosted by Grant Peterson for a number of years in the late 1990's to about 2010 or so.  Grant came to Brookings in the early 1960's to work on the radio.  He did the programming in the afternoon, taking over after Bert Getz had finished his stint.  When we were in high school, Grant and Bob Reimers also announced our basketball games (did they do football games, also?).  They would ride along on our bus trips.  On the chartered busses, there was usually a table in the middle, and the seats could be arranged to face each other.  The table frequently became the home for card games for whoever wanted to play (usually the announcers and coaches).  While talking with Mr. Peterson, Patty displayed her vast knowledge of her business "Threads of Memories," a store dealing in antiques and collectibles.  Her store was located in the old S and L building, which had entrances both on Main Avenue and 4th Street.  The name "Threads of Memories" was quite appropriate, as Patty was an excellent seamstress as well as being very knowledgeable in articles, items, and folklore from a bygone era.  

Our condolences go out to Mark and his family on the loss of his truly wonderful wife.  Her presence is the community may be missed, but not forgotten.