Joe Assman, age 92, of Winner, passed away on May 9, 2016 at the Winner Regional Long Term Care Facility.
Mass of Christian Burial was held at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 12, 2016 at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Winner. Burial followed at the Winner City Cemetery.
Joe Assman was not your average Joe. Although a remarkable life of 92 years is difficult to summarize in a few short paragraphs, Joseph James Assman was born August 9, 1923 to Isabelle (Coyle) Assman and William Assman. He was the last survivor in his family of eight. Older siblings were Ed, Bill, Don, Clarence, Margaret, and younger siblings were Nick and Isabelle. Growing up during the depression he learned to work hard and make wise business decisions like others of his generation. He attended St. Mary’s Catholic School and graduated from Winner High School in 1941. He was very proud that he was a golden glove boxer and was called “Winner’s Joe Lewis”.
Shortly after graduation he moved to Todd County to run his father’s cattle operation. He eventually bought a quarter of land where Assman Implement currently is located and he continued to add to his farming and ranching operation. He met a blonde, blue eyed beauty in 1945 that was working at the Todd County Conservation Office by the name of Esther Elizabeth Einspahr. The romance blossomed and they were united in marriage on October 18, 1947 at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Mission, SD. Tragedy struck early in their marriage with the loss of their first child, Jean, who died at birth. They were blessed with sons Greg, Chris, Ed, Brad, Dave, and tragedy struck again with the loss of another daughter, Kimberly, she was followed by Mike, Mary Beth, and Gordon. In 1965, a devastating farm accident occurred and took the life of Gordon at the age of 21 months. Joe and Esther’s strong Catholic faith helped them endure and accept his loss. In memory of Gordon, there is a large rock as a memorial of his life at Assman Implement, where the accident occurred.
Joe’s nickname was “Sparky” which was shortened by his kids as he would often tell them that “he was the sparkplug of the operation”. That was often heard when the boys had a late night on the town and were not very energized the next morning and were not getting out of bed as early as expected. Joe was a very optimistic, cheerful, friendly, generous, and gracious person and he loved babies and children. He was always patient, rarely critical, and was able to transition the management of his operation to us kids, which is sometimes difficult for men of his generation. He had strong family values and during the 1980’s we experienced financial difficulties with high interest rates and low commodity prices. There was a lot of family stress and problems and he gave us a copy of a letter his father had written to him and his siblings in 1941, it was a parable of the six sticks: “A man had six sons, who were always quarreling. They left their work and studies to quarrel among themselves. Some bad men were looking forward to the death of their father to cheat them out of their property by making them quarrel about it. The good old man one day called his sons around him. He laid before them the six sticks that were bound. He said “I will pay a hundred dollars to the one that can break this bundle.” After a long but vain trial, they said it could not be done. “And yet my boys,” said the father “nothing is easier to do.” He then untied the bundle and broke the sticks one by one with perfect ease. “Oh” said his sons, “it is easy enough to do it, and anyone could do it that way.” Their father replied, “As it is with these stick, it is with you my sons. So long as you hold fast together and aid each other, you will prosper, and none can injure you. But if the bond of union is broken, it will happen to you just as it has happened to these sticks, which lie broken on the ground.”
One of Sparky’s accomplishments was becoming a Case dealer in 1969. Although the location was not an ideal business climate, he was able to make a success out of it in spite of the location. In 1983 the dealership won top sales west of the Mississippi and won a Chrysler convertible car and a trip to Hawaii. Years later Joe asked the dealer rep “why would you ever allow a dealer in our location” he replied “I never figured you would have made it but they were having a contest for who could sign up the most dealers and they were giving away a free color TV to the rep the that signed up the most dealers and I wanted that TV.” He was lifelong member of the 4th Degree Knights, an active member of the Republican Party, and a former Todd County Commissioner. He was also very proud of his family and all their accomplishments and appreciative of his employees.
Joe made a great life for himself and his family and he remained optimistic, cheerful, and complimentary up to the end. We are so grateful for the wonderful staff at the Winner Regional Long Term Care and the excellent care he received. Several of the staff have told us “when I am having a bad day, I go see Joe and he makes my day brighter.” He never complained of the pain and remained positive in spite of being in the nursing home for over two years after undergoing a major cancer surgery. He was preceded in death by his parents William and Isabelle, brothers Ed, Bill, Don, Clarence, Nick, sisters Margaret and Isabelle, infant daughters Jean and Kimberly, infant son Gordon and his beloved dog Toby.
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