Armstrong Prepares for Deployment

a. j. armstrong

A former Colome resident, A. J. Armstrong, was one of the soldiers of the South Dakota Army National Guard’s 200th Engineer Co., who will depart for a nine-month assignment in the Middle East.

Armstrong is the son of Alan and Diane Armstrong of Colome and is a graduate of Colome High School.

The 31-year-old Armstrong, who has served 12 years in the National Guard, will leave behind his wife and four kids. A story on Armstrong was featured in Saturday’s Mitchell Daily Republic.

The guard unit’s assignment in Kuwait will be to help assemble, maintain, repair and replace standard U.S. bridging systems.

A deployment ceremony was held Saturday in Pierre with Gov. Dennis Daugaard speaking.

Serving as a first lieutenant and the group’s executive officer, Armstrong was one of many soldiers who volunteered for the deployment and will be in charge of training the team for bridge building.

In 2016, Armstrong was recognized by the South Dakota National Guard as the lieutenant of the year.

“We are looking forward to going over there,” said Armstrong.

“For me, it just feels like it is the right thing to do to serve my country. I feel a need to pay back what the country’s done for me—all of the knowledge and experience I’ve gained, I want to give that back.”

Tom Green, Youth Group Stop in Winner

tom green family with jo green

By Dan Bechtold, Editor

Tom Green has followed God’s calling and is a youth minister in Cushing, Okla.

Green received his education in Winner and is the son of Jo Green, Winner and the late Dennis Green.

Sunday morning Green, his family and members of the youth group from the First Assembly of God church in Cushing were in Winner to have lunch at the Methodist Church. The group were on their way to Rapid City to spend a week doing mission work.

There are 16 students on the trip. Green said they will talk to the Boys and Girls Club of Rapid City and one day will feed the homeless. They will clean up a park and do other service minded work.

They group will stay at a church in Rapid City plus will take a trip to Mount Rushmore.

Green explained for some of the kids this is their first trip outside of Oklahoma.

A lunch of barbeques, pasta salad and fruit at the Methodist Church were enjoyed by the group.

Tom Green is a 1990 graduate of Winner High School and a 1994 graduate of the University of South Dakota with a degree in music education.
He was a substitute teacher in Minnesota and then worked for a seed company. The family moved to Colorado where he worked for Oppenheimer Funds for seven years.

From Colorado, the family moved to Norfolk, Neb., where he became a deacon and a youth leader at an Assembly of God Church.

Green started the school if ministry in Nebraska and got his credentials through the Assembly of God.
“God gave me a call to start my schooling,” he said.

Green is now working on getting his license to work in the church.

He saw on a web site that the church in Cushing was looking for a youth minister. He accepted the call and has been there for one year.

Cushing is located southwest of Tulsa and has a population of about 8,000. The oil pipeline is city’s largest employer.

Green and his wife, Julie, have two children Kaleb and Jessica.

Funnyman Featured at Elks Rodeo

jelly bean with elks rodeo story

Adam Carlson (Jelly Bean) had long thought about getting in the arena and performing as a funnyman and in 2011 he decided to start working towards his dream.

Jelly Bean will be the funny man at this years Winner Elks Rodeo July 28, 29 and 30 at the Tripp County rodeo arena.

By the summer of 2012, he was able to start performing in different areas in North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, Missouri and Minnesota. He has been chosen to work the Minnesota high school rodeo finals twice, the Midwest bullriders final, the Rice bullriding glory bound tour finals and the WOJO rodeo circuit finals twice.

Adams is on his 16th year of teaching health and physical education along with coaching varsity track and Special Olympics at Aitkin High School. He tries to use humor every day to get his lessons across to his students. When not working at chasing the rodeo dream, he and his wife and four kids enjoy horseback riding, camping, playing on the lake, watching the kids compete in different activities and relaxing.

He is looking forward to meeting people in Winner.

Kingsley Enjoys Working for Heartland Waste

marti kingsley

By Dan Bechtold, Editor

Marti Kingsley likes the flexibility that her job as office manager of Heartland Waste Management offers.  Heartland Waste is the garage service for Winner and area towns.   In the past, the company did not have an office manager. She handles the day to day office duties such as answering the phone and helping individuals with their questions.

Persons who are interested or have questions about garbage routes can call Kingsley at 842-3692 or her cell at 840-2165.
Kingsley and her husband have three children—Shaleena, age 11; Raelynn, 10 and Bode, 7.

Winner/Colome Stays Alive in State Legion Tournament

sl sunday fans

Winner/Colome Legion baseball team has made it to the final four of the State B Legion tournament at Leahy Bowl in Winner.  The Royals played Vermillion Monday night for the right to advance to the state championship.  On their way to the final four, Winner/Colome defeated McCook/Miner and Platte-Geddes and lost to Spearfish.

In the Royal’s first game on Friday night, they defeated McCook/Miner 5-3.  A three run first inning set the Royals up for the victory.

The team had seven hits with Riley Calhoon having two singles and Carter Brickman had two RBIs.   Pitching for Winner/Colome were Carter Brickman who threw 4 1/3 innings to earn the win, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits, 2 walks and no strikeouts. Kelly O’Bryan earned the save in relief pitching 2 2/3 innings giving up no run, o hits 1 walk and 1 strikeout.

Saturday Spearfish shut out Winner/Colome 10-0.

Winner/Colome had 5 hits and O’Bryan had 2 singles.

Ty Bolton threw 2 1/3 innings and gave up five runs on 7 hits, 8 walks and 1strikeout. Drew DeMers threw 1 1/3 inning and gave up 3 runs on 3 hits, 1 walk and 1 strikeout. Levi McClanahan threw a third of an inning. Cale Meiners threw two innings giving up 2 uns on 3 hits.

The Royals bounced back on Sunday as they defeated Platte-Geddes 10-5. The Royals got a nice cushion as they scored several runs in the opening inning.

Winner/Colome had 10 hits. Calhoon, McClanahan and DeMers all had 2 hits and nick Lantz had 2 RBIs.  In pitching, O’Bryan threw one inning, Calhoon threw 6 innings in relief to get the win and give up five runs on 5 hits, 2 walks and 2 strikeouts.

“It’s been a great three days so far for our guys and feels special to still be alive in the final four with so many great teams here,” said coach Drew Weber.  “We beat McCook/Miner in a thrilling game on Friday night with some great pitching by Carter and Kelly and we got some timely hits from our entire order,” said the coach.

“The Spearfish game didn’t go as planned but we bounded back with a hard-fought victory over Platte on Sunday. So far, I’ve been very impressed with our pitching and defense but our offense has come through with some clutch hits too. We’re not sure how it’s going to end up but we have already proven we are one of the best teams in the state and I’m very proud of our kids,” said Weber.

On Monday, Spearfish played McCook/Miner in the 5 p.m. game and at 7:30 p.m. Winner/Colome took on Vermillion.

The championship was played at Leahy Bowl on Tuesday, July 25. Be sure to follow the Winner Advocate for all the pictures and the latest scores from the Winner/Colome Royals.

Pheasants Win Two Games

am derek graesser

Winner/Colome amateur baseball team won two games in the Sunshine League tournament in Parkston.

The Pheasants defeated Dimock/Emery 16-1 in 6 innings on Sunday.  The Pheasants advanced to the District 5B championship.

Derek Graesser didn’t allow a hit in the game.  Zach Harter had a three run home run to highlight the scoring. Graesser and Dillon Lambley each had two doubles while Lakin Neugebauer had three hits and Reed Harter added a two hits.

The Pheasants had eight runs in the sixth inning to end the game early.

Winner/Colome will face Alexandria at 7:30 p.m. Friday for the district title.

Winner/Colome picked up an 11-1 victory over Platte in the first round of the district tournament on Thursday in Parkston.

The Pheasants Jared Donahue was the winning pitcher. He pitched all eight innings, struck out 15 batters and gave up three hits.

Offensively, Austin Richey had a three run home run, drove in four runs and added a single. Austin Calhoon, Derek Graesser and Geno Katz all had two singles. Calhoon had an RBI and Katz dove in two runs. Winner/Colome collected 11 hits.

Jr. Legion Splits Games

jr letion in s fll m morehart phtoo

The Winner Junior Legion baseball team lost to Tabor 9-8 and beat Gregory 5-1.

Leading hitters in the Tabor game were Dalton Baker with 2 hits, Phillip Jorgensn with 2 hits, Kameron Meiners with 3 hits.

Against Gregory, leading the hitters were Oscar Praveck with 2 hits, Meiners with 2 hits, Brady Fritz with 2 hits and Nathan Monk with 2 hits.
Pitching a complete game was Meiners with six strikeouts.

Winner will play in the region tournament on Saturday in Winner and will play Mission at 10 a.m. Lennox plays Wessington Springs after the first game. Then the two losers will play followed by the two winners.

Colleen Flynn, 65

flynn obit

Colleen Flynn was born on March 23, 1952, in Orange, CA, to John P. “Pat” and Frances (Gassen) Flynn. The daughter of a Marine Corps aviator, she lived in many different places and attended many different schools before her family settled in Gregory in 1966. Colleen attended Gregory High School where she excelled in music and enjoyed the companionship of her classmates. After graduating from high school in 1970, she attended Northern State College where she sharpened her saxophone skills and earned a degree in music education. After serving two years as the band director at Andes Central High School, Colleen entered Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in Quantico, VA, where she was a member of the historic first class of women candidates who trained side-by-side with men.

Colleen was commissioned as a Marine Corps second lieutenant in 1976 and for the next 22 years served as an aviation supply officer. She rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and in the process she received numerous awards and commendations for her professionalism and expertise. Many of Colleen’s fondest memories were of the adventures she had with her daughter Megan while they were stationed at bases throughout the United States and in Okinawa.

After retiring from the Marines in 1998, Colleen moved home to Gregory where she cared for her mother and daughter and involved herself in a wide variety of church and civic activities. She served as the Gregory High School band director for one year and taught piano lessons to local youth. She contributed greatly to the spiritual life of St. Joseph Church by initiating, leading, and participating in many church ministries to the benefit of the parishioners. Colleen also did volunteer work for the Republican Party of South Dakota.

Colleen’s last professional assignment was as the reporter for the Gregory Times-Advocate, a position she held until her death. She loved working with the newspaper’s staff and with community members and took seriously her role as the chronicler of Gregory lives and Gregory events.

For all of her professional and community activities, the center of Colleen’s life remained her daughter Megan, her son-in-law Matt, and, especially, her grandchildren, Jaxson and Eva. Colleen was a wonderful mother and very active grandmother who was always seen at events involving her grandson Jaxson.

Colleen passed away suddenly on July 17, 2017, at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls. She was 65.

Jerry Myron Focken, 62

jerry focken obit

Jerry attended Kirkwood Country School north of Newport, Neb. and later graduated from Rock County High School in 1973. On a cold night in December of 1974, he met the love of his life, Peggy Cerv at a dance in Carlock, South Dakota. It took Jerry two years to get the nerve to ask Peg to marry him and she said yes. They were married on Oct. 29, 1976 at Bassett Neb. They moved south of Valentine, Neb. where Jerry and Peggy worked on the Neil Hanna Cattle Co. Ranch for 14 years. Jerry enjoyed working for Dick Hanna, a man who is credited for teaching him how to be a perfectionist and the “ins and outs” of ranching to make Jerry the fine cattleman he was. Jerry and Peggy were soon blessed with four children. Clint was born July 23, 1977 and a year and three days later on July 26, 1978, twin girls Kristy and Kasey were born. In September of 1980, Jerry and his three kids were baptized by Pastor Stan Ostergen at Thedford, Neb. Oct. 13, 1981 brought their second and final son Corey.

In September of 1990, Jerry and Peggy moved to Burton Neb. where Jerry worked for, and managed the Madeline Thiede Ranch for ten years until 2000. Jerry worked for two short years for local ranchers until July of 2002 when Jerry and Peggy had the opportunity to manage the Lazy AB Ranch for about two years. In May of 2004, Jerry and Peggy began leasing the ranch, and over the next ten years they raised and sold the finest Black Angus cattle in North Central Nebraska.

In January of 2015, Jerry and Peggy were forced to retire from the cattle industry and sell the herd. They decided to semi retire and bought a small acreage northeast of Long Pine, Neb. This left time for traveling and spending some lazy days together. Jerry was able to fulfill a lifetime dream of his, to go fishing in Canada. He and his all time favorite fishing buddy, Curt Luther made the trip to Canada in May 2015. Jerry had a hard time “not being busy,” so he and Peggy decided to go into the cedar tree removal business. He stayed busy with this during certain times of the year. He still had time for the grandkids and helping his children with jobs and tasks that required dad’s special expertise and assistance.

On October of 2016, Jerry and Peggy celebrated their 40th Anniversary with close family and friends. In January of 2017, Jerry had his final equipment sale and took a nice long vacation with Peg, Corey, and brother-in-law, Alan Williams, to California to visit family and site see. Shortly there after Jerry’s health began to change and he was diagnosed on March 17, 2017 with a Grade 4 Glioblastoma brain tumor. As usual, Jerry chose to stand strong and fight with the support of family and friends. After four short months and a well fought fight, Jerry passed away in the Brown County Hospital at Ainsworth, Nebraska on July 17 2017, surrounded by his family.

Fred Laprath, 83

laprath obit

Fred Thomas Laprath was born on Dec. 14, 1933 on his parent’s farm in Tripp County, South Dakota. He was the son of Hans Thomas Laprath and Frieda Christiana Manke. Fred was baptized in the Lutheran Church.

He spent his early childhood in Idaho where his family resided during the Great Depression and World War II period. In 1945, the family returned to the Dallas, SD area where his family established their home, farm and cattle operation.

He attended Dallas High School. Fred left high school before his senior year to serve his nation in the Army as an infantryman in the 10th Mountain Division while stationed in Germany during the Cold War.

Following his military service, Fred spent the rest of his working life farming south of Dallas on his farm or helping his brothers work cattle and hay on their parent’s farm. He was independent-minded, bachelor farmer who loved his farm and his cows. His family and neighbors will long remember his farm with its great assortment of animals. Fred’s pastime enjoyment included fishing, visiting family and neighbors and telling stories.