James Zimmerman, 82

James Zimmerman, 82, of Winner, SD passed away on Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at the Winner Regional Health Care Center in Winner, SD.

Mass of Christian Burial was held on Monday, March 15, 2021 at 10 a.m.  at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Winner, SD. Burial was at 2:30  p.m.  Mountain Standard Time at the Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, SD.

James was born on May 13, 1938, in Eureka, SD, to Albert Zimmerman and Bertha (Brunmeier) Zimmerman. He was a graduate of Eureka High School. He went to Northern State College in Aberdeen for one year after high school. He then taught at a country school for about one year and decided that was not for him. He then went to work for Northwestern Bell, where he would remain for his entire career.

He also served in the United States Army from 1963 to 1967, receiving an honorable discharge.

He married Mary Pettit on Feb. 15, 1969, in Winner, SD. To this union, two daughters were born, Jodi and Julie.

Jim was a member of the Immaculate Conception Church, where he participated in Knights of Columbus, church choir and helping out wherever else as needed.  His greatest joy was baseball season at Leahy Bowl. Many days, nights and weekends were spent taking tickets for the Teeners and Legion games.  Rarely, if ever, did he miss a game. He enjoyed traveling with the teams to the state tournaments and cheering them on. He was also an avid Winner Warriors fan, known to park his pickup by the fence in the early hours for every football game. He also took pride in singing with the Acafellas for a number of years at various events.

Jim is survived by his daughter Jodi and son-in-law Daric Mortensen and grandson Riley of Yankton, SD; grandson Nathan Mortensen and Stacy of Sioux Falls, SD; daughter Julie and son-in-law John Gordon V and grandson John VI of Rapid City, SD; granddaughter Molly Gordon of Sioux Falls, SD; sister Eloise Cannon and Lanny of Meridian, Idaho and a host of other extended relatives.

Jim was preceded in death by his wife, Mary; parents, Albert and Bertha; and sister Geri.

May the angels lead you home, Zim.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Storybook Island in Rapid City, SD.

Vaccination numbers increase

This week saw South Dakota closing in on a major milestone in the fight against COVID-19.

Nearly a third of the state’s adult population had received at least one dose of the vaccine. The South Dakota Department of Health reported more that 158,000 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

That number did not include 12,800 people vaccinated by veterans affairs, thousands through Indian Health Service and thousands more through Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, which has expanded rapidly during the past three weeks.

And the vaccine surge will only intensity. Department of Health Secretary Kim Malsam-Rysdon announced an increase in the state’s weekly allotment with thousands more doses expected from a third vaccine from Johnson & Johnson.

Since the vaccinations began in December, South Dakota has consistently ranked in the top five or per capita vaccine administration.

Despite the positive numbers, South Dakota continues to see a  stubborn level of new infections.

A week ago the state  was averaging 157 cases and now that is up to about 167 cases.

Tripp County has seen an increase in the number of new cases.

Football schedule set

The South Dakota High School Activities Association has announced the 2021 high school football schedules.

The schedule for Winner includes:

Week one—at Tripp-Delmont-Armour/Andes Central/Dakota Christian

Week 2—Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan, home

Week 3—Mt Vernon/Plankinton, home

Week 4—at St. Thomas More

Week 5—At Jim River, a new coop between Menno and Scotland

Week 6—Wagner, home

Week 7—at Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central

Week 9—Miller/Highmore-Harrold, home

The football schedule for Colome includes:

Week 1—at Sully Buttes

Week 2—Sunshine Bible

Week 3—at Centerville

Week 4—Bye week

Week 5—Corsica/Stickney

Week 6—Burke

Week 7—at Avon

Week 9—Gayville-Volin

Week 9—Alcester-Hudson

Grandparent of the year essay’s

By Adrianna Joseph

I think my grandma Alma should be Grandparent of the Year because she is funny, helpful, and entertaining. She can be very overprotective and she is very pretty and awesome. Whenever I don’t feel well, she makes me soup and fry bread. It tastes really good and when I’m done she lets me sleep. When I’m done resting she would let me watch TV.

Every time when we are in the car and we are bored, she will notice right away and tell us stories. The stories are mainly about she and her sister, before she died. Sometimes when she would tell us these stories, she would cry and laugh. Seeing my grandma laugh is the highlight of my day, because when she laughs, I laugh. Sometimes when I go to the store with her, she always finds a way to make me laugh. When we are in the store, she is too short to reach the top shelf so I have to jump up to get what she needs to get.

Whenever I’m sad she will notice instantly and will tell me jokes and makes me laugh every time. Whenever my cousins and I are bored we play BINGO. It’s really fun and one time my cousin Gavin got a BINGO. He shouted really loud and it hurted my ears. When my cousins and I are at my grandma’s powwow, we help her in the kitchen. We sell snacks in there like candy bars, suckers, pop, pickles, and popcorn. My grandma is the best because when there are leftovers form the candy bars, she lets us have sometimes.

When I’m at my grandma’s house she sometimes has cookies or she has cinnamon rolls. We eat the cinnamon rolls until we are full. When we are bored, we walk to my grandma’s house. My grandma does not live far from the park. It’s not a long walk. We ask if my grandma can take us to the park. Sometimes when I’m at her house, I like to take walks.

When we are at church, she lets us play outside or the pastor has coloring books there so my cousins and I color while they sing and listen to stories. When they are done we go downstairs and eat and drink fruit punch. When we are done at church, we go back home and my grandma makes breakfast for the ones who didn’t go to church. When she is done, she sometimes goes to the store and I go with her and so does my cousin. When she goes in the store my cousin and I listen to music. When she comes back, we turn off the music and change it back to Elvis Presley, who she likes.

This is why I think my grandma should be Grandparent of the Year. She is more than just a funny, helpful, and entertaining person. She is my grandma and I love her more than anything in the entire world.

By Tianna Evans

I know my grandma Donelle should be Grandparent of the Year. I know this because she is hardworking, smart, loveable, very funny and courageous. My grandmother is my inspiration and here is why.

She is a wonderful daughter, mother and grandma. Grandma is always on her toes. This woman is always being daring and thoughtful. There is never a dull moment with her. She helps out her family and friends whenever they ask or call. Grandma Donelle watches over my siblings and I when needed and the same goes for my cousins. She never quits in the middle of a project or job. She always puts everyone before herself even when she doesn’t feel good. She just keeps going and going. We kind of think she’s the energizer bunny!

As I said beforehand, there is never a dull moment with grandma Donelle. She is  a jokester, let me tell you. Grandma always find a way even if she doesn’t mean to. This lady makes us laugh until our belly’s hurt. We could all be rolling on the floor holding our stomachs not being able to breathe because of her. She is an interesting human being. Another thing I enjoy is that my grandma and I, along with my siblings and cousins, have dance competitions, singing competitions, and photoshoots. You would get a kick out of it! Sometimes she tells us about when she was younger and other stories, I bet you already guessed it, but there were some pretty funny ones.

When I say my grandma has courage and bravery in her bones, I mean it. Grandma Donelle is a perseverer and a survivor. Grandma has survived two types of cancer. She is the strongest person I have and will meet, maybe not physically, but mentally. Grandma has this saying she always says. The saying may be common but when she says it, most definitely is not. It goes like “I love you to the moon and back.” This means all the blood pumping through her veins and every single bone in her body loves, cares and supports us no matter what.

Again, I know grandma Donelle should be Grandparent of the Year. I told you why she should be. From what I have learned over the years, it shouldn’t be until the day she passes it should be to the day she passes and then on. My grandma is full of love. She welcomes everyone with open arms and gives the best warm hugs. The jokester she is, she is hilarious! Grandma, with the unique personality, will always find ways to cheer you up when you are down. My grandparent of a lifetime, Grandma Donelle, will always be my inspiration and I hope she can be yours too.

By Jocelyn Soles

If you live in Winner, SD you may know my grandma Shawn and if you do you are one lucky person. Most people love or like my grandma. My grandma is very encouraging, caring, and helpful and here are my reasons why.

My grandma Shawn is really encouraging. My grandma encourages my family and I to push ourselves to do things that scare us or we think we will not like. Usually we end up liking these activities. For example, I have crutches and trying certain activities scare me at first. However, my grandma encourages me to try them anyways. No one laughs at me and the activities like softball and plays, I have learned to enjoy and have a lot of fun with. This is all thanks to my grandma’s encouragement.

My grandma Shawn is also very caring. My grandma will drop everything to help my family and me. She helps my mom a lot by watching my sister when daycare is closed. My grandma comes to all of my activities that I am in. Afterwards she will always take me out for ice cream because she is proud of me, even if I did not do well. She will tell me “You tried your best that’s all that matters”.

My grandma is helpful. She helps kids as a teacher. She helps them learn their numbers, letters, and lots more. She is very helpful to me too. My grandma helps me with my Reading Olympics which means a lot to me because I love spending every minute with her. She means the world to me. My grandma will also help me practice catching for softball in the summer. She also helps me at my doctor appointments. When I’m scared, she will help me calm down. She tells me “it’s okay, everything will be fine”. She is always right because everything turns out ok.

My grandma is a grandma to 3 beautiful grandchildren and she loves all of us so much. She says “I don’t have a favorite” but I’m pretty sure I’m the favorite. I think my grandma is Grandparent of the Year because she is encouraging, caring, and helpful. However, if she does not get chosen to be Grandparent of the Year, she will always be Grandparent of the Year in my heart.

By Jamisyn Long Crow

I think my grandma Judy should be Grandparent of the Year. I think this because my grandma Judy really inspires me. She is very kind, caring, a hard worker, and she is very smart.

My grandma Judy is very kind and caring because she takes care of me and my family. She helps us through tough times. For example my cousin was fired from work one day and my grandma Judy helped my cousin get through it.

My grandma Judy is a very hard working person. She is a financial worker. She goes to work every day and makes sure everyone is doing okay. She works hard every day to take care of us and gets everyone what they need. She is a hard worker.

My grandma Judy is very smart. She went to financial school and became a financial worker. She also did four years of college. Whenever I need help with money on a math paper she knows how to help me and helps me understand it.

These are some of the reasons why I think my grandma Judy should be Grandparent of the Year. She is very caring, kind, a very hard worker, and very smart.

Colome students have poem published

Several Colome students were selected to be published in the Creative Communication fall poetry contest.

The publication was titled “A celebration of Poets.”

“Less than 50 percent of submissions are published so this is pretty big honor for our students,” said Colome English teacher Samantha Christensen.

“Our school will also be awarded writing achievement award due to the fact that 50 percent of the 8th and 9th grade students that submitted were chosen to be published,” she added.

Only the top 10 percent of schools that submit poems are awarded this.

The Colome school name will be published in the fall poetry edition on the writing achievement awards page. This is a national publication.

“I am so proud of the students and this is the most students in any year I have been published,” said Christensen.

The name of the Colome student and the title of the poem include:

Maura Luedke—Raindrops

Camryn Seegers—The Unknown

Raelynn Kingsley—Just do You

Hadley Harruff—Growing up as a Teen Girl

Lane Leighton—Opposites

Alana Supik—When I feel completely free

Preslie Petersek—Mirrors

Aspyn McKenzie—Autumn

Raylynn Dehning—An unstable teenage mind

Westlie Cahoy—Love is the most magical feeling

Tianna Larson—Pictures

Kalene Preslicka—Why I’m different

Emma Vandenbark—Forever and always

Jordan Musser—The Pacific war

Shaleena Kingsley—Autumn

Joseph Laprath—Joseph Bromley Heath—Dentention

Della Marie Farley, 77

Della Marie Farley, 77, passed away at Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls after a short illness.

Memorial services will be held at the Winner Cemetery June 12 at 3 p.m.

Della was born at the Winner Baptist Hospital Dec. 29, 1943 to George and Velma Hiserote Farley.

At the very young age of 3 she came down with polio and began a very long life of pain and suffering. She spent many years in Hot Springs and then Minneapolis, Minn.

She was sponsored by the Shriners organization and they sponsored her for many years.

Eventually, she came to the Children Care Hospital in Sioux Falls and graduated from there in 1962.

She was then offered a secretarial position there and worked there until she retired.

She is survived by one sister, Rita Dillon, Ainsworth, Neb.; three sister in laws, Joan Farley Manke, Spearfish; Evelyn Farley, Mission and Elysabeth Farley, Winner, many nieces and nephews and  a host of relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, George and Velma Farley, a sister, Bettie Toman and brothers, Guy Farley, Robert Farley (infant), Richard Farley, Ralph Farley and Merle Farley.

Fern (Peneaux) Ringing Shield, 68

 Fern (Peneaux) Ringing Shield, 68, of Winner, SD passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021 at her residence in Winner, SD.

 Funeral services were held on Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 1 p.m. at the Winner Middle School Auditorium in Winner, SD. Burial  followed in the Winner City Cemetery. Wake services were held on Tuesday, March 2 and Wednesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. at the Winner Middle School Auditorium in Winner, SD.

Fern Marie Ringing Shield (Peneaux) 68 of Winner, SD passed peacefully at her at residence with love ones by her side on Feb. 24.

Fern Marie was born in Bad Nation, SD on Nov. 18, 1952 to Verle Lee Peneaux and Elsie Coedelia Fast Horse (Peneaux).

She grew up in Bad Nation and Winner, SD with 3 brothers and 5 sisters.

She married Pete Ringing Shield Sr May 10th 1985.They had 7 children together. She went to school for a CNA and worked at Golden Prairie Manor for 7 years. She loved spending time with her family and cooking big meals for everyone.

She is survived by her children Marcy (Matt), Mardell (Michael), Calvin Sr. (Daryl), Pete Jr. (Kenja), Marissa, Corey (Jasmine), Melody; her sisters Alma (George) (Peneaux) Small and Melda (Joe) (Peneaux) Struck; her brother Bud (Kathy) Peneaux, her aunt Joyce Watts (Peneaux) and all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren

She is preceded in death by her great grandbaby Jeesie the 3rd Felix sisters Mavis Peneaux, Velda Peneaux and Beryl (Peneaux) Antione, her brothers Wilbur Peneaux and Lester Peneaux, her niece Crystal Peneaux and her husband Pete Ringing Shield Sr.