Author Archives: Rita Pravecek

Ronald Dale Edwards, 81, of Winner, SD passed away peacefully Dec. 14, 2020 at the Avera Sacred Heart Majestic Bluffs nursing home in Yankton, SD. 

A private family service was held Dec. 18. Burial followed in the Winner city cemetery.

Ronnie, or Big R as some knew him, was born April 10, 1939 in Burwell NE to Rudolph and Fern Edwards.  Growing up the family moved around NE, WY, and SD eventually settling in the Winner area.  Ronnie spent his adult life in the Winner and Wood areas running the Edwards Oil Company, ran a fleet of trucks with Edwards Trucking, order buying cattle, and working the ranch north of Wood.  Ronnie employed many truck drivers from the area and kept his sons busy pumping gas and cleaning windows at the oil station.  He was a keen business man that was always crunching numbers to better his businesses.

Ronnie was a pilot in his younger years and flew several times with friends to Mexico for fishing trips.  He was an excellent pool player.  He also enjoyed a good card game, and on occasion a good argument.

Of the many hats Ronnie wore, his favorite was working as an order buyer.  He enjoyed his time spent in the sale barn.  He could look at a steer from 30 yards away and tell you what it weighted and tell you what it was worth.  He was never off by much, if at all.

It has been said there are 3 ways to do things; the right way, the wrong way, and Ronnie’s way.  Which of course is right, still.

He was a good man most of the time, a hard man a lot of the time, but a man all of the time.  He was my father and I’ll miss him.

Ronnie was preceded in death by his parents Rudolph and Fern Edwards, an infant daughter Julie, and brother Wayne Edwards.   

Ronnie is survived by his wife Judy Edwards of 47 years, Daughter Allison (Doug) Moeller, sons; Ryan (Aryan), Justin (Rachelle), Richard (Beth) and daughter Amy, sisters; Melba (JD) Olson, Carolyn (William) Hinks, Marilyn (Mick) Wooden, and brother Marcus (Delores), grandchildren; Lacey, Amanda and Dale, their mother Cindi, Rudy and Gus, their mother Tennille, Ruby and Rose, Samantha, Morgan, Teagan and Kaine,  great –grandchildren Faith, Alexandrea, Gregary and Remmie.

Betty Spotted Elk, 87, of Winner, SD passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020 at the Winner Regional Long-Term Care Facility in Winner, SD. 

Funeral service was held on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020 at the St Francis Community Hall in St Francis at 11 a.m.  Burial followed in the St Charles Cemetery. 

Betty was born on Aug. 1, 1933 in Saint Francis, SD. 

Betty was a traditional dancer all of her life and won many awards and championships throughout her years.  She was a movie star and was in Man Called Horse, journey through Rosebud.  Betty was also a foster parent, a scout leader, and always loved her music and like to sing Lakota gospel a long time ago—Sioux for Christ.

Betty was a member of St. Joseph and St. Mary Society, Sicaugu Burn Theigh  Society.  She always loved her holidays and liked to travel to pow-wows, meetings,  Betty was a businesswoman , she had stands at pow-wows, sold fireworks, and had Hock’s Snack Bar in St. Francis.

 Paternal Grandparents; George Spotted Elk & Stell Castaway, Swift Crockery Maternal Grandparents; Felix Crazybull & Nellie White Wash, Crazybull, Spotted Elk

 Parents; Leo Spotted Elk Sr. & Jennie Crazybull, Spotted Elk

Siblings; Leo Spotted Elk Jr., Anthony Spotted Elk, Aleta Spotted Elk, Michah, Russell, Felix Eagleman, Melvin Spotted Elk, Dawn, Melvin (Beno) Jr., Ember Son; Felix Hock and adopted son Joseph Bracha.

Patricia Jo Schlaikjer, known by family and friends as “Patsy”, 85, of Winner, SD passed away on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 at the Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, SD. 

  Funeral services were held on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020 at 11 a.m. at the Winner United Methodist Church. Burial  followed in the Winner City Cemetery. 

  Patsy was born on Feb. 4, 1935 in Canton, South Dakota to Robert and Josie Ellingson.  She was the loving sister to her brothers, Bob and Gary Ellingson.  She graduated from Canton High School and attended the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.  She has maintained her friendships with dear friends she grew up with in Canton and always considered it home. 

She met the love of her life, Arthur Schlaikjer, Jr., at the University of South Dakota.  While he continued his education, she taught 4th grade in Yankton, SD after graduating from USD.  They were married on Aug. 25, 1956 and were married for 55 years.  They were blessed with 4 children, 12 grandchildren and three great grandchildren. 

  Patsy cherished being a wife, mother, grandmother and friend to everyone.  After a few years, she and Arthur moved from Winona, MN to the family farm/ranch in Carter, SD in the early 60s.  She was a dedicated farm wife who was always there to prepare meals for the men during harvest time. They built a home in Winner, SD in 1971 and she kept up both homes. While living on the farm the family attended church at Carter Gospel Fellowship and Reverend Elmer Reimer was a big part of her life.  

She and Arthur loved to travel and took many trips with their close friends, especially Doc. and Moni Stiehl.  Patsy was a member of the Eastern Star, Winner Elks Lodge Does, and the Treadle Trippers Club.  The most important part of her life was her faith and family. She belonged to the United Methodist Church and played in the bell choir for many years.

  She loved sports — All sports –mostly Baseball (Cubs), Football (Vikings) and Basketball (Lakers).  Patsy would spend hours watching sports on TV and could tell you all about the players and stats for all the teams.  She also was an avid bowler and so enjoyed those days. Playing bridge was also a source of fun for her and her close friends, along with going to coffee or going to lunch after church.  Also, she enjoyed making her Lefse and even sent it to family members across the country.

  Patsy is survived by her children: Arthur (Donna) Schlaikjer III of Shawnee, KS, Paul Schlaikjer of Glendale, AZ, Kathy (Sam) Nash of Sioux Falls, SD and Alan (Sheba) Schlaikjer of Dell Rapids, SD.  Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren: Bethany (Justin) Taylor, Kaelee and Jake; Jackie (Vinh) Schlaikjer; Mallory (Chris) Kudera and Isaac; Eric (Katia) Schlaikjer; Graham Schlaikjer; Aundrea Schlaikjer; Brittney (Bryant) Soulek; Holly (Elias) Ledesma; Evelyn Hunter; Nicholas Nash and Jonathan Nash.

  Patsy was preceded in death by her husband Arthur, parents Robert and Josie Ellingson, Parents in law Arthur and Josephine Schlaikjer, Brothers Bob and Gary Ellingson, nephews Brad and Link Ellingson and Granddaughter Ashley Gall.

  Memorials may be directed to the United Methodist Church in Winner, SD.

Maxine May (Bertram) Larsen went peacefully to be with her Lord on Dec. 17.   She was a resident of The Independence House at Coddington in Lincoln, Neb., but was doing rehab for hip surgery at Eastmont Towers in Lincoln. 

Maxine was the 9th child of the fourteen born to Frank and Bertha (Mavis) Bertram of Colome, SD.  She spent a busy, but loving, time growing up on the farm south of Colome and graduated from Colome High School in May of 1949. 

Maxine married the love of her life, Marlan Larsen, the next month and began the life of a farmer’s wife in a 40 foot mobile home southeast of Colome.  Three sons were born to that union.

 Life on the farm involved helping take care of the livestock, raising chickens, homemaking and an occasional hunting trip.  She became an excellent cook and even found tasty recipes for the wild game Marlan brought home.  After her three sons started school Maxine looked to supplement the family income by working outside the home.

 She had a part-time job at Newlon’s General Store in Colome then went on the road selling Avon products.  After a few years with Avon she applied for a job at First Fidelity Bank in Colome.  Maxine kept that job for nearly 30 years retiring in 1993.

 Maxine was active in the Zion Lutheran Church and the Colome Legion Auxiliary.  She served as president of the auxiliary for a term and for years was the person responsible for setting up the kitchen, salad bar and tables for the weekly “Steak Night” meals at the Legion Club.  Her bread pudding was a favorite with many of the regular diners.

Volunteering to help others was a big part of her retirement life.  She was friends with several ladies in town and liked to go with them to the casino or out to eat.  She was selected as a KELO Tradition of Caring award winner for her volunteer work in 2004. 

After moving from their acreage west of Colome Maxine was a resident of Golden Prairie Manor until she moved to The Independence House in Lincoln to be with her sister, Joyce.  Maxine developed dementia but spent several years there enjoying the companionship of the residents and staff.  She fell at the facility and required surgery on Dec. 1.  Her age, dementia and the stress of the surgery took its toll and she passed away in her sleep on Dec. 17. 

Those honored to have been part of her life are her sons: David (Christi) Larsen of Alcester, SD; Wayne (Margaret) Larsen of Tea, SD; Dale (Sarah) Larsen of Omaha, NE.  Grandchildren include: Brian (Nicole) Larsen of Brandon, SD; Amy (Sam) Brown of Reno, NV; Amanda (Chris) Bahrij of Minot, ND; Matthew (Jessica) Larsen of Sioux Falls; Beth Larsen  of Chula Vista, CA; and Hannah Larsen of Pittsburg, PA.  There are 13 great-grand children.

 Maxine is also survived by her brother Larry (Sherry) Bertram of Colome, SD; brother-in-law Jack  Clark of Gregory, SD; sister-in-law Faye Bertram of Winner, SD; sister-in-law Marcia Bertram of Colome, over 50 nieces and nephews and the rest of the extended Bertram family.

Preceding her in death were her husband Marlan in 2010, her parents Frank and Bertha Bertram, and twelve brothers and sisters.    A private funeral service was held on Monday, Dec. 21.  Family and friends can attend the interment service at Colome Cemetery at 2:30 pm.  The service will be available on Zoom and a link will be sent on the Bertram Facebook page.  Greetings can be sent to the family at: P. O. Box 353, Alcester, SD  57001.

Audey Hajek, 91, passed away Monday, Dec. 14 at Good Samaritan Society, Tyndall.

A funeral service was held Dec. 19 at United Methodist Church in Tyndall.

Burial took place at Czech National Cemetery, Tyndall.

Audrey was born Nov. 27, 1929 near Winner, South Dakota to Elmer and Leona (Burtz) Best. She attended rural schools in Tripp County and graduated from Winner High School in 1947. After graduation, she went to Mitchell, South Dakota where she worked at Rozum Motor Company and Mitchell National Bank.

 She married Leonard Hajek on Oct. 17, 1948 and they farmed in the Tyndall area for 11 years. They moved to Brookings in 1959 then Caledonia, Minnesota in 1971, Monroe, Wisconsin in 1977, Omaha, Nebraska in 1980 and Oakland, Nebraska in 1982. She had secretarial jobs in all these places and loved typing, shorthand, bookkeeping and all other aspects of secretarial work. Notable secretarial positions were Wesley Foundation at SDSU in Brookings, SD, United Methodist Church in Brookings, Schiltz Farms in Caledonia, Minnesota and United Methodist Church in Caledonia. Audrey and Leonard retired and moved back to Tyndall in 1995.

Audrey was an active member of the United Methodist Church, past president of United Methodist Women and past president of the American Legion Auxiliary. She was a club member of The Jolly Neighbors and Circle II. She volunteered at the Tyndall Good Samaritan Home and senior meals for many years. She liked bowling, crossword puzzles and country music. Until recently, Audrey was able to live independently in her own home.Audrey is survived by two sons, Jerry Hajek and David Hajek and daughter Dianne (Art) Klein; grandchildren Angela (Scott) Dolle, Dennis (Amy) Hajek, Christine (Erik) Distl, Daniel (Ann) Hajek, Scott (Stephanie) Klein, Brad Klein; great-grandchildren Jacob and Jena Dolle, Alex, Samantha and Olivia Hajek, Dexter and Theo Hajek, Maddie and Jensen Distl, Eli and Eva Klein.

She was preceded in death by her husband Leonard, son Dwight and daughter-in-law Linda.           

Condolences may be directed to Goglin Funeral Homes at www.goglinfh.com