By Dan Bechtold
Editor
Judy Bartels of Winner enjoyed the experience of an honor flight trip to Washington, D.C.
The mission of Midwest Honor Flight is to transport America’s veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit those memorials dedicated to honor the service and sacrifices of themselves and fellow veterans.
Bartels went on the honor flight on May 16. She served as a guardian for a Navy veteran from the Rapid City area. She had to be at the airport at 3:30 a.m. and the flight left at 6:30 a.m. and they were back in Sioux Falls at 10:30 p.m.
Friday night before the flight there was a banquet at the Sioux Falls convention center. Bartels could ask any veteran to be her guest. She chose Tyler Sampson and the two enjoyed a delicious meal.
Bartels volunteered do be a guardian. She went to the Tripp County veterans service office in Winner and filled out the paperwork to be a guardian. Several weeks later she was notified she had been selected and was being paired with a veteran from Piedmont.
The duties of a guardian are to physically assist the veterans at the airport, during the flight and at the memorials.
The group saw all the memorials in one day.
The South Dakotans met Sen. John Thune and Rep. Dusty Johnson at the Lincoln Memorial.
Bartels said her veteran was very impressed with the Navy memorial. For Bartels, her favorite was the Vietnam Memorial because that was the era in which she was raised.
Bartels noted it was heartening to see the veterans enjoying the memorials.
They also saw the changing of the guard at the Arlington National Cemetery. Bartels said this was awesome.
This was Bartels first trip to Washington, D.C. and she was glad that she went on the trip.
It had meaning for her since her dad, brothers and uncle all served in the Army.
By Dan Bechtold
Editor
Tony Coffman is getting settled in as the new pastor at Winner Methodist Church.
He started here on Oct. 16 after serving three years at a church in Rugby, N. D. Prior to a stop in North Dakota, he was the pastor of a church in St. Paul, Neb., for four years.
His life was not always in the ministry.
After serving in the Army for six years he went to work in the corporate world. He worked 18 years for Verizon all over the United States. His last job for Verizon was as a regional manager.
He has worked in marketing and advertising since 2002. In fact the first two churches he served he also had full time job.
Winner is the first church where he does not have another job.
While in North Dakota, he was the marketing manager and foundation director for a hospital.
While working in corporate world in the back of his mind was that call to ministry and he tried to avoid it.
“I have always enjoyed my work but it has never been totally satisfying. Finally in 2017, I gave up and walked into ministry full time.”
Before becoming a minister he served as a lay pastor for many years.
He received his master’s degree from Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Ind. He graduated with honor in ministry studies.
He took the course work on-line. He said it was two very hard years to get his degree.
Coffman did not follow the traditional college path of getting an undergraduate degree and then going on for a master’s.
Two years ago he saw an ad on Facebook that the U.S accrediting agency was allowing a few select seminaries to allow people into a graduate program without an undergrad degree.
“I did not tell my wife. I just started the application process,” he said. In May of 2021 he got a letter that he has been accepted into the program.
Early his August, Coffman was talking to the head of pastoral recruiting for the Global Methodist Church.
“After talking to him for a few weeks he asked me if I would be willing to pastor a church in Winner. I looked at what the Global Methodist Church stood for, what they believed in and made a trip to Winner to meet with church representatives,” he said.
The Winner congregation has about 190 in person at Sunday services and another 60-70 watching on line.
“As a group of people in Winner, it is the nicest group of people I have ever pastored. They are caring, very open. Pastoring can be difficult to step into a new church. They have made it easy for my wife and I and have been very kind to us,” said the pastor.
Coffman enjoys serving people. “You get to be the center of focus for people who are hurting, angry or have questions. I love to serve God in this capacity and I love that he has entrusted me the love and care of his people. Originally from Portland, Ore., the minister has had a lot of life experiences. He dropped out of high school his sophomore year. “I did not have a church background and I knew I needed someone to get their hands on me and give me some discipline. I had gotten my GED and went to the Army recruiter and asked how soon I could join. They told me as soon as I got a parental signature,” he explained.
The tour of duty with the Army included stops in Germany and the United States.
When he got out of the Army around age 24 he gave his life to Christ at a small Baptist church in Vancouver, Wash.
Coffman and his wife, Lisa, have two grown children, a 25 year old girl and a 22 year old boy.
When asked what people should know about the new pastor he said: “I am so very thankful to be in this community and to be part of this church. It is very humbling to be allowed to be the shepherd of a group of people who are trying to follow Christ. I do not take that for granted. These are great people and I am honored to get to know them.”
The Young Guns repeated as champions of the Winner Area Chamber of Commerce sharpshooter bird & clay classic this weekend.
At awards banquet was held Saturday at the Tripp County 4-H Center.
The Young Guns had a total score of 30.96.
Members of the team are Jack Anderson, Klayton Heath, Oren Sargent, Hunter Shippy, Noah Manke and Austin VanDerWerff.
Second place went to Mark’s Misfits. Team members were Mark Rohde, Terry Laverik, Mark Bachmann, Bryce Hauf, Chris Welker and David Floyd.
Third place team was Sargents Farms and Arms. Team members were Cory Sargent, Craig Sargent, Cale Meiners, Kevin Meiners, Scott Dutt and Jamie Root.
The 10th place team and the 18th place team also won prizes. The 10th place got binoculars.
Crop Gun took 10th and team members were Adam Farner, Brett Langley, Josh Falk, Johnny Gustafson, Justin Koeni and Michael Dabney.
The 18th team was Mix & Match with team members Ray Bryant, Clyde Bryant, Ira Sherman, Ali Hakenson, Shane Lyons, Justin Dowling.
The landowners are an important part of the hunt. The 19 landowners were Red Hills Lodge, Sargent Farms, H & H Hunts, DeWayne Welker, Bolton Ranch Outfitters, Thunder Creek Ranch, Antler Ridge Lodge, Tresh Swedlund, White River Sportsman Larson families, Deadshot Outfitters —Steve Steinke, Big Hollow Ranch—James Massa; Tom Mathis, Rattlesnake Butte Hunting—Dalton Daughters; Rick and Becky Odenbach, Roger Fiala, Mountain Goat Outfitters—Gary Zimbelmann, Rick Shippy.
There were also 38 judges and scorekeepers. They included: Rusty Heenan, Amber Smith, Cliff Heyden, Dan Wranek, Marty Mortenson, David Gastonguay, Jonah Sachtjen, Jeff Farner, Jesse Larson, Evan Farner, Tex Holthus, Jordan Christensen, Blake Bauer, Ryan Radant, Don Bice, Michael Massa, Bryce Bohnet, Mike Whetham, Judd Kaiser, Laura Bryant, Hannah Leuke, Emilee Taylor, Dave Witt, Rusty Arthur, Kevin Wagner, Jamie Sachtjen, Wayne Bolton, Tristan Cable, Riley Sund, Cindy Pinter, Ricki Christensen, Justin Zeigler, Melanie Radant, Belva Weber, Brittany Massa, Ethan Ernest, Troy Best and Jeff Kaiser.
The calendar says it is December but the temperature outside on Dec. 6 felt more like a spring day.
The temperature in Winner on Dec. 6 was 68 degrees. This is a new record for this date. The previous record was 60 in 1963.
December 7 was on track to set a new record and possibly be warmer than last Wednesday.
The temperature on Thursday, Dec. 7 was 72 degrees which shattered the previous record for this date. The old record was 65 set in 1984.
Harvey Naasz, 84, of Winner, SD passed away on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023 at his home surrounded by his family.
A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023 at 10 a.m. at the Winner High School Armory. A visitation will be held on Friday, Dec. 15, at the Winner High School Armory from 6-7 p.m. with a prayer service beginning at 7 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at a later date.
The community of Winner and the athletic arena of South Dakota lost a wonderful man when Harvey F. Naasz passed away.
Jacob and Martha Naasz of Java, South Dakota welcomed Harvey Fred Naasz on March 24, 1939. He joined older brothers Harold and Howard, with younger brother, Harry, soon to follow. The family moved from Java to Mobridge where Harvey graduated from Mobridge High School in 1958 (where he was an all-state football player).
Harvey then attended and played football at the University of Nebraska in the fall of 1958. He transferred to the University of South Dakota where he played football (offensive guard) for three more seasons.
He coached 17 years in Winner, where he guided the Warriors to three state titles (1981,1987, and 1989) and one runner-up finish (1986). Naasz’s Warriors were unbeaten in 1980, 1981, and in 1987. He was a longtime teacher and athletic director at the Winner High School. He also coached at Gettysburg (two years), Custer (one year), and Gregory (four years).
Even during his retirement years, you could find Harvey coaching middle school football, opening the weightroom for any Winner School District student who wanted to better themselves, and taxiing kids from the elementary school to where they wanted to go (maybe a detour or two for a few driving lessons). In the late spring, summer and fall you could find Harvey riding on a Grossenburg Implement John Deere mower taking care of Warrior Field. It took him back to his youth in the hay field of Walworth County.
Harvey’s most important missions in life were being a husband, dad, grandpa, and great-grandpa as witnessed by his wife of 61 years, Karen, and their children: Bart and Tricia Naasz, Brian and Sharon Naasz, and Brad and Lori Naasz. The sight of a grandchild and great-grandchild never failed to bring a smile to his face. Trey and Hannah Naasz (Ruby and Bennett), Trevor and Bailie Naasz, Trent Naasz, Jacob and Ellie Naasz (Conrad), Nathan and Lorrin Naasz (Jensyn), Samuel Naasz and fiancé Jenni, Isaac Naasz, Faith and Manasseh Vincent, and Leah Naasz and boyfriend, Brandon.
The family has requested that you dress casually, preferably in your favorite sporting team’s apparel. In lieu of flowers the family will be directing memorial funds to the Winner Warrior Athletic Department.
Loading ...