Category Archives: Obituaries

Merle James Elliott was born July 14, 1929 on the family farm east of Colome. His parents were Chauncey and Mary (McElroy) Elliott. Merle attended rural Saathoff School and graduated from Colome High School in 1947. He then attended college. In 1948 Merle met his future wife, DeEtte Stenson, and they married on Oct. 8, 1950.

Merle entered the Army in 1951 and was stationed in Korea with the 25th Infantry Division. He also served with the 1st Marine Division and the Turkish Brigade. He spent eighteen months in Korea, returning to the States in 1953.

Merle and DeEtte purchased a service station in Colome which they operated for three years. Merle then returned to college at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. When he finished with his studies there he and DeEtte moved their family to California where he graduated from San Francisco College of Mortuary Science with a degree in Mortuary Science. The family then moved to Santa Cruz, CA where he became associated with a mortuary there. After ten years, he sold his interest in the mortuary and having an Associate Degree in real estate appraising, he became a real estate appraiser until his retirement in 1991. Upon his retirement he and DeEtte traveled extensively for a year before moving to the Colome area where they built their retirement home.

Merle enjoyed hunting, fishing, and traveling. While in California he and his fishing buddies would dive for abalone and fish for steelhead and salmon.

Merle and DeEtte had a family of four children, Kathleen, Lance, Kevin, and Colleen. He was the happy grandpa of three grandchildren, Mollie (Jason) Donner, Mitchell Elliott, and Alec Nickolls, and four great grandchildren, Marissa, Jacob, Madelyn, and Jack Donner.

Merle was a lifetime member of the Catholic Church having been baptized, confirmed, and married in St. Isidore’s Catholic Church in Colome. He was a lifetime member of the Colome American Legion and served on the Colome Township Board for many years. Merle was a member of the California Funeral Directors and Embalmers Association and a member of the American Institute of Appraisers.

Jack was born on June 21, 1928 in Winner, SD to John Melville and Elizabeth M. (Dougherty) Elder. He attended St. John’s the Baptist Catholic Church in Witten, SD throughout most of his life until the church closed and joined the Immaculate Conception Church in Winner, SD.

Jack attended schools in Progressive township (Red Hill) country school just a mile from his home and then attended Witten High School until his graduation.

After graduating from high school he stayed on the family farm north of Carter until the time of his death where he spent his life on the farm raising crops and cattle and attended most cattle auctions from Martin to Yankton and anywhere in-between. He and his father raised registered Hereford cattle and also had a large feedlot for fat cattle. Jack made many trips to Huron and Sioux City with butcher cattle.

On Feb. 23, 1952, Jack married Gladys Hansen of Carter, and to this union three children were born: Gary, Tammie and Lori.

Jack was a member of the Knights of Columbus, Elks Lodge, a school board member, township board, and was also a substitute rural mail carrier out of Carter.

Alice (Gooby) Petranek was born Oct. 27, 1911 at KeyaPaha, South Dakota, the seventh child of William and Della (Rodd) Gooby.

She graduated from Colome High School in 1931 and attended Southern Teachers College at Springfield, SD, where she received her teachers certificate in 1932, teaching first grade. She taught six years in rural school in Tripp County. She received her state teachers certificate in 1937.

Alice married Kenneth Schweigert on August 21, 1937. He died on May 13, 1947. Alice taught in the Colome Independent School from 1941- 1949. During her time in Colome she taught 1st through 4th grades, high school business classes and coached girls basketball.

On June 23, 1948, Alice and Ed Petranek were married and a son, Rod, was born February 27, 1950. In August of 1950 the family moved to Belle Fourche.

Alice became a stay at home mother, but during this time she was a Sunday School teacher, MYF teacher, Brownie and Girl Scout leader, Den mother for Cub Scouts, substitute teacher, teacher for the Adult Education Program, which pertained to teaching literacy, typing and shorthand.

She went back to school and received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Black Hills College in 1961, and her Master Degree in 1971. After receiving her degree, she taught one year in rural Butte County and 17 years in Belle Fourche Independent School. She taught a total of 47 years before retiring in 1979. Alice enjoyed teaching and was dedicated to the teaching profession, always trying to make school work interesting and fun.

She was an active member of the community. She was a member of the United Methodist Church, United Methodist Women, American Legion Auxiliary, Alpha Delta Kappa, Eastern Star, Daughters of the Nile, Manthano Club, Business Professional Women, National and State Education Associations, Tri-State Literacy, Hospital Auxiliary, and the Cancer Society.

Her honors include, ADK Queen for the Day in 2004, Teacher of the Millennium in 2001 and she and Ed were Parade Marshals for the Black Hills Roundup in 2009.

Doris Elaine Black was born Oct 25, 1934 on a farm near White River, SD to Leo and Lutisha (Baker) Black. She passed away Wednesday, Mar 1, 2017 at Good Samaritan Village in Sioux Falls, SD at the age of 82.

She grew up in Winner, SD and attended Winner High School graduating in 1952. Growing up in Winner, she was a member of the First Christian Church where she was actively involved in her church playing the piano and singing in the choir and singing duets with her sister, Marian. Doris helped her dad in the grocery store they owned, Leo’s Market. Her dad wanted her to work in the store after she graduated high school, but she always dreamed of being a teacher.

She attended Southern State Teacher’s College in Springfield, SD, after high school where she was honored with the title of “Miss Southern”. After graduating from college, she taught in Tripp, SD for 6 years and in Jackson, MN for 1 year teaching the first grade. Doris was very blessed to meet many life-long friends during this time.
Dating the love of her life brought Doris back to Winner, SD where she married Donald James Rysavy, on June 9, 1962. They moved to the farm where they welcomed three children, Todd, Judy and Terri. During that time Doris joined the Immaculate Conception Parish and became involved with the music ministry, playing the piano/organ and starting a children’s choir. She taught and coordinated kindergarten CCD and the Junior Catholic Daughters. She was also a member of the Catholic Daughters, serving time as a regent. She played the piano for funerals, weddings, and many other celebrations. Her passion for music led her to share her talents by teaching piano lessons for over 15 years.

After taking time off from teaching to raise her family, Doris went back to college at DWU to get her Bachelor’s Degree in teaching. She accepted a position at the Winner Eastside Elementary School to teach First Grade where she taught for 13 years. Her joy was teaching first graders how to read. She was an inspiration to many of her students as they often appreciated her lessons several years after their first grade experiences.

The community of Winner was very special to Doris. She became the “Welcome Wagon” lady during her retirement years along with being a Mary Kay consultant. She thoroughly enjoyed the social aspect of these activities. In addition, she also served as the neighborhood “chicken broker” for a short time. Having an outing with the “lunch bunch” or enjoying chocolate and a good cup of coffee with friends was a sheer delight to her. Making trips back to Springfield to help coordinate the Southern Teacher’s College Museum was another personal highlight. Her retirement from teaching also allowed Doris to enjoy her grandchildren’s various concerts, plays and recitals. She passed on the love of music to her grandchildren. She also enjoyed traveling and especially the travels with her Donnie to various locations through the years, particularly to Germany to visit her grandchildren.

Rose Mary (Bicek) McIntosh was born was September 10, 1917 on a homestead near Pickstown, South Dakota to Frank and Josephine (Scheinost) Bicek. At the age of 2 she moved to a farm south of Colome. She graduated from high school in Dallas, South Dakota in 1937.

She married Riley McIntosh Jr. on May 3, 1943 and to this union 5 children were born; Donald (Mary) McIntosh, Robert McIntosh, Carol (Dennis) Phillips, Marvin (Karen) McIntosh, and William (Delinda) McIntosh.

Riley and Rose worked for various farmers in the area in their early years. They moved to Winner in the early 1950’s when Riley started working at the GTA Elevator and Rose stayed busy working at home.

She was humbled to be a member of the Church of the Nazarene and enjoyed her last years at the Winner Regional Nursing Home where she got the opportunity to meet a lot of new friends and enjoyed playing cards.

Willard Lee Potter was born March 1, 1935 in Faulkton, South Dakota. He was the son of Rolland O. and Hazel (Miller) Potter. Willard grew up on a family farm near Seneca SD and he graduated from the Faulkton High School in 1953. In 1957 he graduated from the South Dakota School of Mines with a degree in Civil Engineering. During the Korean War, Willard served his country in the U.S. Army from 1957 to 1959.

Following his honorable discharged he married the girl he met at a Black Hills State track meet in 1954. Her name was Marion Foss and they were united in marriage on June 25, 1960 in Winner South Dakota. To this union was born 2 sons and 3 daughters: Lee, Bruce, Joyce, Reva, and Diann.

Following their marriage, Willard worked as an engineer for many years. His career took the Potter family to several towns, including Selby, Pierre and Aberdeen. In 1997 he retired from the B.I.A. in Aberdeen as the Facilities Manager, and then began working as an Inspector for FEMA. From 1979 to 2010, Willard lived near Warner and following his retirement from FEMA Willard and Marion moved to Belle Fourche where they have lived since.

Willard was a determined man who had high expectations. He lived with purpose as it was important to him to contribute in life. He was intelligent and he always wanted to help people throughout his life. He was proud of his family and loved his grandchildren very much. He will be greatly missed.

Frederick (Ricky) John Meland was born Sept. 16, 1951 in Pierre, SD, the fourth of eight children born to Lawrence and Irene Meland.

At an early age, he suffered a series of seizures which left him severely mentally disabled and unable to mentally mature past the age of four. Due to the progressive, debilitating nature of his condition, he was institutionalized at age seven in Redfield, SD and later in Grafton, ND, Yankton, and Pierre. Ricky also lived in various group homes.

Due to prolonged seizure activity and heart failure, he passed away on Feb. 3 at Winner Regional Healthcare Center in Winner, SD at the age of 65.

Ricky had a contagious laugh. Those who had the privilege of spending time with him were often charmed by his humor and unique outlook on life. He was a diehard fan of classic cars and Johnny Cash. His sister Lorene remembers how he laughed for fifteen minutes straight, while dining on burgers and fries at McDonalds, when Johnny’s song “A Boy Named Sue” was mentioned. His brother Ron remembers Ricky bringing snakes into the house and letting them go. Everyone began a frantic search, hoping they were not rattlesnakes.

Ricky made many wonderful friends at Community Connections in Winner and Black Hills Works in Rapid City. Vern from Community Connections remembers fishing with Ricky. Smiling the whole time, Ricky always caught the “big, ugly fish,” as he called the sturgeon. Joan enjoyed Ricky eating all her chocolate chip cookies, getting chocolate everywhere and grinning ear-to-ear when she told him how handsome he was. Ricky found a listening ear in Divina as he told her about home and laughing about his sisters squabbling. He told Amy about his special “Peggy Sue” that he was going to marry someday while singing along to the music on the oldies station. Chandra remembers Ricky watching Matt Dillon on “Gunsmoke” and talking about his dad and siblings. Tim recalls how excited he was for his birthday and having cake and ice cream. “But”, he said to Tim, “If you come, I hope you are going to wear better clothes.”

Gayle from Black Hills Works remembers the challenge that Ricky brought her and how she learned so much from him. Through the healing interaction at BHW’s, Ricky embraced the concept of “turning it around” and developed a heightened self-esteem. He loved to fall asleep to “Delilah”—the popular radio talk show psychologist who people would call with their problems. She had a soothing voice and he loved that all these people were receiving help.

Roy Hazuka was born to Anton and Susie Hazuka on May 20, 1925.

Roy was a resident of Tripp County for his entire life where he and his wife Dorothy farmed north of Witten on the family farm, which was homesteaded in 1909. They retired and moved to Winner in 1995.

Roy was involved in his community by serving on the school board and township committees.

Roy put many smiles on the faces of those he met through his polka band at the many dances he played. He played his accordion for anniversaries and dance clubs. He played polka festivals in Rapid City and Deadwood for over 18 years.

Roy and Dorothy recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in Winner on February 15, 2017.

Mary A. Engen passed away peacefully at her home from brain cancer on Feb. 24, 2017. Mary was born on April 10, 1943. She grew up on a cattle farm near Winner, South Dakota. As the second oldest of twelve children, she developed a lifelong dedication to caring for others as she assisted in the upbringing of her younger siblings. Her parents, Pete and Ruth Olson, instilled a love of learning in Mary. She graduated from Winner High School in 1961 and Huron College in 1965, where she majored in English. In 1971, she received a librarian certification from the University of Utah.

Mary met the love of her life, Gary, at the Vincent Van Go Go nightclub in downtown Minneapolis in 1966. They were married in Winner in 1968. They had three children and three grandchildren. Mary thrived in her roles as wife, mother, and grandmother, always lovingly putting the interests of her family members in front of her own.

Mary had a passion for educating others. She taught in Sioux City, Minneapolis, and Rockford, where she also directed theater and debate programs. She was a librarian in Forest Lake. Mary gave up full time work when she had children, but she continued to substitute in the Mounds View School District for many years including 2016. Her favorite substitute teaching assignments were for new immigrants and home bound students because she was able to help them overcome difficult challenges.

Mary was an active member of the Abiding Savior Lutheran Church community for over 46 years. She had a flair for welcoming new members into the church and mentoring young adults in the confirmation process. She volunteered through the church in programs that served those in need, such as Meals on Wheels, Caring and Sharing Hands, Feed My Starving Children, and the Snack Pack Program.

Mary enjoyed spending her free time with friends. She appreciated their great company during walks around the neighborhood and evenings out to plays and movies. She was an avid traveler, taking her family on road trips across the United States and going on Elder hostel tours with her husband after he retired. Her greatest source of joy in later life was her grandchildren. She delighted in devising activities to entertain them and was a regular spectator at their sporting events.

Dorothy Marie (Ring) Lewis age 91, a long-term resident of Winner, S.D. loving wife and mother joined her heavenly father on Feb. 27, 2017.

Dorothy was born on April 28, 1925 to Edward Ring and Mary (Giske) Ring in Millboro, S.D.

Dorothy enjoyed playing cards, cross word puzzles, bowling, her flowers, cooking and she was a devout Christian . All that knew her would say “she was a remarkable woman who could do anything she set her mind to”. Her and Dean enjoyed their grandchildren, many friends and spent a great deal of time traveling.

Dorothy married Dean S. Lewis on March 6, 1942 and enjoyed over 63 years of devoted marriage. Together Dorothy and Dean raised 5 children.