Category Archives: Obituaries

David Michael Turgeon, age 71 of Hamill, SD passed away while hunting at Flattop on Nov. 16, 2022.

Memorial service will be held on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022 at 10 a.m. at  Mason Funeral Home in Winner, SD. Visitation will be one hour prior to the services. Burial will be held at a later date.

David was born on Aug. 18, 1951 to Clair and Shirley (McKenzie) Turgeon. Dave attended school in Burke, SD and graduated from BHS in 1969.  David loved to hunt and fish. As a child he would be found with a BB gun in his hand or a fishing pole. David also played football, basketball, and baseball if he was not hunting, fishing, or working. The summer before college, he worked at Homestake Mine. While attending Southern State University he was drafted into the Army.  He was enlisted July of 1971 and honorably discharged December of 1972.  He was deployed to Korea as a security guard in the DMZ for the United Nations. Dave received the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service in the performance of his duties as Squad Leader and won Expert Marksmanship as well.

David met Kathy Beranek in 1973 in Burke, SD.  They were married Aug. 18, 1974 on David’s Birthday. They had two daughters, Stacy his hunting buddy, and Jamie the baby of the family. He has two granddaughters, Samantha Rae, who is in college, and Jaymes Lou Jean, who is in high school.  Papa Dave (as the girls called him) hardly ever missed one of their events. Track meets, cross country, dance, concerts, and basketball are just a few of the events he would attend. If he was not attending one of their activities, he might be in the shed making or fixing something for any one of his girls or working in his garden. They love their papa so much.

David worked for 45 years in telecommunications, retiring from Golden West Communications Dec. 31, 2018.  He was proud member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. He died doing what he loved, hunting.   He was one with the land, living with it, always giving back and taking care of it for his family’s future.

David is survived by his wife Kathy, daughters Stacy Turgeon and Jamie Turgeon, granddaughters Samantha Peppel and Jaymes LouJean Drake, siblings Sandra (Alan) Hubbard, Rick (Jo) Turgeon, Carol Turgeon, Nancy Turgeon, Ed (Teri) Turgeon, Doug (Leah) Turgeon, Larry (Kim) Turgeon, mother-in-law Lou Jean Beranek and 14 nieces/nephews.

David is preceded in his death by his parents Clair & Shirley Turgeon, brother Kevin, Niece Rebecca Hubbard, one nephew Alex Turgeon, and father-in-law James Beranek.

Cheryl Doescher, 66 of Sioux Falls, died Friday, Nov. 18, 2022 at the Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls. 

Memorial services will be held at 1 pm Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022 at the Heritage Funeral Home, 57th and MN, Sioux Falls with visitation an hour prior to services.  Arrangements by Hofmeister Jones  Funeral Home.   www.hofmeisterjones.com 

Cheryl Anne Doescher was born on May 24, 1956 at Oakland, NE to Richard and Magdalene (Heinecke) Doescher.  As a child her family moved to the Winner, SD area where she graduated from Winner High School in 1974.  After high school she attended Nettleton College and received a degree in fashion management.  Over the years she worked at several retail stores in Sioux Falls having started at Younkers in 1992 and remained with them for 28 years, she was the store manager until their closing in 2018.  She was currently employed as a teller at Premier Bank. 

Grateful for having shared her life are her daughter, Jennifer Doescher and Devin Blocker of Watertown, SD; her grandchildren Zoey and Ashtin; and brothers and sisters, Randy (Linda) Doescher, Phoenix, AZ, Ronda (Harland) Hanson, O’Neil, NE, Judy (Jack) Arthur, Winner, SD, Tom Doescher, DesMoines, IA and Chris (Lisa) Doescher, Tea, SD; and 17 nieces and nephews. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother Rick, and a sister Rose and her husband Joe.

Dorothy Vivian Wells (Pochop), 92, of Arvada, Colo.,, passed away at San Marino Retirement Village, on Friday, Oct. 21, 2022.

Dorothy was born in Colome, South Dakota on April 1, 1930 to Mary (Spinar) and Otto Pochop.  Riding her horse to school nearly every day, Dorothy attended and graduated from Witten High School. Dorothy then studied nursing at the Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in Mitchell, South Dakota and graduated in 1953.

Dorothy had many great experiences, but the greatest adventure of her life took place on March 11, 1956, when she married her sweetheart, Samuel Wells. The couple met at the wedding of Dorothy’s best friend Lena, who was marrying Sam’s brother, Marlin; Dorothy was Lena’s maid-of-honor and Sam was Marlin’s best man. Exactly six-months later, and in the middle of a record-breaking blizzard, Dorothy and Sam were married in Witten, South Dakota.

Dorothy and Sam began their life together in Grand Island, Neb., where their son, Michael LeRoy, was born. In November of 1958, the couple moved from Nebraska to Arvada, Colo. Shortly after their arrival to Arvada, their daughter, Donna Denise, was born. Dorothy enjoyed working as a nurse at various locations from 1953 until February 1990, when she retired from Lutheran Hospital, in Wheat Ridge, Colo. Throughout her career, Dorothy worked in the surgical, maternity, and rehabilitation wards, and was employed as head nurse for many years.

After her retirement, Dorothy enjoyed helping Sam with his antique and collectibles business. Dorothy also loved harvesting and cooking delicious homegrown fruits and vegetables from her and Sam’s family garden. Dorothy and Sam reveled in traveling throughout the world to places, including France, Japan, Hawaii, Germany, Switzerland, Russia (then the Soviet Union), Lichtenstein, England and Belgium. Dorothy also enjoyed watching baseball – genuinely, apparently, because her favorite team was the Colorado Rockies. Dorothy took several trips to Arizona to see Rockies’ spring training; on one visit, Dorothy and Donna even took a hot air balloon ride. One of Dorothy’s most favorite things was dessert – notably, Dorothy and Sam would frequently make homemade ice cream with fresh raspberries and homemade chocolate syrup for their families. As delicious as the ice cream was, the memories are even more sweet and endearing.

Dorothy is predeceased by Sam, her husband of 56 years, as well as her parents Mary and Otto.

Dorothy is survived by her son Mike Wells (Joey) of Westminster, Colo., and her daughter Donna Greenawalt (Kevin) of Rapid City, SD. Dorothy has three grandchildren: Katyie Wells of Broomfield, Colorado; Tyler Greenawalt of Brookings, South Dakota; and Samuel Wells, of Westminster. She also has one great-granddaughter, Ayda Rea, of Broomfield, Colo.. Dorothy is also survived by her brothers Harold (Judy) Pochop and Larry (Beverly) Pochop. Dorothy has many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews – all of whom she loved very much.

Dorothy made every activity fun and always made you feel welcome and loved; she and Sam were the epitome of kindness, compassion, and warmth. Thank you, Dorothy, for blessing our lives with much love and laughter. We will miss you every time we enjoy chicken noodle soup, potato casserole, four bean salad, zucchini bread, and premixed brownies without oil. We will miss you dearly and love you oh so much.

Funeral services were held at Aspen Mortuary in Arvada, Colo., on Nov. 3, followed by graveside services at the Arvada Cemetery.

Janet Bruun, 84, Winner, passed away on Nov. 5 at the Sanford Medical Center in Sioux Falls.

Memorial service will be Friday, Nov.18 at 11 a.m. at  Trinity Lutheran Church in Winner. Burial will follow at a later date.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, Nov. 17, at Mason Funeral Home from 6-7 p.m. with  prayer service at 7 p.m.

Janet Jane (Schramm) Bruun was born on June 29, 1938, to Howard and Irene “Chic” (Hight) Schramm. Janet was born in Winner, SD and was baptized Aug. 5, 1938, at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Winner. She was later confirmed in 1952; Janet was proud to be a lifelong, active member of Trinity Lutheran.

 She grew up in a loving home at 126 Liberty St. in Winner, SD with her parents and younger brother Chuck. She was blessed having her Uncle Herbert’s family living right across the street. Howard and Herbert were identical twins and always wore matching blue and white striped Oshkosh overalls. While growing up, Janet would often mistake her uncle for her dad and would go to him for money; Janet benefited greatly! Her cousin Jim Schramm was from June to November younger than Janet, but he was like a big brother to her. They had an incredibly special bond. Janet’s mother was a nurse, and during Janet’s childhood years, she spent many hours at the hospital while her mother was working. Janet remembers being put to work cleaning needles and other medical supplies; they were hoping to instill an interest in nursing, but it had the reverse effect, and she disliked every minute of it.

Janet’s school years began in Winner, and she later graduated from Winner High School in 1956. Highlights of this time were spending time at baseball, football, and basketball games with close friends Bev Mason, Rita Reckling, Vesta Bice, and Gloria Rowe. Janet’s dad loved taking the girls to games and spoiling them with treats. Janet felt very blessed growing up in Winner with seven uncles and one aunt; they made her proud to be a Schramm, and she had a special relationship with each one of them. Janet was the oldest cousin on the Hight side and the second oldest on the Schramm side. She was proud of this role and loved all her cousins dearly.

Janet met Carroll Bruun in 1951 on a bus ride going to 4-H camp. Janet was seated behind the bus driver, and when she would look into his mirror, she could see this cute, blonde, blue-eyed boy sitting a few rows behind her winking at her. So yes, they got acquainted and were dance partners at camp! That was the beginning of their dancing career. They started dating in 1953 and were later engaged on Janet’s high school graduation day, May 21, 1956. In the fall of 1956, Carroll went to Huntington Park, CA to work for General Motors on a car assembly line. In January, Janet headed to Los Angeles, CA to work at a bank. In May of 1957, Carroll wanted to move back to farm with his dad, so he and Janet headed back to South Dakota. One year to the day after getting engaged, they broke off their engagement. Over the next seven years, their paths crossed about once a year.

Janet started college at Drake University for dental hygiene; that was not the right choice for her, so she quit at semester. She followed her cousin Jim and enrolled at South Dakota State University declaring Spanish as her major. She graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in 1961 from SDSU and later with her Master’s in Business in 1969 from USD. Janet’s first teaching job was at Rapid City Central; she taught there from 1961-1964. In July of 1963, Janet was home from her teaching job in Rapid City. She went to Frank Day’s in Dallas; she walked in the door, and Carroll grabbed her hand and said, “Here’s someone I can dance with!” Second engagement was in September of 1963 with a wedding to follow on Feb. 22, 1964. Carroll continued to farm, and Janet started her teaching career in Winner.

In the early years of their marriage, special twins, Donnie and Ronnie Matthews (neighbor boys to Howard and Irene Schramm), started making frequent trips to the farm on weekends. They eventually stayed and became part of the family. Johnyne Carol was born on Dec. 16, 1968; Jacey Jane on Dec. 6, 1973; and Jad Howard on February 13, 1975. Janet wrote, “My favorite place in the whole world was our farm living with my best friend and special blessings Johnyne, Jacey, and Jad. We had a great life, and I never wanted for a thing.”

Janet retired from teaching in May of 2002. Over the course of her career, she touched so many lives both inside and outside of the classroom. She started the Winner High School Warriorettes, youth track, and youth basketball. She was an outstanding teacher and wonderful role model. Janet and Carroll moved back to the farm after Carroll and Jad completely rebuilt the old farmhouse. Janet and Carroll lived in that house for many years during their retirement before moving back to town full-time. Janet enjoyed attending every sporting event possible and was proud to wear her favorite color – purple! She also loved sitting in her chair crocheting while looking at her pride and joy wall – pictures of her grandchildren. Janet and Carroll loved following their six grandkids in all their activities; they also enjoyed taking as many trips as they could, especially to Branson, MO. Spending time in Brookings while attending SDSU basketball games and staying in Parker, which became their second home, were highlights of their lives. Fondest memories were having all six grandkids together at the farm and most recently visits from new great-granddaughter, Murphy.

Grateful for having shared her life are her three children: daughter Johnyne (Brad) Horstman of Winner; daughter Jacey (Dale) Peters of Parker; and son Jad (Suny) Bruun of Dallas. Grandchildren: Zachary (Tayler) Horstman of Mitchell; Jayden Bruun of Spearfish; Kylie (Jayd) VanDerWerff of Gregory; Kelby Peters of Sioux Falls; Joren Bruun of Dallas; and Karley Peters of Parker. Great-granddaughter Murphy Jean Horstman. Brother Chuck Schramm of Sioux Falls; sister-in-law Marlene (Tom) Hansen of Canyon Lake, TX; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Janet was preceded in death by her husband Carroll; her parents Howard and Irene (G’ma Chic) Schramm; in-laws Helmer and Mae Bruun; sister-in-law Ginny Canon.

Jeanetta “Boots” Louise Moses, aka “Bootsie Lou,” passed away peacefully at home the morning of Oct. 24, 2022, in Loveland, CO, at the age of 83.

Boots was born Dec. 19, 1938, in Winner, SD, to Carl Harrison Moses and Emelia Anna Jares Moses. She was number 9 out of the 10 siblings: five brothers and five sisters.

She graduated in 1956 from Winner High School, worked and retired from Northwestern Bell Telephone Co. in Winner, SD. She worked at Nelson and Sally Miller’s print shop, Plains Printing Co, in Gregory SD, for 13 years.

She loved her crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles.

Boots lived and took care of Grandma Emily until her passing in 1985. Boots loved all the nieces and nephews. She always loved the company and card playing, especially during hunting season. All of the cousins have very fond memories of 417 Lamro St.

Boots was an awesome athlete and loved sports. She enjoyed watching sports and influenced some of the nephews to become Chicago Bears fans, which is why nobody was allowed to watch the Vikings on her TV.

In 1998, shortly after sister Dorothy “Dot” passed away, Boots decided it was time to move to Colorado to live with brother “Cookie” and sister Kate. Jares Moses and Dean DiPaola drove up on a Friday, loaded the truck, left on Saturday showed up in Colorado on Sunday and moved her in.  

Boots loved animals and loved to watch the horses and dogs on the race track. She even grew to like cats, offering her lap to the two that shared her home the final years of her life.

Boots had an amazing gift for making the nieces and nephews feel like they were her favorite.  She could always bring out the best in us and give us an “atta boy, boy!” or “atta boy, girl!”. While she never warmed up to the new electronic gadgets, we can’t function without, she got the biggest kick out of looking at photos and posts on Facebook and keeping up with our growing family. 

Boots is survived by sisters: Bernice Moses Weickum of Bozeman, MT, and Shirley Moses Hart and husband D.L. Hart, of Gilbert AZ; sister-in-laws – Evelynne Moses of Gregory, SD, and Beverly Crew Moses of Florida; and countless nieces and nephews.

It is with deep sorrow and much love that we mourn the passing of Elsie Meister who passed away on August 1, 2022.

Elsie was born on February 15, 1925 on the family farm in the Winner area to parents John and Barbara Meister. She was delivered at home by a midwife. Elsie never did have a birth certificate.

Elsie went to local schools and graduated from Winner High School May 25, 1944.

Elsie spent most of her adult life in northern California where she married her husband Russell Newberg December 21, 1945. They were married for 69 years and had two sons. Russell was born and raised in San Francisco. They lived there for several years before buying a home in Palo Alto and in 1962 bought a home in Livermore, California.

Elsie was a homemaker, a devoted wife, loving mother and grandmother.

In 2001 Elsie and Russell moved to Casa Grande, Arizona to live near their son Gary, daughter-in-law and grandson Gary J.

Elsie’s husband passed away November 1, 2014.

Elsie was preceded in death by her parents, her four brothers Kenneth, Art, Junior and Alvin, her sister Clara and her nephews Ricky and Bob.

Elsie was laid to rest August 11, 2022 at the Mountain View Cemetery in Casa Grande, Arizona. She will be dearly missed but forever in our hearts.

Pam was born on February 16, 1947 to Frank and Georgia Fite.

Pam grew up in Presho, SD and graduated from Presho High School in 1965. Pam attended Northern State College where she graduated with a teaching degree in Speech Therapy.

Pam finished her career in Winner, SD where she met her husband, Al McIntosh.

Pam was a member of the Winner United Methodist Church where she was a member of the Cares Ministry and the Friendship Club.

Pam attended TOPS and was the leader at one time. She also attended several state conventions.

Pam is survived by her two sons Mac and Kip and Kip’s wife Nackea.

Pam is survived by six grandchildren, Mac’s daughters – Deyondra and Hadessa. Also, Kip’s children Kyle, Tawni, Corbin and Teegon.

Pam is also survived by her mother and sister Paula Fire Bruce plus her two nieces, Dawn Bruce Clark and family and Kari Bruce Ott and family.

Pam was preceded in death by her father and her husband, Allen.

Valentine (Val) Charles Rush was born July 8, 1949, in Flandreau, SD, the son of John J. and Evelyn M. (Valentine) Rush. He entered the presence of his loving Savior, Jesus Christ, on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022.

Funeral services will be 10:30 am Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, at the Egan United Methodist Church, Egan, SD with burial in Hillside Cemetery, Egan. Visitation will be Thursday from 5 – 7 pm with a time of sharing at 6:30 pm at Skroch Funeral Chapel, Flandreau. www.skrochfc.com

Val spent his days on the farm after graduating from St Mary’s in Dell Rapids and then Dakota State in Madison. Before he even saw it, God’s grace was apparent in his life. On Sept. 10, 1977, he married Teresa (Hessaa) Molskness, and they recently celebrated their 45th anniversary. During their marriage, they had three children, Aaron, Sarah, and Jonathan. Val spent many days planting and harvesting corn and beans. But in 1987, those days came to an end. 

Not knowing what would come next, his career moved to the insurance business. But he began sowing seeds other than corn, beans, or insurance. God called him to make the seed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ known. His call to ministry started when attending the Egan United Methodist Church at the age of 43. Several Egan Church ladies asked Val to teach their adult Sunday School Class. He loved and continued teaching God’s Word, revealed through the Bible. Later the members of the Egan church encouraged Val to attend seminary and become a pastor. It was not an easy decision, but it turned out to be very wise in the end, as obedience to God is. He attended North American Baptist Seminary starting in September 1992 and completed his degree in Divinity in May 1995.  After his first year of seminary, he received a call to serve part-time at the Garretson United Methodist Church and later served full-time after adding two small churches in Minnesota.

After seven years in Garretson, Val stated that he and Teresa would be willing to move anywhere except North Dakota. They soon packed their bags to head north to Bowman, North Dakota. Then twelve years later, they moved to pastor the Winner United Methodist Church in South Dakota. After retiring from five years of ministry in Winner, they moved to a farm near Canton and, lastly, Sioux Falls. In retirement, Val pastored the Methodist Church in Viborg, SD, worked as a volunteer hospice chaplain, and part-time chaplain at the Avera Heart Hospital. He entered into his eternal rest and has now truly retired. The remarkable grace of God marked Val’s life. Living by those words of Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” He longed that everyone would come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Grateful for having a part of Val’s life are his wife, Teresa; Children, Aaron (Liz Rush), Avon, SD; Sarah Rush, Sioux Falls; and Jonathan Rush and Heather Rieger. Sioux Falls. Grandchildren Kuyper Rush, Zane Rush, Charles Rush, Finley Rush, Ezra Rush, Brooklyn Rieger, Ellianna Rush, and Evelyn Rush. Siblings: James Rush (Ann), Omaha, NE; Margaret Rush, Sioux Falls; Jack Rush   (Gayle), Philip, SD; Mary Jane Hover (Brad), Kansas City, MO; and Richard “Dick” Rush, Omaha, NE. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother David Rush.

Gerald Krogh, 80, of Winner, SD passed away on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022 at the Bennett County Nursing Home in Martin, SD.

Funeral services were held on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022 at 2 p.m. at the First Christian Church in Winner, SD.   Burial will be held at a later date.

Gerald (Jerry) Lewis Krogh was born on March 5, 1942 in Prosser, Wash., to Lewis and Myrth (Carpenter) Krogh. He passed away quietly in his sleep on Nov. 2, 2022 at the Bennett County Nursing Home in Martin, SD.

Jerry is best known for his love of horses. His father was a ditch rider for the open irrigation systems of the Yakima Valley in Washington state and Jerry rode the ditch banks on his pony from an early age. He owned and trained horses until the last few years of his life, when his health did not permit him to continue.

Jerry was drafted into the military and served in the Air Force from Feb. 4, 1964 to Aug. 2, 1968 when he was honorably discharged. He achieved the rank of sergeant. He served in Guam, loading bombs to fly to Vietnam.

Jerry fell in love with South Dakota while stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base. He continued to make his home in the Rapid City area for the next 19 years. During that time he worked for Duane Smith, (Smitty) breaking horses and leading trail rides at Palmer Gulch Camp Ground. He also served as an ambulance driver during the Rapid City flood of 1972.

Jerry’s attachment to cars led to him earn a degree in Auto Body Repair. He was able to utilize his artistic nature restoring vehicles.

On May 22, 1987, Jerry married Ruth Egleston Tracy in Colome, SD. He became a loving father to his three step children, Raymond, Rachel and Darrell Tracy. The family lived in Mission, SD and then moved back to Jerry’s home town of Grandview, WA.

Jerry became a Waste Water Treatment Plant Operator for the city of Grandview, WA during the 1990s.

He rose to the level of assistant head operator in 1997.

They returned to South Dakota in 1999 and lived in the Lake Andes area prior to moving to Buffalo, SD in 2008. Jerry enjoyed helping area ranchers in the summer and began a new career as a leather craftsman.

Due to Jerry’s declining health, the couple moved to Winner, SD in June, 2016 to be closer to family and medical care.

He was preceded in death by his father, Lewis, his mother, Myrth, One sister, Betty (Krogh) Heim, brothers in law, Ken Heim, Lloyd Akins, Bob Forman and Fred Egleston.

He is survived by his wife, Ruth (Egleston, Tracy) Krogh, three children, Raymond (Sherrie) Tracy, Pierre, SD, Rachel (Jon) Ravnaas, Ruso, ND, and Darrell (Teri) Tracy, Winner, SD. One sister, Myrna (Krogh) Akins, 5 grandchildren, Heather (Ryan) Sandvig, Shannon (David) Newman, Tori Frey (Miles) Melius, Blake Tracy and Destiny Tracy. As well as numerous nieces and nephews. Also holding a special place in Jerry’s heart were AnnieKate and Jake Burghduff.

Jerry always said the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man. He was a friend to all he knew.

Letha Kalenda/Osburn, 85, of Winner, SD passed away on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022 at the Butte Senior Living Center in Butte, NE.

Funeral services were held on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022 at 2 p.m. at the Winner United Methodist Church in Winner, SD. Burial followed in the Colome City Cemetery.

Letha E. Kalenda/Osburn was born April 23, 1937 in Ainsworth, NE to Mildred and Hans Johnson of Sparks, NE. Letha attended Valentine High School.

She met Joe Kalenda Jr. at Wewela Hall in 1958. They were married on March 1, 1960 in Valentine, NE. They then moved to the Big Dog Ear Lake south of Winner, SD. To this union they had 3 daughters: Elaine (Russ) Klug of Herrick, SD; Gloria (late Butch) Wilson of Winner, SD; and Vickie (Les) Sherwood of White River, SD.

Letha enjoyed being a farm wife, gardening, milking cows, raising poultry, and fishing. In the late 70’s Joe and Letha took in foster care children. Joe and Letha went to many dances. Joe passed away in 2001 and in 2004 she remarried Dick Osburn. Dick and Letha enjoyed life together. Due to health problems, she was placed in the TLC February of 2019. Later she was moved to Butte, NE where she passed.

She is survived by her three children, 9 grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her parents, 1st husband Joe Kalenda Jr., 2nd husband Dick Osburn, 2 granddaughters, 1 son-in-law plus a brother and a sister.