Category Archives: News

Robert Waters, age 77, of Winner, passed away on December 23, 2015 at the Winner Regional Long Term Care Facility.
Funeral Services were held 11 a.m. Tuesday, December 29 at Mason Funeral Home in Winner. Burial followed at the Winner City Cemetery.

Everrett Reagle was born November 21, 1945 in Valentine, NE to Arthur E. and Blanche (Howe) Reagle. Everrett enjoyed working on the farm/ranch with his family. He lived in the Olsenville, SD area his whole life. He attended school at Midway school and Todd County High School.
Everrett married Marie Hannah on August 21, 1965 in Mission, SD. They were blessed with 4 children. Everrett worked for the South Dakota DOT for 32 years were he loved plowing snow and helping people get where they needed to go safely. Until the time he departed this world, Everrett would talk about plowing roads. Everrett moved to the Winner Long Term Care in November of 2013. Everrett was 70 years old.

A private family funeral service for 72 year old Larry Pechota of Colome, was held on Monday Dec. 28. Larry was be buried in the Colome City Cemetery.
Larry was born on April 14, 1943 at the Mother of Grace hospital in Gregory, SD. He was first of three children born to Lloyd and Lois Pechota. Larry grew up on a farm near Colome, SD and attended the Viaduct school for 3 years. His family then moved to South Beach, Oregon. They returned to the Gregory area where he graduated his senior year in 1961. Larry was united in marriage to Myrna Fetzer on September 2, 1965. Together they had three children. They celebrated 50 years of marriage in September of this year. During their marriage they lived in Gregory, SD, Ainsworth, NE and then moved back to the Colome area where they have farmed since 1979.

Larry had a love for playing baseball and football while in high school and that passion carried on to watching his own children and grandchildren play sports as well. His grandchildren were the bright spots in his life. He spent many hours outside and enjoyed gardening, feeding the birds, working on building projects and watching the crops grow and mature usually with his faithful dog by his side. Larry loved to travel with friends and family to other parts of the country but was always happy to be back to where he called home.

Larry Gene Pechota, age 72, of Colome passed away peacefully at his home on Wednesday, December 23, 2015 after fighting a five year battle with pulmonary fibrosis.

Marion M. Pearson lived 91 good years on this planet and was tough as nails and sweet as sugar. She died peacefully on December 20, 2015, in her home.
She was born Marion Marie Eldridge in a sod house near Dixon, South Dakota, in Bull Creek Township on April 20, 1924. Her parents were Charley Eldridge and Christine (Rehwinkle) Eldridge. She had two brothers, Bryon (Viola) and Bud (Bonnie), and one sister, Elaine (John).
Marion rode a horse to country school as a student and later taught at a country school. She held many jobs through her lifetime, played in a band, owned a bar, made furniture, was a secretary, and loved her family with all her heart. She had two children: Phyllis, born in 1945 from her marriage with Vince Feyereisen; and Ross born in 1955 from her marriage with Clarence Ford. Her final marriage was to William Pearson in Rapid City.
“Grandma” as she was affectionately called was preceded in death by her parents, brothers, and her son Ross, as well as her husbands and her sister’s husband, John Kunze.
She is survived by her sister, Elaine Kunze, her daughter, Phyllis Rensch, grandchildren Timothy (Kimberly) Rensch, Melissa (Patrick) Wood, William M. Rensch II, and her great-grandchildren Cameron Parette, Merissa Parette, Gabriel (Stephanie) Rensch, Alexander Rensch, Hayden Rensch, Mason Rensch, Morgan Wood, and Callahan Wood. She is also survived by sister-in-law Bonnie Eldridge, and the children of her siblings.
Grandma loved to garden, watch birds, have Christmas, and picnic on the Fourth of July. She was proud to have been raised on a farm, was a hard worker, and watched over and protected her family. She was frugal, made the best bacon and egg breakfast ever, and made good potato salad. She was patient and generous and called those near and dear to her “Sugar.” She smoked most of her 91 years, saying, “Smoking is bad for most people, but it is good for me.” Every single time you ever visited her, when you left, no matter how much her arthritis hurt or her walker resisted, she would get up from her chair, make her way to the screen door, poke her hand out and wave goodbye and smile, as if she knew it might be the last time. This time it was. Goodbye Grandma. We all love you so.

Janet Belle Tarr was born November 28, 1928, at Colome, South Dakota, the daughter of Otis and Hazel (Hougham) Tarr. She grew up on a farm-ranch six miles southeast of Norris, and attended Kaufman rural school, and later Todd County High School, graduating in 1947. She then attended Springfield Teachers’ College where she earned her teacher’s certificate. She taught at Patricia School northeast of Martin where she met Leonard.

Janet Belle was united in marriage to Leonard Andrew Hicks on June 1, 1948, in Martin. They made their home in Martin until the summer of 1952, when they moved to her parents’ farm-ranch southeast of Norris. They continued to live and work on that ranch their entire married life. Her husband Leonard preceded her in death on December 30, 2009.

In the summer of 2012, she moved to the Golden Prairie Manor Assisted Living Center in Winner, where she resided until moving into the Winner Nursing Home in July 2014. In December of 2014, she moved to the White River Nursing Home, where she has since resided.

She was on the Norris Township Election Board for many years. Janet Belle was a fabulous cook and was known for her fried chicken and milk toast.