THOUGHT FOR TODAY
“I heard a bird sing in the dark of December,
A magical thing and sweet to remember.
We are nearer to spring than we were in September.
I heard a bird sing in the dark of December.”
— Oliver Herford
ENTERTAINMENT AT THE CAPITOL CHRISTMAS TREES
— THURSDAY
7 p.m.: Stanley County elementary chorus, Fort Pierre.
— FRIDAY
12 noon: Center of the Nation brass quintet, Belle Fourche.
5 p.m.: Merlyn Tiede (vocals), Parkston.
7 p.m.: Redfield Middle School choir.
— SATURDAY
8 a.m.: Nickolas/Sargent trio, Pierre.
10 a.m.: Dupree music students.
11 a.m.: Huron Middle School honors orchestra and Huron High School chamber orchestra.
12:30 p.m.: Happy Memories Band, Parkston.
2:30 p.m.: Cash’s Classic Christmas Choir.
3 p.m.: Jerand and Cerissa Chase (piano, guitar, violin, trumpet), Pierre.
4 p.m.: Randall and Andrea Royer, Pierre.
6 p.m.: L’Attitude, Sioux Falls.
7 p.m.: Nordic Nimble Feet Norwegian dancers, Brookings.
— SUNDAY
2 p.m.: Sully Area Singers, Onida.
3 p.m.: Violin/woodwind trio, Pierre.
4:30 p.m.: Dirty Boot Band, Pierre.
6 p.m.: Priscilla Hofer (piano), Pierre.
— MONDAY
12 noon: Iroquois Little Chief Choir and Iroquois High School ensemble.
5 p.m.: Edgemont High School band and choir.
6:30 p.m.: Studio A and Stanley Music Company students.
— TUESDAY
12 noon: Kimball High School band and choir.
5 p.m.: Annie Tucker (piano), Fort Pierre.
— WEDNESDAY
12 noon: Riggs High School choirs, Pierre.
5 p.m.: Lennox High School choir.
PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP
This week’s schedules:
— THURSDAY
Gymnastics: at Mitchell quadrangular.
— FRIDAY
Girls wrestling: at Rapid City invitational.
Boys wrestling: at Rapid City invitational.
Girls basketball: home vs. Rapid City Stevens, 7 p.m.
Boys basketball: at Rapid City Stevens, 7 p.m.
— SATURDAY
Girls wrestling: at Rapid City invitational.
Boys wrestling: at Rapid City invitational.
Gymnastics: at Aberdeen Central invitational.
Girls basketball: home vs. Rapid City Central, 2 p.m.
Boys basketball: at Rapid City Central, 1:30 p.m.
— TUESDAY
Boys wrestling: home vs. Harrisburg.
Boys wrestling: The Governors got their season off to a terrific start with a third-place finish at the Mandan tournament. Rapid City Stevens was first at 368.5 points, Bismarck High 325, Pierre 321, Sturgis 313.5 and Bismarck Legacy 200.5 among the top five teams. Blake Judson went unbeaten for the weekend to capture the title at 138 pounds. Other Pierre placers: Alex Oedekoven, second at 106; Lincoln Schoenhard, third at 113; Noah Williams, second at 120; Nate Williams, third at 126; Tristan Spencer, fifth at 132; Chase Carda, third at 145; Deegan Houska, third at 152; Jayden Wiebe, sixth at 170; Chance Carda, fifth at 182; Elijah Boutchee, 12th at 195; Gavin Stotts, third at 220; Jace Charron, eighth at 285.
Girls wrestling: The Pierre girls were the team champion at the Mandan tournament with 278 points, followed by Spearfish 203, Minot 144, Bismarck Legacy 135 and Bismarck High 120. Mylie Taylor at 170 pounds, Marlee Shorter at 190 pounds and Ciara McFarling at 250 pounds won individual championships. Other Pierre placers: Shaylee Speck, sixth at 100; Sydney Uhrig, third at 105; Neveah Baade, 12th at 115; Kezrey Benning, fifth at 125; Dani Ringstmeyer, fourth at 125; Hattie Baldwin, fifth at 130; Gianna Stangeland, second at 135; Abbi Lewis, second at 145; Ireland Templeton, fifth at 155; Kyanne Traversie-Johnson, 12th at 190; Emalee Larson, third at 190.
JV wrestling: The Pierre boys placed second in the Clark-Willow Lake tournament behind only Kingsbury County. Jacob Mayer won an individual title at 106 pounds, and Kylen Horsley, Rylan Shrake and Lucas Colman were runners-up in their weight classes. Placing third were Carson Stoeser, Hudson Shaffer and Jaxon Ducheneaux. Max Hunsley and Zayden Rounds placed fourth.
STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP
This week’s schedules:
— FRIDAY
Girls basketball: home vs. Lyman.
Boys basketball: home vs. Lyman.
— SATURDAY
Wrestling: at Gregory invitational.
Girls basketball: at White River.
Gymnastics: at Wagner invitational.
— TUESDAY
Girls basketball: at Winner.
Boys basketball: at Winner.
Girls basketball: The Buffaloes lost their season opener to Chamberlain Tuesday, 63-53.
SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP
This week’s schedules:
— THURSDAY
Wrestling: vs. Miller/Highmore-Harrold (at Presho).
— FRIDAY
Girls basketball: home vs. North Central.
— SATURDAY
Wrestling: at Faulkton invitational.
— TUESDAY
Girls basketball: home vs. Lyman.
Boys basketball: home vs. Lyman.
Girls basketball: The Chargers tipped off the season with a dominating 67-33 win over Ipswich Tuesday.
WORDS OF WISDOM
“When we prioritize principles over party and humanity over personal legacy, we accomplish far more as a nation. By leading with a shared faith in each other, we become America at its best—a beacon of hope, a source of comfort in crisis, a shield against those who threaten freedom.”
— Robert Dole, who was a long-time U.S. Senator from Kansas and a former presidential candidate, wrote this in an op-ed piece he wrote for The Washington Post, intended for publication after his death. He passed away this week.
HOCKEY UPDATE
Oahe Capitals boys varsity: The game of the year so far in the SDAHA boys league comes up this Sunday when the Oahe Capitals play the unbeaten Rushmore Thunder in Rapid City at 2:15 p.m. MST Sunday. The Caps staged a three-game road-trip sweep last weekend, winning at Aberdeen in overtime, 5-4; winning at Watertown, 6-3, and winning at Huron, 6-1. Against Aberdeen Carter Sanderson tied the score with his second goal of the game at 10:10 of the third period, then won it at 4:59 of overtime as he completed his hat trick. Ashton Griese scored the other two Oahe goals, and Carter Schulz made 23 saves. At Watertown Jarron Beck and Keller Herman had two goals apiece, Sanderson one and Andre Carbonneau one, and Kieran Duffy had 27 saves in goal. Sanderson had two goals in Huron while Jaden Flor, Dre Berndt, Carbonneau and Jonathon Lyons scored once each, and Colin Lee made 17 saves.
Oahe Capitals girls varsity: In their only game last week, the girls lost to Watertown, 3-2. Scoring the Oahe goals were Ashton Lee and Brylee Kafka. Abigail Stewart Fromm made 22 saves in the nets. The Capital girls play at Sioux Falls at 7:15 p.m. Saturday.
Rapid City Rush: The Rush lost two games last week, 4-2 and 4-2 to Tulsa, but won over Allen, 4-1. The team is home vs. Kansas City Friday and Saturday as well as last night.
Badlands Sabres: Great Falls swept the Sabres, 4-2 and 7-6. Badlands plays a pair at Sheridan Friday and Saturday.
Aberdeen Wings: The Wings swept Austin by shutout scores of 3-0 and 5-0. Aberdeen is home Friday and Saturday vs. Minot.
Sioux Falls Stampede: The Herd lost to Waterloo, 5-2, then beat Waterloo, 2-1. Sioux Falls goes to Sioux City Friday, then plays at home Saturday and Sunday against Tri-City.
Minnesota Wild: Minnesota is on a seven-game winning streak heading into a western trip to San Jose tonight, Los Angeles Saturday and Vegas Sunday. The Wild will be home Tuesday vs. Carolina. In the pat week they won over New Jersey, 5-2; over Toronto, 4-3 in a shootout, and over Edmonton, 4-1.
BASKETBALL UPDATE
Minnesota Timberwolves: It was an all-losing week for the Wolves, who fell to Washington, 115-107; to Brooklyn, 110-105, and to Atlanta, 121-110. After hosting Utah last night, the Wolves entertain Cleveland Friday, go to Portland Sunday and play at Denver next Wednesday.
Sioux Falls Skyforce: It was an all-losing week for the Skyforce, too. Sioux Falls lost to Fort Wayne, 125-112 and 107-96, and to Motor City, 106-99. The team is on the road to Windy City Saturday and Sunday.
MIDCO SPORTS NETWORK SCHEDULE
Friday, 6 p.m.: Girls basketball, Jamestown vs. Bismarck (MS2).
Friday, 7:45 p.m.: Boys basketball, Jamestown vs. Bismarck (MS2).
Friday, 8 p.m.: Men’s hockey, UND vs. Colorado College.
Saturday, 1 p.m.: Men’s basketball, UND vs. Eastern Washington.
Saturday, 2 p.m.: Women’s basketball, SDSU vs. Kansas State (MS2).
FOOTBALL UPDATE
NFL games on local TV this week (subject to change by the networks):
— Thursday: Pittsburgh at Minnesota, 7:20 p.m., Fox and NFL Network.
— Sunday: Las Vegas at Kansas City, noon, CBS.
— Sunday: Dallas at Washington, noon, Fox.
— Sunday: Buffalo at Tampa Bay, 3:30 p.m., CBS.
— Sunday: Chicago at Green Bay, 7:20 p.m., NBC.
— Monday: Los Angeles Rams at Arizona, 7:15 p.m., ESPN.
Minnesota Vikings: Another close call and another narrow loss! The Vikings had a lead over Detroit until the final second of the game and handed the Lions their first win of the year, 29-27. Now 5-7, the Vikings’ playoff hopes are on life support. They play at home tonight (Thursday) against Pittsburgh at 7:20 p.m.on Fox and the NFL Network.
FOOTBALL CONTEST #18
Last week all nine of our contestants went with Georgia over Alabama (what???), seven of them went with Oklahoma State over Baylor, all nine went with San Diego State, which was blown away by Utah State. Nevertheless, Jason Noyes survived as our lone 10-point man with a 7-3 record. At 6-4 for nine points apiece were Mikal Kern, Jon Boer and Kyle Richards. At 5-5 for eight points in our season-long competition were Randy Pool, Levi Neuharth, Dawn Magee, David Ludwig and Nathan Vetter.
Contest #18 (send your 10 winners to parkerhome16@hotmail.com by FRIDAY afternoon:
(1) Army vs. Navy
(2) FCS quarterfinals: East Tennessee State at NDSU
(3) FCS quarterfinals: SDSU at Villanova
(4) FCS quarterfinals: Montana at James Madison
(5) NFL: New Orleans at New York Jets
(6) NFL: Las Vegas at Kansas City
(7) NFL: Dallas at Washington
(8) NFL: Detroit at Denver
(9) NFL: San Francisco at Cincinnati
(10) NFL: Buffalo at Tampa Bay
GOLF UPDATE
PGA Champions Tour (Tom Byrum): The Tour is off again this week. Next on the schedule is the PNC Championships at Orlando Dec. 17-19.
COUNTDOWN
1 day: Pierre girls and boys basketball openers (Dec. 10).
2 days: Holiday Jam with the Hegg Brothers concert (Dec. 11).
4 days: Riggs High band/choir concert (Dec. 13).
4 days: Stanley County elementary concert (Dec. 13).
7 days: Sully Buttes grades 6-12 concert (Dec. 16).
9 days: Surprise Package Christmas concerts (Dec. 18-19).
9 days: Oahe Capitals boys varsity league home openers (Dec. 18-19).
11 days: Georgia Morse Middle School band/choir concert (Dec. 20).
13 days: “Kennedy Center Honors,” CBS-TV (Dec. 22).
16 days: Christmas (Dec. 25).
22 days: College football national semifinal games (Dec. 31).
30 days: FCS national championship game (Jan. 8).
32 days: College football national championship game (Jan. 10).
37 days: NFL playoffs begin (Jan. 15).
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Politicians have been selling the false premise that strength comes from degrading others. While division may help them win elections, it’s tearing our country apart. Fighting against toxic tribalism is a true battle. Things won’t get better until we save the soul of America.”
— U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois
COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP
FCS playoffs update:
— This weekend’s quarterfinals:
* Left bracket:
#8 Montana State at #1 Sam Houston State, 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
South Dakota State at #5 Villanova, 1 p.m. Saturday.
* Right bracket:
#6 Montana at #3 James Madison, 6 p.m. Friday. (ESPN2)
#7 East Tennessee State at #2 North Dakota State, 11 a.m. Saturday. (ESPN)
South Dakota Mines track-field (Erick Colman): The Hardrockers’ indoor season doesn’t open till Jan. 29-30 at Black Hills State’s meet.
South Dakota volleyball (Brooklyn Bollweg): The Coyotes, having won the Summit League championship, automatically entered the NCAA Tournament. In their first-round match in Minneapolis, the Coyotes lost to #12 Minnesota, 3-0, on set scores of 19-25, 22-25, 17-25.
South Dakota women’s basketball (Chloe Lamb): The Coyotes won over a pair of non-conference opponents. In a 71-59 win over Wichita State, Chloe was 6-of-15 (2-of-7 in three-pointers) and 0-of-0 for 14 points with eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. USD beat down Bradley, 62-39, as Chloe was 5-of-12 (1-of-4) and 0-of-0 for 11 points with an assist and a blocked shot. Now 5-4 USD is home Friday vs. Valparaiso.
South Dakota State women’s basketball: The Jackrabbit women lost to Northern Iowa, 59-50, and lost to Missouri State, 55-52. Now 3-6, SDSU hosts Kansas State at 2 p.m. Saturday on Midco Sports Network.
South Dakota State swimming (Morgan Nelson): The Jackrabbits are idle until a dual vs. St. Cloud State on Jan. 15.
Dakota Wesleyan volleyball (Gracie Olivier): The Tigers won their opening match of the NAIA Tournament over St. Xavier (Ill.), 3-1. In Sioux City at pool play DWU swept Grand View (Iowa), 3-0, and lost to Park University, 3-0. Park was unbeaten in the pool, so they, instead of DWU, advanced to bracket play.
Dakota State track-field (Houston Lunde): At the SDSU Open meet Houston placed 30th in the shot put at 38’5″ and 30th in the weight throw at 43’6 1/2″. The Trojan men’s team was sixth among 18 teams there. Next on the DSU schedule is the Mount Marty invitational on Jan. 15.
Black Hills State track-field (Frank Becker): At the home meet the BHSU men placed third among five teams. Frank ran on the 4×400 relay team which placed fourth in 3:41.67. The next meet on the schedule is the home Myrle Hanson Open Jan. 14-15.
Northern State track-field (Rachel Guthmiller): The Wolves competed at the SDSU Open, and the NSU women placed fourth among 13 teams. Next on the NSU schedule is a dual against Mary on Jan. 15.
Dakota Wesleyan track-field (Cobey Carr, Abbigail Ferris, Morgan Oedekoven): The Tigers competed at the SDSU Open. This weekend they host the DWU Earlybird meet Friday and Saturday.
Augustana track-field (Elizabeth Schaefer): The Viking teams competed at the SDSU Open. Next on the Augie schedule is the Minnesota State invitational in Mankato Jan. 14.
Augustana women’s basketball (Katie Bourk): The Vikings lost two NSIC games, 73-60 to USF and 72-58 to Southwest Minnesota State. Now 3-3, Augustana is home Friday vs. Minnesota State and Saturday vs. Concordia-St. Paul.
South Dakota State track-field (Addy Eisenbeisz): At the SDSU Open Addy tied for fifth in the high jump at 5’5″ and placed 10th in the triple jump at 37’9 1/2″. The Jacks are off now until the Bison Cup meet in Fargo on Jan. 15.
Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball (Nick Wittler): The Tigers swept a pair of GPAC games over the weekend. In a 72-56 win over Hastings Nick went 6-of-12 (3-of-8 in threes) and 2-of-2 for a team-high 17 points with one rebound, one assist and four steals. DWU beat Doane, 81-56, and Nick was 6-of-14 (4-of-8) for 16 points with three boards, four assists and a steal. Now 6-6, DWU plays a league game at Dordt Saturday.
Northwestern (Iowa) football (Morris Hofer): The Raiders lost at Morningside in the NAIA national semifinal, 28-19. The Northwestern season ends with a strong 12-2 record.
South Dakota State men’s basketball: The Jackrabbits swamped Minnesota-Morris, 112-47, to improve to 8-2. After playing at Idaho last night, SDSU plays Washington State in Spokane Saturday and at Missouri State next Wednesday.
North Dakota State football (Grey Zabel): The Bison rolled to another blowout win, 38-7, over Southern Illinois in the second round of the FCS playoffs. NDSU, now 11-1, is home again in the quarterfinals at 11 a.m. Saturday against East Tennessee State on ESPN.
South Dakota State football (Regan Bollweg): The Jackrabbits led comfortably at halftime, 24-3, at Sacramento State in the second round of the FCS playoffs, then had to hold on for dear life to escape with a 24-19 win. Now 10-3 SDSU goes all the way across to the other side of the country to play Villanova in Philadelphia at 1 p.m. CST Saturday in the quarterfinal round.
Wyoming wrestling (Tate Samuelson): Tate went 3-0 on the first day of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas tournament, advancing into the semifinals at 184 pounds. The next day he finished fourth in that division. Wyoming is home for a dual against #5 Oklahoma State on Dec. 17. Tate is a grandson of Blunt native Joanne (Gunsalus) Haugland.
Morningside bowling (Alex Badger): At their own two-day invitational tournament the Mustang men placed third of 12 teams Saturday and fourth of 12 Sunday. The bowlers will spend four days in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 18-19 and the Collegiate Shootout Dec. 20-21.
Mount Marty men’s basketball (Lincoln Jordre): The Lancers lost to Midland, 76-57, as Lincoln was 5-of-9 (1-of-3 in threes) for 11 points with five boards and a block. In an 82-75 loss to Morningside he was 2-of-6 (0-for-1) and 1-of-2 for five points with three rebounds and an assist. Mount Marty played Concordia last night and is home vs. Jamestown Saturday.
South Dakota men’s basketball (Max Burchill): The Coyotes swamped Waldorf, 93-37, as Max was 2-of-2 (1-of-1 in threes) for five points with a rebound and three assists. On Tuesday USD lost at Northern Colorado, 74-69. Now 5-4, USD is home vs. Northern Arizona Saturday and Bellarmine next Wednesday.
Mary wrestling (Lincoln Turman): The Marauders defeated Concordia (Minn.) in a dual, 41-0. The team had five placers at the Dragon Open at MSU-Moorhead. Mary wrestles MSU-Moorhead in a dual tonight, then goes to Minot State Friday.
Dakota Wesleyan wrestling (Tyson Johnson): The Tigers lost a pair of GPAC duals, 42-4 to Hastings and 32-13 to Concordia. In the latter dual Tyson won at 157 pounds via a 15-2 major decision. In the Doane Open at Crete, Neb., Saturday, Tyson lost his first-round match, 9-5; then won three straight in the consolation round via a bye, a 1:30 fall and a 12-4 major decision. Then he had to medical-forfeit his consolation fourth-round match. DWU wrestles at Briar Cliff in a dual tonight (Thursday).
PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES
— The National Lutheran Choir, of which Tim Schmidt (Riggs ’92) is a member, will present its 2021 Christmas Festival concert, “The Earth Adorned,” at the Basilica of St. Mary in St. Paul this weekend. The program will be streamed live at 4:30 p.m. CST and 8 p.m. CST Friday at www.NLCA.com.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
In South Dakota, where according to some political leaders the pandemic ended long ago, the death toll has reached 2,384 and may hit the magic 2,500 mark by Christmas. As of yesterday there had been 50 deaths in the first week of December only. The number of South Dakota hospitalizations was at its highest mark Tuesday since Jan. 13.
The Department of Tourism’s favorite motto had a new look in one Facebook meme this week: “South DaCOVID—Unmasked Faces; Surging Cases.”
BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES
Thursday, Dec. 9:
Tyler Coverale, Les Traut, Jerry Sperry, Gary Drewes, Jackie Cook.
Friday, Dec. 10:
Amber Robinson, Weston Bruscher, Patti Fuchs, Camilla Karschnik, Michael Tveidt, Kelsie Brandlee, Penny (Malevich) Reynolds, Kaitlyn Richey, Sarah Moreno, Annabeth Haarstad, Franklin de Hueck, Alexi Axlund, Becky Lindekugel.
Saturday, Dec. 11:
Joe Stolp, Sandy (Voller) DePountis, Mitch Boe, Christine Hawkinson, Teri (Donahue) Weischedel, Mari (Donahue) Kramer, Arden Rapp (#80), Charlene Reed, Diane Giesinger.
— 17th anniversary, Josh/Amy Joy.
Sunday, Dec. 12:
Joyce Williams, Jenifer Tobin, Abby Lingle, Josh Rose, Eric Sibson, Brian Pibal, Jeff Ice, Marietta Heath, Starlene Flax, Kyle Neuberger, Laura (Hansen) Mikkelsen, Lukas Tedford, Steph (Vogel) Lund, Tara Dowling, Wanda Goodman, Evelyn Hopper.
— 6th anniversary, John/Kylie Potts.
Monday, Dec. 13:
Natalie Magedanz, Ric Severson, Ramsay McKee, De Knudson, Dianna Knox, Troy Thomas, Carter Howard, Michael Voeltz, Lila Edelen, Gerri (McKenney) Carpenter, LeAnn Poile, Taylor Martin, Lincoln Elizabeth Fitzke, Jason Bakeberg, Joey Kafka, Karlea (Stahl) Larson.
Tuesday, Dec. 14:
Elliot Williams, Adam Emerson, Abby Javurek, Andy Carda, Terra Zeller, Cruze Wilson, Jafar Karim, Avett Becker, Joyce (Jansen) Moore.
— We fondly remember the 20 students and six teachers who were gunned down in the Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Conn., 9 years ago today.
Wednesday, Dec. 15:
Derek Dehne, Wayne Crawford, Creed Kendrick, Steve Withers, Shirleen Fugitt, Kelly (Kafka) Schrempp, Jennifer (Schlekeway) Heggelund, LInda Johnson, Paul Lepisto.
Thursday, Dec. 16:
Nathan Hamm, Bonnie (Pitlick) Rus, Steve Hinker, Rachel (Weber) Bishop, Brenda Goeden, Eric Serbousek, Rod Burley, Augustus Gross, Vicki Hagemann, Brooke Lee, Natalie Likness.
— 4th anniversary, Brandon/Kelli (Cronin) Nagel.
NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS
Duane Rupkalvis, 85, died Nov. 28 in Grand Island, Neb., at Primrose Assisted Living. He was the oldest of six children of the late August and Beth (Haverly) Rupkalvis of eastern Sully County. Duane graduated from Onida High School in 1956 and married Beverly Sherwood in 1959. He served with the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Reserves. They lived from 1971 to 2010 in Holdrege, Neb., and from 1981 to 2010 of those years they owned Durable Service Inc. Duane is survived by his wife, Beverly; his daughter, LaConda Bigger of Grand Island; two grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; four sisters, Betty (Ron) Herron of Pierre, Jean (Dan) Lucas of Nebraska City, Neb., Renee (Nick) Osterkamp of Pierre, and Brenda (Ted) Worthy of Springfield, Mo. Among those who preceded him in death were his parents; his son, De’laun Rupkalvis, and his brother, Larry Rupkalvis.
Tom Kelley was posthumously given the “Spirit of Sioux Falls” Award at the Sioux Falls Development Foundation’s annual meeting Nov. 10. Tom graduated from Riggs High School in 1976 and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in 1980. He was CEO of Gage Bros. Concrete Products in Sioux Falls for more than 20 years and was employed there for 40 years. Tom passed away in October 2020.
Evelyn Daum, 92, Murdo, died Dec. 6 at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital. Her funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, at Community Bible Church in Murdo. She is survived by two daughters, Elaine (Harlin) Vermeer of Citrus Hills, Fla., and Gladys (Sam) Heikes of Vermillion; two sons, Darrell (Pam) Daum of Murdo and Kenneth (Jane Todd) Daum of Murdo; eight grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; three step-great-grandchildren, and a sister, Marian (Dwight) Mills of Woodbine, Iowa.
Pierre native Brandon Cruse and his crew were selected to work the Big 12 Conference’s championship game between Oklahoma State and Baylor in Arlington, Texas, last Saturday.
Wayde Wieczorek of Aberdeen and Fort Pierre died in a one-vehicle accident in Hughes County Dec. 3. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday) at St. John’s Catholic Church. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church.
Carroll Haisch passed away Dec. 2. At his request no formal service will take place. He graduated from Bennett County High School in Martin in 1956. He worked on Oahe Dam, then took over the family business, Haisch Radiator and Welding Shop, in 1956. He was a Pierre police officer from 1969 to 1974 and managed the Pierre city landfill. Carroll married Linda Gordon in 1985. He is survived by his wife, Linda; his children, Alisa (Steve) Andersen of Fort Pierre, Deborah (Lane) Mielke of Aberdeen, and Stephanie (David) Durkin in Maryland, and his stepchildren, Lowell (John Ostgarden) Gordon in Oregon and LaTresa (William) Zeller of Pierre.
Jesiah Ahlemeier (Riggs ’00) completed her Doctor of Social Work degree through Capella University, an online school based in Minneapolis, and attended graduation exercises in San Antonio last week. The school has students everywhere, so it holds graduations at various cities, and this one happened to be in San Antonio. Jesiah (we called her Jessica when she was in high school!) lives in St. Paul and is a care manager at Minnesota Health Fairview.
Patsey (Cruthoff) Watkins, 80, Lincoln, Neb., died Nov. 26. A memorial service was held Dec. 4 at Metcalf Funeral Home Chapel in Lincoln. The younger daughter of the late Ed and Pat Cruthoff, who lived for many years in Onida, graduated from Onida High School in 1959. She is survived by two sons, Brian Watkins and Chris (Amber) Watkins; a daughter, Shari Watkins; four grandchildren, and a sister, Penny (George) Reynolds of Green Valley, Ariz., and Bartlesville, Okla.
Matt Heard’s wife, Carly, is a runner and has qualified to run in the Boston Marathon.
Terry Howard, the husband of Blunt native Carrie Jo (Eckman) Howard, passed away Dec. 3 at Sanford Hospital in Fargo after a two-year battle with metastatic melanoma. Services will be held Monday, Dec. 13, at Bethel Lutheran Church in Greenbush, Minn.
Pierre native Les Traut has been battling illnesses for several years. He is now making his home at a care facility in the Twin Cities. He would appreciate mail from friends and former fellow choir members among others. His birthday happens to be today (Thursday). His mail address: Leslie Traut, c/o Martin Luther Manor, 1401 E. 100th St., Bloomington MN 55425.
James Fargen, 66, died Nov. 29. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 13, at Feigum Funeral Home. He attended St. Joseph Elementary School and graduated from Riggs High School in 1974, then attending USD for a year. He worked at several jobs in Los Angeles and Reno, Nev., until returning to Pierre to manage the family home and serve as caregiver for his mother. He is survived by two brothers, Tom and David; two sisters, Lexie and Terese, and 10 nephews and nieces. A celebration of his life will be held next summer.
The Boys & Girls Club of the Capital City Area was the recipient of a $100,000 donation from Jim Mollison. He and his late wife, Susan, have long been financial supporters for the club.
Susie Rilling, first grade teacher at the Onida elementary school, has been named Teacher of the Year in the Agar-Blunt-Onida district.
Friends are invited to help Arden Rapp celebrate his 80th birthday, which is this Saturday, Dec. 11, by sending him a card to this address: 303 Shimrose Dr., Fort Pierre SD 57532.
Robert Olesen, 81, Pierre, formerly of Hayes, died Dec. 6 at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. this Friday, Dec. 10, at Isburg Funeral Chapel. A burial of his cremains will take place at a later date at Black Hills National Cemetery. Robert grew up on a ranch in the Sansarc area and graduated from high school in Brookings. He served in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1960. He spent his adult life farming and ranching in the Hayes area. He married Frances Sampson in 1971. He is survived by his wife and a sister, Mary Jean Ecklund of Ulm, Mont.
PONDER THIS
“Ethan Crumbley and his parents may be unusual in the extent of their depraved indifference to the lives of others, but their brand of social psychosis is all too familiar. We recognize their selfishness for what it is, and we’re repelled and horrified by it.
“But we’re not repulsed enough to do anything about it. That would require an act of civic empathy we’re just not capable of at this time.
“That in a nutshell is the sublime tragedy of being an American. It’s impossible to muster the imagination to modify an amendment on an 18th-century document, even if it is literally killing us.”
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Thank you for including the comments by Robert Dole & Adam Kinzinger.