Obituaries

Mary Schmidt

Published by admin on Thu, 07/30/2020 - 9:18am
Long-time Custer resident Mary Emalee (Strain) Schmidt died July 13, 2020, at her home. Emalee was born May 14, 1937, in Springfield, Mo.
When Emalee was young, she worked for Hallmark cards as an illustration artist. She married Vernon Schmidt and she and Vernon worked as EMTs for the Ute Tribe in Utah. They did that for many years and Emalee loved to tell stories of their adventures. 
Later, Emalee and Vernon settled in Custer, S.D., off Pass Creek Road. During those early years on Jewell Road, Vernon and Emalee hosted the Gathering of Eagles.

Verdon Kretzschmar

Published by admin on Thu, 07/23/2020 - 8:47am
Verdon “Burt” Kretzschmar was born April 12, 1951, in Watertown, S.D., to Don and Wava (Seefeldt) Kretzschmar.  He grew up on the family farm west of Willow Lake, S.D.  He attended country school in Hague Township through the seventh grade and then started attending school in Willow Lake, graduating in 1969. 
When he was a toddler, he contracted polio and was in rehabilitation in Huron, S.D., but by the grace of God, he survived. 

Patricia Moore

Published by admin on Thu, 07/23/2020 - 8:46am
Patricia Ann Moore was born December 16, 1931, in Gebo, Wyo., to Leo and Evangeline. She attended school in Hay Springs, Neb., and lived a number of different places throughout her life, including Roswell, N.M., Colorado Springs, Colo., Custer, S.D. and Des Moines, Iowa.
Pat loved learning new things and solving problems, and gave her all to any job she took on, including for the Army Corps of Engineers, the campaign for Barry Goldwater for president and for many years as an administrative assistant at Custer Elementary School.

Roberta June Wilburn

Published by admin on Thu, 07/16/2020 - 10:49am

Roberta June Wilburn, 88, died July 11, 2020, at Avantara Arrowhead Care Center in Rapid City, S.D.

Funeral services will be 1 p.m. on July 17, 2020, at Kinkade Funeral Chapel in Sturgis, S.D., with a visitation to begin one hour prior to services. Interment to follow at Black Hills National cemetery near Sturgis.

Condolences may be sent to the family at kinkadefunerals.com.

Albert Swartz

Published by admin on Thu, 07/16/2020 - 8:55am
Albert Swartz was born in Gackle, N.D., Nov. 13, 1932, to Walter and Anna (Wiitala) Swartz. He was the ninth out of 12 children. 
He joined the Navy Sept. 23, 1952, where he served on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged April 16, 1956. After he was discharged he moved to South Dakota, where he had various jobs. He was hired by  the Forest Service as a seasonal worker that then turned into full-time position in the maintenance department. He retired from the Forest Service in 1992.

Marie Bachmeier

Published by admin on Thu, 07/09/2020 - 9:00am
Marie (Abernathy) Bachmeier was born Jan. 20, 1956, in Deadwood, S.D. She grew up in Sturgis, S.D., until age 6, then in Rapid City, S.D. 
She attended Stevens High School, then the radiological technician program at St. John’s Hospital in Rapid City.

Daniel Canete

Published by admin on Thu, 07/02/2020 - 10:13am
Daniel D. “Dan” Canete was born Dec. 3, 1932, in Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines, to Restituto Canete and Ciriaca Denoso Canete. 
He married his wife of nearly 61 years, Evelyn Senit Canete, June 28, 1958. 
Dan grew up during WWII in the jungles of the Philippines during the Japanese occupation. He had just turned 9 years old when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Bonnie Cohee

Published by admin on Thu, 07/02/2020 - 10:10am
Bonnie Jo (Hoy) Cohee was born in Huron, S.D., Oct. 16, 1935, to Steven Hoy and Judy Morris. She was raised alongside her younger brother of nine years, Steven Hoy.
They enjoyed spending time with their cousins from both Custer, S.D., and at the Morris family farm near Hitchcock, S.D. Bonnie’s cousin, Mikki Matheson, was like a sister to Bonnie, and the two spent every Memorial Day together until 2019.

Rosalie Bindel

Published by admin on Thu, 07/02/2020 - 10:09am
Rosalie Ann (Treloar) Bindel was born Oct. 8, 1942, in Tacoma, Wash., but spent most of her childhood between Custer, S.D., and El Paso, Texas. She was the daughter of Leona (Shelby) Treloar Martinez (d. 2000) and Waldo Treloar (d. 1978)  She was the sister to Waldo Jr. Treloar (d. 1996), Ron (and Ardis) Treloar of Custer and John (and Becky) Treloar of Granbury,Texas. 
She received her bachelor’s degree from UTEP, her master’s degree from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, N.M., and completed her Ph.D. at the University of California in Santa Barbara.

William Waxler

Published by admin on Thu, 07/02/2020 - 10:09am
William R. “Buzz” Waxler died June 25, 2020, in Hot Springs, S.D., after long years of dementia. He was 85.
Committal services were July 1 at Evergreen Cemetery in Hot Springs.
Written condolences may be made at  chamberlainmccolleys.com