A lifelong love story

It began in the hallways of Hill City High School, where a teenage romance blossomed into something lasting and rare. Sixty years after saying, “I do,” Owen and Carol Wiederhold marked their diamond anniversary in December—a milestone as steady and enduring as the life they’ve built together.

“We started dating as freshmen,” said Owen.

The couple dated throughout high school and together were crowned Homecoming king and queen their senior year in 1964.

The year after graduation they were married in the Little White Church. 

“That’s been our home church since,” said Carol.

Owen’s job briefly took the Wiederholds to Iowa, but the move lasted only a year.

“I didn’t like it,” said Owen with a grin. “Iowa’s not my favorite.”

The returned to the Black Hills in 1968, settling in Rapid City. In 1971, they purchased land near Hill City and began building a home. Unfortunately, they lost their Rapid City home in the flood of ’72.

“We had started on our place up here,” said Owen. “And our folks were in the area, so it was an easy transition.” 

They were able to move into the basement of Owen’s parents’ house until their home was completed.

The Wiederholds raised their two children in Hill City, Pat and Darcy, where both graduated from Hill City High School. Today, the family owns and operates Granite Sports on Main Street.

“Pat owns Granite Sports and Darcy manages it,” said Owen. 

“And I do the books,” added Carol.

The family has grown to include five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren with the newest edition, Callahan, who’s just over a 1 month old.

Over the decades, Owen and Carol have been deeply involved in the community. Both were members of the Jaycees and helped start the Heart of the Hills Action Group, performing many community projects such as repainting the stripes on the streets and securing a town Christmas tree.

“It was just a lot of small-town stuff,” said Carol, who reminisced about a rock concert that was once held at the site of Ranger Field. 

“They had just put the dirt in there, so we had to go out and pull all the rocks that we found,” recalled Carol with a laugh. “We had a big sign out there that said, come join us at the rock concert.”

The couple also served on the Young Life Committee for nearly two decades, and Owen spent 20 years on the school board.

Owen has long been an avid runner, completing numerous half-marathons over the years. Carol prefers a little slower pace and enjoys a good walk.

“I like to walk. I’m not a runner,” said Carol.

“We like to be outside, we like to be busy,” added Owen.

The duo’s advice to young couples was, “Love each other and love the Lord,” said Carol.

“Be interested in what the other person does,” said Owen. “Whether you like to do it or not. We’ve always been pretty supportive of each other.”

The two make decisions together—big or small.

“Even what’s for supper,” said Owen as they laughed.

“Preparing the meal, cleaning up, we just do that stuff together,” added Carol.

For special occasions, they prefer spending time with family over buying gifts for each other. 

“We never exchange gifts for birthdays,” said Owen. 

“Every once in awhile he buys me flowers,” said Carol. “He did for our anniversary. He does that occasionally.”

“Every time I get $20,” added Owen with a laugh.

In a world that moves fast, Owen and Carol’s story is a reminder that the best things are built slowly, day-by-day.

From high school sweethearts to great-grandparents, from flood loss to family business, their life has been stitched together with faith, laughter, hard work and unwavering commitment.