Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media, Author at Big Sioux Media Sports Network

Merlin Schmidt

July 15, 2020 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Merlin Francis Schmidt was born on April 7, 1922 to Nicholas Jr & Emma (Heer) Schmidt on their family farm north of Dell Rapids, SD. He died on April 11, 2020, just 4 days after his 98th birthday. A Celebration of Life, Mass and Military Rites service will be held at St Mary Catholic Church in Dell Rapids SD on Saturday, July 18^th at 10:00 am. The service will be Livestreamed on Facebook at: Minnehaha Funeral Home & Cremation Services. Due to ongoing concerns and risks regarding COVID-19, we ask that you use careful discernment when deciding whether you should attend. Wearing a mask is requested. We fully respect your decision and appreciate your thoughts and prayers. His burial was held on April 17, 2020 at Dell Rapids St Mary Cemetery. The family requests that there be no floral memorials and asks that memorials be directed to the Dell Rapids American Legion Post #65 for the Veterans Park Project or Dell Rapids St Mary School in Merlin’s name. Please send memorials to Bill Schmidt 805 N Vermont Ave Dell Rapids SD 57022.

He lived a quiet, (if you can use the words quiet and Schmidt together), simple life devoted to his family and the community of Dell Rapids. He was Nick Jr and Emma’s 7th of 10 children (3 died in infancy). At the age of 10, his mother passed away, leaving his dad to raise the 7 surviving children, all boys. His Dad never remarried and kept all the kids together, an amazing accomplishment in the 1930s. Merlin attended St Mary Academy through 8th grade. After spending his early years growing up on the family farm north of Dell Rapids, farming and working in construction with the Schneiders brothers, he was called to serve in the US Army on Nov 21, 1942 and served in World War II with the 400th AAA Battalion. After his honorable discharge from the Army on Nov 21, 1945, he returned to Dell Rapids on Thanksgiving Day and resumed construction jobs and farming duties at home, eventually moving to Colman to farm with his brother, Lewie.

He married Mary Heinemann on May 1,1957, and the couple raised their five children in Dell Rapids. During these years he hauled livestock for farmers, worked in construction for Lloyd Welbig, Wayne Bjordahl and Industrial Contractors. He was also employed at LG Everist, drove a school bus for Dell Rapids and spent many years upholstering furniture in his basement workshop.

Merlin was active with the Dell Rapids American Legion Post 65, where he was Commander in 1997 and was honored with a 75 year membership award in November 2019. He and Mary spent many happy years going to reunions with some of his Army buddies throughout the United States.

For many years he and Mary both worked as school bus drivers in Dell Rapids, and he developed a special bond with the kids on his bus route. In 2001, he was honored to receive an honorary diploma from St Mary High School. In addition to various projects he was always doing in his basement, his favorite hobby was visiting the Dell Rapids City Landfill (aka: his favorite “store”; the poor man’s secondhand store, The Dump) where he found and restored many treasures, many of which are still in use by family members. He never fully retired; he had his toolbox with him to the very end, always finding something he could “fix”! He often said that he had a box of lumber pieces “too small to use”….yet he often found a use for them! He also kept busy sewing quilts out of old, worn jeans. He was a recycler before there was a word for it! Many local people knew Merlin as the guy who could fix anything. He was always proud if he could figure out a way to make a “tool” for a project he needed: a staple-puller for upholstery, and when his fingers could no longer button shirts easily, he made button hooks (several of the Orchard Hills residents were happy recipients of these hand-crafted, useful devices!).

He was a devoted member of St. Mary Catholic Church throughout his lifetime; donating countless hours helping with many repairs and construction/building projects at the church and school. He, along with his brother and a nephew, were the minds and muscles that designed and built the underground tunnel that connects the two school buildings.

He was a talented craftsman who loved children and enjoyed teaching carpentry skills to his grandchildren. He was often seen wrestling with the grandkids, teaching them to use a hammer, and treating them to ice cream. While he rarely shared stories of his military experiences with his kids, he happily shared them with his grandchildren, giving them a glimpse of why his generation was considered “The Greatest Generation”. His kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids knew he was always happy to see them, he enjoyed visiting with anyone, and always had a project in the works to keep his hands and mind busy. There was never a moment that he would have said he was bored… he knew he could always find something to do! Many of us have items we use that we say have been “Merlin-ized” and most of us have “Merlin-isms” (phrases that only Merlin used…but we ALL knew what they meant!).

In 2011, he moved to Orchard Hills where he resided until March 9, 2020, when he moved to Dells Nursing and Rehab Center (which, he reminded us, was built on land that his Dad, brothers and himself had farmed many years ago).

Grateful for sharing his life are his five children: Kathy Hegge (Dennis Mammenga) of Baltic SD, Nick Schmidt (Connie) of Lewisville TX, Jan Bot (Ben) of Cottonwood MN, Tony Schmidt (Norilee) of Sioux Falls SD, and Bill Schmidt (Denise) of Dell Rapids SD. He will be missed by his grandchildren: Kassy (Dusty) Thorpe, Karly (Doug Nohava) Hegge, Kyle Hegge, Chelsey (Tyler) Koenig, Eric (Kathy) Schmidt, Adam (Bailey) Schmidt, Cole Bot, Ella Bot, Kellen Schmidt (Claire Hemmer), Hailey Schmidt, Jessica (Ryan) Thornell, Casey Schmidt, Ethan Schmidt & Ryan Schmidt. His 14 great-grandchildren loved visiting Grandpa Merlin and hearing his stories: Jack, Madelyn & Charlotte Thornell, Kenton, Maeve & Rayne Thorpe, Kalyce, Amity, Norie, Porter & Reeve Nohava, and Myra, Mahli & Miles Koenig.

He will be missed by his sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Joyce Lerdal, Virginia (Dick) Mergen, Ruby (Richard) Nelson, and Arlene Schmidt, and many nieces, nephews, friends and community members.

He was preceded in death by his wife Mary in 2006, all of his siblings: Elberta, Alfred, Gertrude, LaVern, Norbert, Bertram, Lewis, Roy and an infant brother. He was also preceded by his son-in-law, Kent Hegge, several sisters-in-law and a brother-in-law.

Heaven got a little louder when Merlin arrived; he’s probably already having a lively discussion (argument) with his brothers! And when the Schmidt boys decide that Heaven needs some fixing up, that box of pieces “too small to use” better still be here…they may need a piece from that box!! So in Dad’s own words, “You kids behave up there!”

Dell Rapids Legion Rally Falls One Run Short

July 13, 2020 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley, Dells City Journal

The Dell Rapids legion team nearly had its second straight last inning come-from-behind win on Saturday, July 11th at Rickeman Field, but the rally fell one run short. Colton hung on for a 4-3 win over Dell Rapids.

After the first batter of the game walked for Colton, he later scored on a two-out single in the top of the first for a 1-0 lead. Colton then scored two more runs in the top of the second inning on two outs to extend their early lead to 3-0. Dell Rapids got their first run in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single by Kaeden Eastman to cut the Colton lead to 3-1. The score remained that way until the seventh inning.

Colton was able to get one more run on a one-out single to extend the lead to 4-1 heading into the bottom half of the inning. Dell Rapids got two base runners on base on hit by pitches. Down to their final out and two runners on base, Dell Rapids started to make some noise. Noah Swartwout hit an RBI single to cut the lead to 4-2. Eastman followed with another RBI single to pull within a run at 4-3. Swartwout and Eastman both stole bases to put runners on second and third base. Zeb Schumaker nearly completed the comeback for Dell Rapids, but his sinking line drive was caught in left field to end the game.

Eastman finished with two hits and two RBIs. Swartwout also had two hits and an RBI. Logan Stone, Drew Van Regenmorter, and Schumaker also had hits in the game. Brady Larson took the loss on the mound pitching all seven innings giving up four runs, three earned, on six hits with two walks and 11 strikeouts.

Dell Rapids (7-8) will travel to Humboldt to play West Central on Monday, July 13th.

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Colton	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	4	6	0
Dell Rapids	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	3	7	1

Robert Gollesch

July 10, 2020 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Robert Lyman Gollesch: December 13, 1954 – June 27, 2020

Robert Lyman Gollesch was born on December 13, 1954, in Madelia, Minnesota, to William D. Gollesch and Genevieve E. (Merry) Gollesch. He passed away on June 27, 2020, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 65.

Robert graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan and attended Mid-Michigan Community College and Central Michigan University before moving to Los Angeles in 1982.

Robert was preceded in death by his parents, William and Genevieve Gollesch and his niece, Jane Halme-Larson.

He is survived by his four siblings: Bruce, Anne, Kay and Beth.

A memorial service will be held at the Mother’s Healing Garden (Dell Rapids Cemetery) in Dell Rapids, South Dakota, on July 13, 2020 at 4:00pm. A private internment will be at a later date at the Dell Rapids Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to The Mothers Healing Garden, Dell Rapids, SD., The Banquet @ thebanquetsf.org or the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles @ www.urm.org in memory of Robert L. Gollesch. www.kahlerfh.com

Dell Rapids Legion Splits Pair of Games

July 9, 2020 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids legion team split a pair of games during the week. On Monday, July 6th, Dell Rapids hosted Vermillion. The team then traveled to Canova to play McCook/Miner on Wednesday, July 8th.

After being held hitless for three innings, Vermillion’s offense then took control scoring 13 runs in the final four innings for a 13-3 victory over Dell Rapids on Monday.

Dell Rapids got the first run on an RBI single by Jake Steineke in the bottom of the first inning. Vermillion got their first hit with two outs in the top of the fourth inning and also scored three runs to take a 3-1 lead. They added five more in the top of the fifth inning to extend the lead to 8-1. Three more runs scored in the sixth, but Dell Rapids was able to extend the game to the full seven innings after an RBI double by Zeb Schumaker and an RBI single by Drew Van Regenmorter in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Steineke, Schumaker, and Van Regenmorter all had a hit and an RBI. Kaeden Eastman had two hits in the game. Logan Stone and Riley Peter also had a hit. Brady Larson pitched the first 4 2/3 innings, taking the loss, giving up seven runs, five earned, on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Logan Ellingson pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up four runs, two earned, on three hits with three walks and a strikeout. Ty Wood pitched the final inning giving up two earned runs on three hits with a strikeout.

Dell Rapids was able to bounce back and win against McCook/Miner on Wednesday after a wild seventh inning.

Dell Rapids got a run in the top of the first inning. Brandon Geraets was hit by a pitch, and his courtesy runner Brandon Kubly came around to score two batters later on a passed ball for a 1-0 lead. McCook/Miner scored a run in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game 1-1 and added two more in the bottom of the second for a 3-1 lead. That score remained until the top of the fifth inning.

Geraets laced an RBI line-drive single to center field scoring Schumaker to pull Dell Rapids within a run a 3-2. The score remained 3-2 heading into the seventh inning. Dell Rapids then exploded for five runs in the top of the seventh by getting six straight batters to reach base safely. Geraets had an RBI single, Noah Swartwout reached on an error, and that play scored another run to give Dell Rapids a 4-3 lead. Steineke added an RBI single, Van Regenmorter had an RBI single, and Ellingson had an RBI sacrifice bunt to give Dell Rapids a 7-3 lead. McCook/Miner would not go away quietly. They got their first three batters on base which led to three runs to pull within one at 7-6, but Noah Swartwout was able to get out of the inning and get the victory for Dell Rapids.

Geraets had two hits and two RBIs in the game. Steineke and Van Regenmorter both had two hits and an RBI. Swartwout and Ellingson both had an RBI, and Schumaker and Eastman both had a hit in the game. Stone pitched the first five innings giving up three earned runs on one hit with five walks and nine strikeouts. Swartwout earned the win pitching two innings giving up three runs, two earned, on two hits with two walks and a strikeout.

Dell Rapids (7-7) will host Colton on Saturday, July 11th at 7:00 p.m.

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Vermillion	0	0	0	3	5	3	2	13	11	1
Dell Rapids	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	3	7	2

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Dell Rapids	1	0	0	0	1	0	5	7	8	1
McCook/Miner	1	2	0	0	0	0	3	6	3	4

Dell Rapids 14U Qualifies for State Tournament

July 8, 2020 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

A Dell Rapids 14U team has qualified for the 2020 South Dakota VFW 14U Class A State Tournament which will be held July 17th – 19th in Chamberlain. Dell Rapids is currently playing in the Region 1A tournament in Tea and will play for the region championship on Thursday, July 9th.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year’s teener season saw many changes. The I29 Teener League in which the 13 and 14-year-olds of Dell Rapids usually play was canceled, which left teams across the area to find their own way to build a season schedule. Some teams opted to find games with other teams in the area to build their own schedule, like the Dell Rapids 16U and 19U teams did, while other teams opted to play in the Sioux Empire Baseball Association (SEBA) league. A group of 13-year-olds from Dell Rapids put a team together and opted to play in the SEBA league this summer and also registered themselves with the South Dakota VFW for region/state tournament play.

The Dell Rapids 14U team was placed in Region 1A along with Tri-Valley, Lennox, Volga, and Tea with the tournament being played in Tea Monday, July 6th through Thursday, July 9th. There are four regions in the state, and the top two teams in each region qualify for the state tournament.

Dell Rapids played their first game against Lennox on Monday, July 6th. They earned a 6-1 victory by scoring a run in the second inning, one in the third, two in the fourth, and two more in the fifth inning. Lennox got their only run in the top of the third inning. Quinn Carr had a hit with two RBIs. Tad Tjaden, Lincoln Fersdahl, Cooper Frost, and Carson Crosby also had hits in the game. Carr pitched the first 1 2/3 innings giving up two walks and four strikeouts. Frost pitched the next 1 1/3 innings giving up an earned run on one with with two walks and a strikeout. Fersdahl pitched the final four innings giving up just two hits while walking three and striking out four batters.

Dell Rapids then played Tea in the semifinals on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 7th. Tea used a big third inning, scoring six times, to take a 12-6 victory putting Tea in the championship game and the state tournament.

Dell Rapids got a run back in the bottom of the third inning to trail 6-1. Tea added a run in the fourth inning and pushed their lead back to six at 7-1. They added three more in the top of the fifth inning to push the lead to 10-1. Dell Rapids got three runs in the bottom of the fifth and two more in the bottom of the sixth to pull within four at 10-6. Tea, however, pushed two more runs across the plate in the top of the seventh to secure the win. Tjaden and Carr both had three hits each in the game. Cole Ruesink also had a hit. Brandon Schmidt finished with two RBIs, while Carr and Tjaden each had an RBI. Tjaden pitched three innings giving up six runs, five earned, on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Ruesink pitched two innings giving up four runs, one earned, on four hits with two walks. Frost pitched the final two innings giving up two earned runs on two hits with one walk and one strikeout.

Dell Rapids only had a break for a game as they had to play a second game later in the evening on Tuesday. In an elimination game, Dell Rapids rallied for nine runs in the final three innings to get a 10-9 come-from-behind win.

Volga scored two runs in the bottom of the second for an early 2-0 lead. Dell Rapids got a run in the top of the third, but Volga answered with two in the bottom of the inning for a 4-1 lead. Volga then got three more in the fourth inning and led 7-1. Dell Rapids rallied for four runs in the top of the fifth inning to cut the lead to 7-5. Volga got a run back in the bottom of the fifth and still lead 8-5. Dell Rapids pulled closer with two more runs in the top of the sixth, but again Volga got another run in the bottom of the inning and led 9-7 heading into the seventh. Dell Rapids then rallied for three runs and then held Volga scoreless for the 10-9 win.

Carr had three hits and three RBIs in the game. Tjaden and Schmidt both had two hits and an RBI. Frost had a hit and an RBI, and Ruesink also had a hit. Carr pitched 2 1/3 innings giving up four runs, two earned, on one hit with five walks and five strikeouts. Frost pitched 2 2/3 innings giving up four earned runs on three hits with four walks and three strikeouts. Tjaden pitched an inning giving up an unearned run on one walk and two strikeouts. Ruesink pitched the final inning giving up a hit and walk, but struck out three batters.

The win over Volga sends Dell Rapids the championship game and the state tournament. Dell Rapids will play Tea in a rematch on Thursday, July 9th at 6:00 p.m. Should Dell Rapids win that game, another game will be played at 8:00 p.m. The region champion will go to the state tournament as the Region 1 number one seed, and the runner-up will go to the state tournament as the Region 1 number two seed.

Dell Rapids 14U Region/State Roster

Tad Tjaden
Brandon Schmidt
Cooper Frost
Ethan Vanderwerf
Carson Crosby
Lane Weiland
Quinn Carr
Grady Lamer
Cole Ruesink
Lincoln Fersdahl
Talan Millage

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Lennox 14U	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	3	3
Dell Rapids 14U	0	1	1	2	0	2	X	6	5	2

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Tea 14U	0	0	6	1	3	0	2	12	11	3
Dell Rapids 14U	0	0	1	0	3	2	0	6	7	2

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Dell Rapids 14U	0	0	1	0	4	2	3	10	9	3
Volga 14U	0	2	2	3	1	1	0	9	5	5

Trent Pool Saved from Auction Plans

July 6, 2020 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

By: Tammy Chamley | Editor, tchamley@ncppub.com

Photo taken and used with permission on story by Tammy Chamley, Dells City Journal

Unlike many area pools, the Trent Pool isn’t the traditional chlorine filled-cement water tank but a gravel bottomed spring fed body of water. This area has been used as the Trent Pool since 1952.

An auction was scheduled for July of 2020 to have the area sold to the highest bidder due to the property not having adequate insurance. The community of Trent had other plans and were able to form a new board for the pool as well as found suitable insurance to cover the property as well as the board members in case of any lawsuit or misconduct.

The new board members for the Trent Pool are Julie Wood, Stacy Franka, Lisa Brown, Tammy Wendell and Morrie Kirkegaard.

An informational meeting was held in Trent on Monday, June 29 to update the community on the progress and plans for the future for the Trent Pool.

Input from the community was requested on ideas for ways to make the property as great as it can be. “We would really like to see it become a park,” Wood stated. “Where people in the area can get more use out of it.”

“We are purposing five nice campsites with water and sewer,” Morrie Kirkegaard, President of the board added. “These would be exclusive. They could be tucked in there nice. It would be $7,500 that you would be taking in at the spring of the year. That helps you get rolling, it might not everything we need, but it will get us our lifeguards and get our pool rolling.” The area where the campsites would be located on the flat land where the mud volleyball takes place during the annual Beach Bash held at the pool. Kirkegaard is also the owner of the campground adjacent to the swimming pool and has offered to maintain the added campsites. “We could have City Park stickers for purchase that way we have a little control on the traffic,” Kirkegaard added.

“We are really going to try to take as much pressure off the city for anything as we possibly can,” Wood said. “They have been very good in the past. We think if we do some things to get a money cushion there, we can make it.” Trent resident, Brandy Ament-Fehlhafer donated $300 to help cover costs of the bill that was required to be paid to Sutton Auction for the advertising of the planned auction that will no longer be held.

The insurance that was found is $1M worth of coverage for the pool. This policy is awaiting approval at the time of publication. “I think the reason they drained the pool was they were afraid the board members might get sued,” Wendell explained. “They have another policy called Directors and Officers Insurance. This insurance covers every board member that is on the board.”

Work parties will be planned for the near future to clean up the pool and the grounds surrounding it. “We are hoping to have a cleanup in about 30 days,” Stacy Franka said. “We will figure out a date and time and get it out there.”

The board intends to apply for a 501C3 status to be tax exempt and apply for available grants. Fundraisers are also in the works to bring in donations to help with the upkeep of the pool. This fall, a farmer’s market as well as a fall festival are being planned to bring Trent and surrounding communities together for a great cause.

Along with the camping sites, other ideas that were brought to the table were walking paths, spray park, gazebo and playground equipment.

Want to read more from the Dells City Journal? Here’s how:

Website: http://dellsjournal.com/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/dellscityjournal/

Tammy Chamley, Managing Editor
Contact Info:
Tel: 428-5600

James Libis

July 6, 2020 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Funeral Mass will be 10:30 AM, Friday July 10, 2020 at St. Vincent’s Catholic Church in Springfield. Visitation will be the hour prior to services at the church. Burial will be in St. Vincent’s Catholic Cemetery, rural Springfield, with military honors.

James E. Libis, was born in Eureka, SD, August 14, 1944. He died July 6, 2020 at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton at the age of 75 after a 9 month battle with cancer.

Jim was raised in the Eureka area and graduated from Eureka High School in 1962. He was drafted into the US Army and proudly served from 1965 to 1967, including a stint in Vietnam. Jim rapidly rose through the ranks and eventually became Chief of a radio team in the Signal Corps. He was honorably discharged and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and Good Conduct Medal for his service.

Following his military service, Jim attended the University of South Dakota at Springfield receiving a Bachelors of Science in 1972. Jim continued with summer courses eventually earning his Masters of Arts in Education from USD in Vermilion.

Jim married Zoa Van Winkle, August 21, 1970 at St. Leo’s Catholic Church in Tyndall, SD. They moved to Isabel in August of 1975, where they both were educators. Jim was employed by Northwest Area Schools, first as an electronics/electricity instructor and then as a vocational director. Zoa was employed by the Isabel Schools District as a teacher and coach. They have three sons: Craig, Cory, and Chris.

In 1983, they moved to Springfield and became owners of Jim’s TV & Appliance. Jim later started the Springfield Cable Company and owned the local laundromat. Jim eventually retired from the Mike Durfee State Prison as a Facilities Manager. During his career he served his community in many ways: St. Vincent Parish Council, Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Corporation, Springfield Baseball Association and many years as a volunteer firefighter with the Springfield Fire Department.

Jim cherished the time he spent with his family, grandchildren, annual pheasant hunting trips, and was lifelong Minnesota Twins and Vikings fan.

He is survived by his wife, Zoa, three sons and nine grandchildren: Craig (Stephanie) of Dell Rapids and children Connor, Addison, and Cooper, Cory (Angie) of Omaha and children Julia, Henry, and Andrew, and Chris (Jen) of Prescott, AZ and children Carter, Zoe, and Rayne. He is also survived by his brothers: John (Vicki) of Dell Rapids, Lenny (Sue) of Lake Havasu City, AZ, Richard (Sandy) of Sioux Falls, and sister Mary (Mike) Hansen of Sioux Falls; brothers-in-law: Ken (Carol) Van Winkle of University Place, WA and Gary Van Winkle of Ft. Collins, CO; sister-in-law: Peg (Wayne) Winckler of Tyndall and many nieces, nephews, and dear friends.

Dr. Iro Mogen

July 6, 2020 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Dr. Iro C. Mogen, age 88 of Yankton, SD passed away on Friday, July 3, 2020 at Avera Sister James Care Center in Yankton. Memorial services will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, July 11, 2020 at Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home and Crematory in Yankton with the Rev. Jacqueline Hickox-Morgan officiating. Burial of his cremated remains will follow at Yankton Cemetery. Visitation will be for one hour prior to service time. Due to COVID-19 concerns, friends and family are encouraged to participate through live streaming of Iro’s services at: https://www.facebook.com/opsahlkostel/live. Those wishing to attend in person are asked to wear a mask and practice social distancing guidelines. Online condolences may be made at: www.opsahl-kostelfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are under the direction of Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home and Crematory in Yankton.

Iro Charles Mogen was born June 18, 1932 to Gilbert C. and Helen Mar (Puder) Mogen. He graduated from Waubay High School in 1950 and enrolled at the University of South Dakota. After one year he transferred to Yankton College and graduated in 1955.

Iro was a long time educator in South Dakota. His first assignment was in 1955 in Summit, SD where he taught government, music, and coached basketball. Iro met Suzanne Dannenbring when they both attended Yankton College. They were married on December 27, 1955 in Chamberlain, SD.

Iro and Suzanne moved to Killeen, Texas after Iro was drafted and completed basic training. He served the Army in Division Finance at Fort Hood from 1956 to 1958.

Following his discharge in 1958, Iro and Suzanne moved back to South Dakota. Iro was a music teacher in the Alexandria school district. He completed his doctorate of educational administration from the University of South Dakota. He was an assistant superintendent of schools for the state of South Dakota and also served as superintendent of schools in Avon, Mobridge, Faulkton, and Milbank during his career. Ira and Suzanne moved to Yankton, SD after retirement in 1995.

Iro was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the South Dakota High School Activities Association in 1989. He was a member of the SDHSAA Board of Control.

Service to his community was important. Iro was choir director for many years at the United Congregational Church in Mobridge, SD. He was a member of the Mobridge Rotarians. In later years, Iro and Suzanne were music leaders at Avera Sacred Heart Adult Day Care in Yankton, SD.

Iro is survived by his daughters, Lynn (Frank) Mason of Hot Springs, SD and Anne Palmeri of Woodstock, NY; sons Jay (Naela) Mogen of Peoria, AZ and Bruce (Bonnie) Mogen of Dell Rapids, SD; grandchildren: Alex Mason, Emily (Joey) Stiegel, Cristian Mogen, Alejandro Mogen, Mariano Mogen, and Brett Mogen; great-granddaughter Paige Stiegel; brother Chris (Kathy) Mogen of Aloha, OR; brother-in-law, John (Ruth-Ann) Dannenbring of Yankton, SD and sister-in-law, Janice Morton of Brainerd, MN.

Iro was preceded in death by his parents, Gilbert and Helen Mogen, and his wife Suzanne Mogen and brothers Hubert, Phil, and Bryan Mogen.

The family prefers memorials to the United Church of Christ in Yankton and to South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

Mudcats Win Cornbelt Dell Rapids Battle over PBR

July 6, 2020 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley, Dells City Journal

In a typical Cornbelt League season, the Dell Rapids Mudcats and Dell Rapids PBR teams would play against each other two times, with one of those games being the Friday night before the Dell Rapid Chamber’s Quarry Day celebration. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, things are a bit different this year. Quarry Days was moved to August, and the Cornbelt League had a slightly abbreviated season this year resulting in only one game against PBR and the Mudcats.

This year’s game ended a great 4th of July weekend in the Dell Rapids area. With plenty of sunshine and fireworks over the weekend, the Mudcats and PBR capped off the weekend with an exciting, close game on Sunday, July 5th at Rickeman Field.

Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley, Dells City Journal

PBR got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning when Weston Hanson provided a few fireworks. Hanson hit a 2-run homerun to centerfield to give PBR an early 2-0 lead. PBR added to their lead in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI groundout by Riley Hoffman to lead 3-0 after two innings of play.

The Mudcats were able to scratch across a run in the top of the fourth when Josh Roemen scored on a wild pitch to cut the lead to 3-1. The sixth inning proved to be the difference in the game when the Mudcats scored three times. Mark Abrahamson hit a two-run double to left field to tie the game at 3-3. Kris King followed that at-bat with an RBI single scoring Mark Houck to give the Mudcats a 4-3 lead. PBR looked to have a rally brewing in the bottom of the ninth when Hoffman hit a one-out double, but Dalton Allen was able to get a strikeout and a groundout to strand Hoffman at second and secure the 4-3 victory for the Mudcats.

Houck and Grant Olson had two hits each for the Mudcats. Abrahamson had a hit with two RBIs. King had a hit with an RBI. Jimmy Bauer and Trevor Freudeuntheul also had a hit. Hanson finished the game with one hit and two RBIs for PBR. Hoffman had a hit and an RBI. Tanner Solberg, Matt Gillogly, Aaron Hansen, Beau Behrend, Teigen Lindner, and Trey Randel all had hits for PBR.

Allen earned the win for the Mudcats pitching all nine innings giving up three earned runs on eight eights with four walks and nine strikeouts. Brett Mogen took the loss for PBR pitching six innings giving up four runs, two earned, on six hits with three strikeouts. Tanner Olmstead pitched the final three innings for PBR giving up two hits and two walks while striking out four.

The Mudcats (7-3) will travel to Flandreau on Thursday, July 9th. PBR (6-5) will be at Salem also on Thursday, July 9th.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Mudcats	0	0	0	1	0	3	0	0	0	4	8	1
PBR	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	8	3

Dell Rapids 15/16s Win One in Last Three Games

July 4, 2020 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids 15/16s team has gone 1-2 in their last three games over the last eight days. Dell Rapids fell to Volga 9-6 on Friday, June 26th. Dell Rapids then defeated Madison Black 13-7 on Monday, June 29th, but a return trip to Madison saw Dell Rapids fall to Madison Maroon 4-3 on Wednesday, July 1st.

Dell Rapids held an early 1-0 lead after getting a first-inning run against Volga. Volga, however, scored the next eight runs and led 8-1 heading into the top of the sixth inning. Dell Rapids scored two runs in the top of the sixth to cut the lead to 8-3. Volga added another run in the bottom of the inning to lead 9-3 heading into the final inning. Dell Rapids scored three times, but the rally came up short.

Brayden Pankonen had two hits in the game. Even Nelsonn, Landon Ruesink, Josh Deknikker, Will Jaton, CJ Smith, and Kade Kremer each had one hit.

Dell Rapids bounced back with a 13-7 win against Madison Black. Madison scored the first two runs of the game in the bottom of the first inning, but their lead was short lived. Dell Rapids tied the game with two runs in the top of the third inning, then scored three runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a 5-2 lead. Dell Rapids then exploded with six runs in the fifth inning and finished the run with two runs in the top of the seventh inning for a 13-2 lead. Madison did score five times in the bottom of the seventh, but Dell Rapids held for the win.

Aiden Boechler had three hits in the game. Deknikker, Jaton, and Smith all had two hits each. Dylan Mathis, Caleb Kittelson, Austin Harvey, Matthew Goeken, Pankonen, Ruesink, Nelson, and Kremer all finished with hit each.

A return trip to Madison on Wednesday, July 1st was not as kind to Dell Rapids. Madison Maroon scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to steal a 4-3 win.

Madison scored a run in the bottom of the second inning for a 1-0 lead. Dell Rapids responded with two runs in the top of the third to take a 2-1 lead. Both teams were held scoreless until the sixth inning. Dell Rapids scored a run in the top half of the inning to extend the lead 3-1. Madison also scored a run in the bottom of the sixth inning to cut the down to one at 3-2. Madison then scored two runs with one out in the bottom of the seventh for the win.

Dell Rapids was held to just five hits. Ruesink had two hits. Pankonen, Boechler, and Mathis all had one hit each.

Dell Rapids (6-5) will travel to Humboldt to play West Central on Monday, July 8th, and then hit the road again on Wednesday, July 8th to Chancellor.

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