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

Bonnie Sorsen

April 23, 2019 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Bonnie Sorsen, 83, of Sioux Falls, formerly of Dell Rapids, passed away on Thursday, April 18, 2019. Her Mass of Christian Burial was held on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. in St. Mary Catholic Church, Dell Rapids. Visitation was on Monday, April 22, 2019 in the St. Mary Church Hall. The Christian Wake Service was at 7:00 p.m. in the church followed by the Rosary.

Funeral arrangements were under the care of Kahler Funeral Home. www.kahlerfh.com

Bonnie was born on April 19, 1935, to Frank and Ella (Lewis) Walker in Junius, SD. She grew up on the family farm and attended school in Madison, SD, and graduated from high school there. After high school, she worked in Madison, where she met Herman O’Neal Lail. Together they had three children: Aloma, Rick and Vern.

Following their breakup, Bonnie moved to Sioux Falls and, in 1970, married Robert Sorsen. This union produced a daughter, Tabitha, born in 1973. Bonnie also lovingly embraced Robert’s three children: Jeff, Michone and Jill.

Bonnie was known as a caregiver, devoted most of all to her husband, Robert. She loved all her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her talents included playing the organ, sewing, macramé and baking. She also made original, intricately designed gingerbread houses from scratch.

She is survived by her husband, Robert; children Jeff Sorsen, Aloma (Bob) Graham, Michone (Paul) Collins, Rick Lail, Vern (Dana) Lail, Jill Sorsen and Tabitha (Ryan) Merriam; 12 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, all three of her siblings and two grandchildren.

Tributes and gifts can be directed to the family, which will be distributed to various charities.

Baltic Beats Dell Rapids in HS Baseball

April 21, 2019 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

After driving to play at Dakota Valley High School, Baltic and Dell Rapids squared off in baseball action on Thursday, April 18th. Baltic scored early and was able to hold off Dell Rapids for a 6-4 victory.

Baltic scored two runs in the top of the second inning to take an early 2-0 lead. They added two more runs on two hits and an error in the top of the third for a quick 4-0 advantage. Dell Rapids cut the lead in half in the bottom of the third after RBI groundouts by Jake Rechtenbaugh and Charlie Holm. Both teams were held scoreless until the sixth inning. Baltic added two more runs on an RBI double by Elliot Haux to push the Baltic lead back to four at 6-2. Dell Rapids got a two-run home run by Rechtenbaugh with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but it wasn’t enough as Baltic closed out the victory.

Logan Stone, Jay Holm, and Rechtenbaugh all had two hits each. Rechtenbaugh had three RBIs in the game, and C. Holm had one. Stone took the loss for Dell Rapids pitching three innings giving up four runs, all earned, on four hits while walking one and striking out three. Jake Steineke pitched four innings giving up two runs, both earned, on three hits with four walks and nine strikeouts.

Dell Rapids (3-2) will travel to Lennox on Monday, April 21st.

Quarrier Girls Hit Links at EPJ

April 19, 2019 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids Quarrier girls golf team hit the links on Thursday, April 18th for the Elk Point-Jefferson Invite. Nine different schools had golfers at the event, but only five of those teams had a team score posted.

Dell Rapids finished fourth of those five teams with a team score of 473. Canton placed first with a score of 409. Vermillion was second with 415, and Elk Point-Jefferson finished third with 418. Dakota Valley had a team score of 491. Beresford, Lennox, McCook Central-Montrose, and Tea Area were the other schools represented at the invite.

Sam Schmidt had the low score for Dell Rapids with a round of 104, which was good enough for 12th place overall. Abigail Greenhoff finished with a 115. Mallory Haak had a 121, and Jayme Schmidt had a round of 133.

The Quarriers are scheduled to be at the Dakota Valley Invite in Sioux City, IA on Tuesday, April 23rd.

Quarrier Track Team Runs in Beresford

April 17, 2019 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids Quarrier track team was able to get back outside for a track meet on Tuesday, April 16th. Dell Rapids traveled to Beresford for the BAH Invite.

The Quarrier boys team finished fourth with a total of 61 team points. Beresford won the boys title with 102 points. Brookings was second with 78 points, and Tri-Valley finished third with 70 points. The Quarrier girls finished seventh with 37 points. Beresford also won the girls title with 116 points. Brookings was second with 110 points, and Deubrook Area was third with 74 points.

Eddie Price had a state-qualifying discus throw 137’6″ which won him the event. Brayden Pulscher qualified for high jump with a jump of 6’2″ which placed him second in the event.

Dell Rapids will be at the Terry Bong Invitational in Canton on Thursday, April 25th for their next meet.

Individual Girls Results:

BAH Track Meet Results - Girls

Individual Boys Results:

BAH Track Meet Results - Boys

New School Board Member to Join in July

April 16, 2019 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids School Board will have a new member join in July. The school board held an election on Tuesday, April 9th for two open positions. Three cadidates, incumbent Matthew Weiland, Lee Bollock, and Denise Cavigielli, petitioned to fill the two open spots.

Weiland unofficially finished with 127 votes and will return the school board for another term. Bollock will join the board after compiling 117 votes. Cavigielli finished with 78 votes.

Bollock will take over for current member Jody Schumaker, whose term expires in July.

Dell Rapids Club Baseball Wins Third Game of Season

April 16, 2019 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Playing in their fourth game of the season, all at Ronken Field on the campus of Augustana University, the Dell Rapids HS Club baseball team won their third game of the year. Dell Rapids defeated Tri-Valley 7-3 on Monday, April 15th.

Despite allowing three runs to Tri-Valley on no hits, Dell Rapids rallied for four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to earn the victory.

Mason Mathieu drew a lead-off walk to start the game and scored on a wild pitch to give Tri-Valley an early 1-0 lead. Dell Rapids tied the game in the bottom of the first. Eddie Price started the inning with a single and scored on a wild pitch to even the score at 1-1. Tri-Valley regained the lead in the top of the third. Mathieu was hit by a pitch and scored on an error on a ball in play by Lane Egger. Egger scored later in the inning on a wild pitch for a 3-1 lead. Dell Rapids again tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Thane Hilmoe led the inning with a single. Courtesy runner Kaeden Eastman scored on an RBI double by Price. Price scored on an RBI single by Jay Holm to tie the game at 3-3.

Dell Rapids broke the tie in the bottom of the sixth inning. Keegan Miller started things with a double. Miller later scored on a ground ball by Logan Stone, who reached on an error. Charlie Holm scored on that same error to push the lead to 5-3. Mason Goeken drew a two-out walk, and Price added two more runs for Dell Rapids on a two-run double scoring Stone and Goeken.

Price finished the game going 3-4 from the plate with three RBIs and two runs scored. J. Holm, Miller, Jake Rechtenbaugh, Stone, and Hilmoe all collected hits. Stone and J. Holm both had an RBI. Ty Wood started the game on the mound pitching four innings giving up three runs, one earned, on no hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Austin Henry took the win pitching three innings giving up no runs and no hits with eight strikeouts.

The Dell Rapids JV team fell to Tri-Valley 9-6.

Dell Rapids (3-1) will travel to Dakota Valley High School on Thursday, April 18th for a game against Baltic. This will be a varsity only game.

Joan Zabel

April 16, 2019 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Joan Elizabeth (Larson) Zabel passed away on April 15, 2019 at the age of seventy-seven after several years of declining health. Her funeral service will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 19, 2019 in the Lutheran Church of Dell Rapids. Visitation with the family present will be from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 18, 2019 in the Lutheran Church of Dell Rapids Chapel. Interment will be in the Union Cemetery in Maplewood, MN at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, 2019. There will be a reception and visitation at Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel in Hastings, MN from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. following the graveside service. Funeral arrangments are under the care of Kahler Funeral Home. www.kahlerfh.com

Joan, the second of five children, was born on June 16, 1941 at Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD to her parents, Ernest and Martha Larson. She grew up on her family’s farm east of Dell Rapids, SD and attended the country school in Minnehaha County. In seventh grade, she began attending school in Dell Rapids and she graduated from Dell Rapids High School in 1959.

After high school, Joan attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. Later, Joan received a Master’s Degree in Nursing Administration from the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, MN.

After graduating from Augustana College, Joan moved to Saint Paul, MN. She met and fell in love with her future husband, Gary D. Zabel. They married on October 16, 1966 and had three sons. Joan worked full-time for thirty-four years in nursing, nurse education, and nursing administration before retiring in 1999.

After Gary passed away in 2000, Joan moved back to Dell Rapids in 2005. She reconnected with her high school beau, Daniel T. DeVaney, and they began their life together. She continued to travel widely and spend time with friends and family.

Joan was active in her church, both in Saint Paul and Dell Rapids—many will remember her beautiful knitting and crocheting ministry—as well as many other community organizations.

Joan was also passionate about her Norwegian heritage, a fantastic cook, a lover of music, and a keen selector of dangly earrings.

Joan is survived by her loving partner, Dan; her sons Erik (Diane), Kurt (Laura), and Anthony; her grandchildren, Jolena (David), Aleaha (Alex), Esther, and Trygve; her siblings Solveig (Jim), Steven, and Rebecca; along with many cousins, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ernest and Martha, her sister, Miriam, her husband, Gary, brother-in-law, Mike, and her daughter-in-law, Maren.

Joan was a strong, hard-working, and loving woman. She was a wonderful mother, sister, partner, grandma, aunt, cousin and colleague who will be greatly missed.

Floyd Heinemann

April 12, 2019 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Floyd (Bud) Arthur Heinemann passed away Monday, April 8, 2019, at Ava’s House after a brief acute illness. Floyd was born in Garretson, SD, on April 15, 1928, to Arthur and Henrietta Heinemann. He grew up in the Garretson and Dell Rapids area on various farms with the family finally settling on a farm south of Dell Rapids. He attended St. Mary Catholic School in Dell Rapids through the 8th grade he was then needed to work on the family farm. He served in the army as a medical corpsmen at Fitzsimmons Army Medical hospital in Denver, Colorado. He returned home from the service and began his own farming career. He met and married Isabel Bott, started a family and raised five children. Floyd and Isabel were dedicated to a life of service to others and especially to their church. Education was also important to Floyd. He served on the Dell Rapids School Board for 25 years, and he served on many state and national education boards. In 2013, he was granted his diploma from Dell Rapids Public High School through a program aimed at veterans who did not graduate because of their service, to obtain their degree. Because of a health issue, he left farming in 1972 to begin a new career in agribusiness as a salesman for the Mormons Feed Company. The children of his customers knew him as the “Chiclets” man. When he retired, he continued to be active. He delivered mail as a rural mail carrier for a number of years as he and Isabel began their retirement together, which included becoming winter Texans. As time went by, Isabel developed Alzheimer’s dementia. Caring for her became his full time job. She passed away in May of 2010. He missed her very much. Both he and Isabel have donated their body to the Sanford School of Medicine. After her death, he needed to find something else to pass his time. He began his final commitment to service as volunteer, serving both the Alzheimer’s Association and the Sanford USD Medical Center. Some of his proudest moments in the last years of his life were his efforts to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association and being recognized as the 2018 Volunteer of the Year for Sanford Medical Center.

He was preceded in death by Isabel, his wife of 56 years, his parents, two sisters, Mary Schmidt and Dorothy Frantzen, and one brother-in-law Bernard Frantzen, all of Dell Rapids, SD.

His family, who is grateful for sharing his life are his children, Dan (Cathy) Heinemann, Canton SD, Tim (Becky) Heinemann, Sioux Falls SD, Anne (Paul) Holland Rochester MN, Jeff(Laura) Heinemann, Smyrna GA, Pat (Tracey) Heinemann, Egan. SD, three sisters, Joyce (Richard) Lerdal, Sioux Falls SD, Virginia (Dick) Mergen, Dell Rapids SD, Ruby (Dick) Nelson, Overland Park KS, brother-in-law, Merlin Schmidt, Dell Rapids SD, eight grandchildren, and 3 great-grand children, who in his mind, were the “finest” around, and a large extended family, including his amazing Sanford friends.

He was proud of all the people he was close to and his work at the Medical Center gave him a new purpose.

Mass of Christian Burial will be Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. in St Mary Catholic Church, Dell Rapids SD. Visitation with family present will be on Friday, May 10, 2019 at Kahler Funeral Home with the Christian Wake Service beginning at 6:00 p.m. Funeral arrrangements are under the care of Kahler Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, the family and Bud request that all memorials be sent to the Alzheimer’s Association of South Dakota on behalf of “Team Isabel.”

Kathryn Cotter

April 12, 2019 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Kathryn Cotter, 86, of Colton, passed away on Friday, April 5, 2019 at Prince of Peace in Sioux Falls. Her Mass of Christian Burial is at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 13, 2019 in St. Joseph the Workman Catholic Church at Huntimer. Interment is in the St. Joseph the Workman Cemetery. Visitation with the family present is from 5:00 pm. – 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 12, 2019 in the church with the Christian Wake service at 7:00 p.m. Funeral arrangements are under the care of Kahler Funeral Home.

Kathryn Alice Murphy was born on August 21, 1932 in Oldham, SD, the daughter of Ed and Margaret Murphy. Kathryn grew up in the Oldham-Winfred area and graduated from Madison High School in 1950. She married Joseph Thomas Cotter on February 14, 1953 at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Sioux Falls. They lived in Colton where they were happily married for 53 years and were blessed with six children. Kathy most recently resided at Prince of Peace in Sioux Falls.

Kathy spent her early years working on their family farm. In 1971, she decided to pursue nursing and obtained an L.P.N. degree. Later, in her mid-fifties, she earned an R.N. degree. Kathy excelled at nursing and referred to RN work as “a privilege.” Kathy served at Avera McKennan Hospital for nearly 30 years until her retirement.

Kathy enjoyed genealogy, sewing, and traveling with Joe – especially their trip to Ireland. Her greatest joy was family gatherings and the bigger the better. These gatherings swelled over the years as a result of six children, 16 grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren.

Those left to cherish her memory are her children, Jim (Pam) Cotter of Southern Shores, NC, Rob (Cheryl) Cotter of Goodland, KS, Mary Pfaff of Tea, Barbara (Bob) Sieps of Lincoln, NE, Patty (Matt) Miller of Sioux Falls, and Mark (Denise) Cotter of Sioux Falls; and her Sister-In-Law, Sr. Suzanne Cotter of Sioux Falls, SD.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Joe (2006), parents, two brothers, Virgil and Lawrence, and sisters, Frances and infant, Mary.

Memorials may be directed toward St Joseph the Workman Catholic Church at Huntimer.

Big Sioux River Expected to Rise Again in Dell Rapids

April 10, 2019 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The City of Dell Rapids may not have seen the last of the flooding issues this spring. The National Weather Service’s Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service website is predicting the river to rise above 15′ again by Thursday, April 18th and potentially reach a level of 15.5′ by Saturday, April 20th.

Weeks ago the prediction service had predicted the river to potentially be down to 12′ by Friday, April 5th, but the Big Sioux River only dropped to just under 13.5′ by that time. The current prediction is indicating the river to stay close to the 14′ mark through Friday, but then drop to about 13′ by early next week. This appears to be just a lull before the river again rises by mid-to-late next week. Dell Rapids saw the Big Sioux River reach the high point of 15.98′ on Sunday, March 24th. The current prediction shows the level to stay under that high point as of now.

Administration with the City of Dell Rapids has urged homeowners to monitor the National Weather Service forecast and again prepare for more rising waters through a message on Facebook. You can monitor the National Weather Service’s water level predictions for the Big Sioux River by clicking this link.

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