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

Myrtle (Schreier) Duffy

July 3, 2016 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Myrtle Laura Duffy (nee Schreier), age 92, passed away on June 28, 2016 at home, in the company of her children. Myrtle was born on May 14, 1924 in Dell Rapids, South Dakota.

Beginning life a shy farm girl, she met her life’s challenges with courage and tenacity and hard work. Her marriage was a love match that ended too soon with the death of her husband Charles after only 38 years.

Driven by faith and compassion, she dedicated herself to good works of all kinds. First out of necessity and then out of a need to create and to give, Myrtle made sweaters with complex designs, sewed garments of all kinds (including wedding dresses and tailored jackets), prepared entire banquets, baked dozens and dozens of Christmas cookies, pies and rolls, and of course, constructed the quilts. Her enthusiasm overtook her shyness as she led friends in traveling expeditions and organized the St. John’s quilting group. She took pride in being Irish, and derived great joy from holding babies and picking berries. Myrtle was fierce in the face of injustice and unbowed by adversity.

Preceded in death by infant son, husband Charles, grandson Christopher Mattis, and great-grandson Zayden Mattis. Survived by children and their spouses: Donna and Alan Mattis, Barbara (Duffy) and Robert Borchert and Kevin and Colleen Duffy; 11 grandchildren, Lori (Tom) Mattis Stevens, Mollie Mattis, Katie (Casey) Sarver, Scott (Anne) Mattis, Rebecca Mattis, Tim (Sabrina) Mattis, Mara (Chris) Meyer, John Borchert, Laura (Erik Peter) Walker, Charles (Cole) Borchert, and Willson (Stephanie) Borchert; 11 great-grandchildren, Benjamin Stevens, Christopher Adams, Adeline Mattis, Amelia Mattis, Ruby Mattis, Mila Sarver, Luca Sarver, Krystal Mattis, Viola Walker, Solen Walker, and Tycho Borchert; brother and spouse, Jerry and Clara Schreier and many beloved nieces and nephews.

On-line condolences may be left at Holcomb-Henry-Boom-Purcell Funeral Home.

Curtis Stahl

July 3, 2016 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Curtis Ray Stahl, 62, of Mitchell, SD passed away on Monday, June 20, 2016 at Avera McKennan Hospital after complications of a stroke. Funeral services were held on Friday, June 24, 2016 at Grace Free Lutheran Church in Bruce, SD. On-line condolences may be left at Rude’s Funeral Home.

Curtis Ray Stahl was born on August 21, 1953 in Clear Lake, SD, the son of Richard James and Viola Jean (Erickson) Stahl. Curtis and his family lived in the Bruce area. Curtis attended Bruce School and Volga High School.

Curtis was united in marriage to Vivien Claussen on March 16, 1973. They divorced in 1992, but continued to work together to raise four children. Curtis took pride in hard work. He worked for 28 years in the elevator business, working in the communities of Bruce, Highmore, Volga, Avon, Arlington and Badger. He was a manager or assistant manager at several locations. In later years, he worked for Buskerud Construction, now BXCC Construction of Dell Rapids, SD. At the time of his death he worked for EZ Clean of Mitchell, SD.

Curtis battled alcoholism for much of his life. In the past two years, he worked very hard and was able to maintain sobriety; affording him a time to connect with friends and family and to enjoy his pastimes. He had begun to lead AA meetings and enjoyed helping others with his story. Curtis loved to sing karaoke, garden, cook, play games and tell jokes. His sense of humor served him well.

Curtis is survived by his four children; Loren (Brenda) Stahl of Hartford, SD, Lenny Stahl of Dell Rapids, Christina Evans (Kris Linneman) of Yankton, SD and Jennifer (Kyle) Anderson of Baltic, SD; his siblings, Marvin (Sheila) Stahl of Battle Creek, NE, Gerald (Susan) Stahl of Bruce, SD, Barb (Craig) Shea of Flandreau, SD; Dean (Karen) Stahl of Bismark, ND, Keith (Robin) Stahl of Bruce, SD; Bradley (Stacia) Stahl of Brookings, SD and eight grandchildren, Caitlen Evans, Karissa Linneman, Kaden Linneman, Dominick Stahl, Trystan Stahl, Carter Stahl, Brianna Stahl, and Abigail Anderson. He was preceded in death by his mother and father.

Dell Rapids Girls Finish 3rd in 10U Tournament

July 1, 2016 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Four Dell Rapids girls competed in the SEFSA league tournament on June 24-26, 2016 in Aspen Park in Brandon with their 10u team the Sioux Falls Blitz. The team finished third in the league tournament. Players from Dell Rapids include Jaycee Tebay (#23), Kylie Lebahn (#12), Abigail Greenhoff (#7), and Claire Wynja (#22). The team will finish up their season at the state tournament July 15-17, 2016, which will be held in Sioux Falls.

Dell Rapids Fireworks Ordinance

July 1, 2016 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

With the 4th of July just around the corner, the discharging of fireworks will soon be happening. The 2013 South Dakota Legislature changed the state law to allow the discharge of fireworks from June 27th until the Sunday after July 4th. However, individual cities have the option of adopting stricter limits to the use of fireworks. Dell Rapids passed Ordinance 668 on June 7th, 2004, limiting the discharge of fireworks to just July 4th between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. within the city limits:

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to shoot or discharge any fireworks, as that term is defined and used in SDCL ch. 34-37, within the city limits except on July 4 of each year. On July 4 of each year, only permissible fireworks as defined by SDCL 34-37-5 shall be permitted to be discharged and then only between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. on each said July 4. Violation of this section shall result in a minimum fine of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) plus costs, and each subsequent violation in the same year shall result in a minimum increase in the fine of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per subsequent violation (i.e., twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for first offense, fifty dollars ($50.00) for second offense, seventy-five dollars ($75.00) for third offense, etc., plus costs).

City and state officials also remind residents to be safe this holiday with a few tips:

follow the instructions on the product
avoid using fireworks in places where a fire could start
keep a source of water handy
make sure children use sparklers under adult supervision

Dell Rapids U12 Wins SEFP Tournament

June 29, 2016 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids U12 softball team won the Sioux Empire Fast Pitch Tournament June 24th-26th. Dell Rapids opened up the tournament on Friday with a win over Tea Thunder 11-1. Makenzie Garry hit a home run while Leigha lacey and Kylie Bittner each hit doubles in the game. On Saturday Dell Rapids won two more games with only eight players for each game. The full team was back for the championship game on Sunday, and Dell Rapids defeated the Tea Thunder again, this time 5-4 to take first place.

Bittner pitched 11 innings in the tournament for Dell Rapids. Lacey pitched five innings, and Autumn Tommes pitched two innings. Makenzie Garry hit over .500 during the tournament.

Dell Rapids U12 also took 2nd place at the Denny Sanford Tournament earlier in the year. They will play in the state softball tournament the weekend of July 15th.

Back Row: Makayla Duinkerken, Autumn Tommes, Cara Rice, Makenzie Garry, Audi Urquijo, and Payton Krumn
Front Row: Zoey Hilmoe, Leigha Lacey, Kylie Bittner, and Mallory Kremkes
not pictured Rylee Rinehart
Coached by: Steph Bittner, Ryan Rinehart, and Jeff Krumn

ESA Quarry Days 5k a Success

June 29, 2016 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Organizers of the 2016 ESA Quarry Days 5K/1 Mile event on Saturday, June 25th, said they had another successful year. This event is a fundraiser with proceeds going to local community organizations. This year 89 participants took part in the event with 77 running in the 5K.

The top overall female finisher was Christina Vogel with a time of 22:10. The top overall male finisher was Ben Devlin from Sioux Falls with a time of 19:40.

Top Female Finishers:

60 & over: Rhonda Ralston
50-59: Lisa Schroeder
40-49: Joan Krush
30-39: Jessica Holt
20-29: Anna Grimsrud
10-19: Christina Vogel
15 & under: Lisa Koopman

Top Male Finishers:

60 & over: Tim Devlin
50-59: Keith DeLange
40-49: Ivan Vargas
30-39: Brad Olinger
20-29: Ben Devlin
16-19: Peyton Heins

Special Blood Drive Planned to Impact Lives

June 29, 2016 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Dell Rapids, SD – Avera Dells Area Health Center and Community Blood Bank will partner up to save lives at a special summer community blood drive event held on Tuesday, July 5 from 7:00 to 11:00 am and 12:30 to 2:30 pm. The public will have an opportunity to donate blood to help local patients in the hospital during the month of July. All blood donations will go directly to saving patients’ lives in Dell Rapids. All who donate will receive a special All American blood drive t-shirt.

Every three seconds someone needs blood, and the only way to ensure that those needs are met is to rely on volunteer donors to donate blood. The need for local blood donors is immense. The Community Blood Bank supplies over 550 units of blood each week to people in the region. Among those who benefit from donated blood are trauma and burn victims, cancer patients and persons undergoing surgery.

“As we enter the summer months, it becomes extremely difficult to maintain an adequate blood supply for our community,” states Ken Versteeg, Executive Director, Community Blood Bank. “With many summer activities and vacations occurring, people forget to give blood throughout the summer. Summer is traditionally a time when there is a higher occurrence of accidents and injury as people travel on roadways and water ways, thus increasing the need for blood.”

Donors must be at least 17 years old (16 years old with a signed parent consent form found at www.cbblifeblood.org), weigh 110 lbs or more and be in good general health the day of the donation. Please bring an I.D. It is recommended that a person eat and drink plenty of fluid prior to donating. For more information log onto www.cbblifeblood.org or call Avera Dells Area Health Center at 428-5431.

Community Blood Banks is a nonprofit, cooperative of Sanford Medical Center and Avera McKennan Hospital and the sole blood provider to the Sioux Empire. Community Blood Bank is not associated with any other blood bank organizations.

Dells Inferno Wins League Tournament

June 28, 2016 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dells Inferno softball team won their league tournament over the weekend. This is the second year in a row that they have won the league tournament. Inferno opened up the tournament with a 10-6 win over SD Fusion Power on Saturday, June 25th. In the second game on Saturday, they fell to BV Power 9-11. Dells Inferno battled back on Sunday, June 26th. They won their first game over BV Zoom 9-4 to put them into the championship game against BV Power. Inferno was able to win back-to-back games over BV Power by scores of 7-5 and 13-5 to win the league tournament championship.

Shelby Apland and Kinsey Carr pitched strong over the weekend. Apland recorded 13 innings in the tournament while Carr pitched 10 innings. Carr also tallied 10 hits in the tournament. Sydney LaCoursiere and Ashlee Lambert both hit over .500 over the weekend.

Back Row: Coach Amber Fountain, Ashley Lambert, Kaitlyn Greenhoff, Shelby Apland, Kinsey Carr, Sheree Lacey, Coach Todd Carr and Alexis Ehrmantraut.
Front Row: Coach Zach Apland, Sydney LaCoursiere, Lydia Symens, Lani Bunkers and Coach Dennis LaCoursiere.

Tollefson – Haak Wedding

June 28, 2016 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Gary and Thelma Haak of Dell Rapids announce the engagement of their daughter, Emily Nicole Haak, to Caleb John Tollefson, son of Marc & Amy Miller of Dell Rapids and Randy Tollefson & Bridget Flannery of Flandreau. Emily is a graduate from Dell Rapids High School and recently graduated from the University of South Dakota in May with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting. Caleb is also a Dell Rapids High School graduate and a graduated from Dakota State University. He is a Manger of General Merchandise at Hy-Vee in South Sioux City, Nebraska. A July 16th wedding is planned in Dell Rapids, SD.

15/16 Teeners Split Pair of Games

June 27, 2016 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids 15/16 Teeners split a pair of games during the week of June 20th.

On Tuesday, June 21st, Dell Rapids defeated Tri-Valley 15’s 12-2 in Dell Rapids. The game ended after six innings due to 10-run rule. Lealand Randel picked up the win pitching a complete game. Leading the way offensively for Dell Rapids was Austin Ellingson who was 4-4 with four single and scored three runs. Carter Gullickson also scored three times, and added a double and a single with two RBI. Eddie Price and Logan Ruesink each collected two hits.

On Thursday, June 23rd, Dell Rapids fell to Garretson 8-6. Cameron Bruhn, Keegan Miller, and Tyson Dahler each scored two runs. Bruhn collected three hits. Miller, Dahler, Logan Ruesink, and Ellingson each added a hit. Defensively, Dell Rapids struggled committing four errors. Ellingson took the loss on the mound. He struck out 10 batters though 5 1/3 innings, but walked six. Gabe Skonseng finished the final 1 2/3 innings and did not allow a run. He struck out two and allowed one base on balls.

Dell Rapids currently has a 7-3 record on the year.

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