Geraldine (Gerry) Fern Brugman, formerly of Kadoka, died October 29, 2003 at the Martin Luther King Hospital in Los Angeles, CA, as a result of an auto accident.

Gerry was born April 19, 1926, in Mitchell, SD. She was the adopted daughter of George and Zelda Kenzy of Philip, SD.

Gerry was united in marriage December 23, 1946, to Kenten C. Brugman in Rapid City. They later moved to Norwalk, CA, and she worked as a foster parent and later as a medical transcriber.

K Briggs, 59, of Pierre, died Saturday, October 23, 2004, at his home after fighting cancer.

Services were held Wednesday, Oct. 27, at the Community Bible Church in Pierre.

Walter Keith “K” Briggs was born in Dupree, SD, on February 14, 1945, to Kirby and Lillian (Peterson) Briggs. He was second oldest in a family of five boys. He grew up in the Robbs Flat area and attended grade school there. He graduated from Cheyenne-Eagle Butte High School in 1964.

He married Lavonne Kay Brewer in Eagle Butte, SD, on July 3, 1964.

Orville G. Bentley, 86, of Urbana, IL, died Sunday, October 10, 2004, at Meadowbrook Health Center in Urbana.

Memorial services for Mr. Bentley were held Thursday, October 14 at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church with the Reverend Robert Rasmus officiating.

Private entombment was held at Grandview Mausoleum, Champaign, IL.

He was born on March 6, 1918 in Midland, SD, the son of Thomas O. and Ida Marie Sandal Bentley. He married Enolia “Nolie” J. Bentley September 19, 1942, at Alcester, SD.

Mr.

Isaac "Ike" Neville, age 87, of Philip, died Wednesday, October 20, 2004, at the Ft. Meade VA Medical Center.

Services were held Monday, October 25, at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Philip, with Pastor Robert Oettel officiating. Music was provided by Marilyn Millage, organist, and Marlis Doud, vocalist. Ushers were Gene Deuchar and Duane Bessette. Pallbearers were Luke, Eric and Jerry Neville, George and Shawn Sexton, Wayne Pedersen, James Robinson and Roy Miller.

Interment with military honors was Monday at the Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis.

In a country where quickie marriages and easy divorce are common, there remains a sturdy group of women residing on the prairie of Western South Dakota who live life as it should be lived.

Faith, pioneer spirit, strength, natural ability, work ethic, and loyalty all contribute to faithful marriages and long lives. While these qualities are found all over the country, South Dakota, it seems, has been a special example of all that is good about America.

South Dakota State University will honor Larry Gabriel, who will receive a SDSU Distinguished Alumnus Service to South Dakota Award during the 43rd annual Distinguished Alumni Award Dinner and Program November 5. Gabriel is among three women and five men honorees.

Gabriel has served as Secretary of Agriculture for the State of South Dakota since 2000. His public service efforts include county commissioner, legislator, cabinet secretary and community volunteer.

Born and raised in western South Dakota, Gabriel was named Doane's Outstanding Ag Economics student at SDSU in 1969.

I have not been in the military.

My father trained other soldiers, but he did not see front-line action. Dad did have an older brother who was buried with honors before I was born. My grandfather came to America when he was six because his father was getting the family out of Germany before war began. The years keep going way back, yet still seem to be connected to war in one way or another.

Thirty years after the fact, I discovered that another uncle had seen action as a paratrooper. He still will not speak of those times. My mother’s brother was a military chaplain.

Haakon County State’s Attorney Ralph Kemnitz urged the Haakon County Board of Commissioners to formulate a plan that would insure the pay back of court appointed attorney fees.

Kemnitz met with the commissioners at their monthly meeting November 2 to discuss the problem.

The board had previously discussed the loss of dollars due to the lack of repayment. Auditor Shirley Dennis mailed letters to individuals that owed the county money for court appointed attorney fees. She noted some people had reimbursed the county.

The investigation and grant applying stage has begun for installing a sidewalk on the west side of Highway 73 from Elm Street north.

This and other items were covered during the scheduled November 1 meeting of the Philip City Council.

Harlan Quenzer of Schmucker, Paul, Nohr and Associates engineering firm will return with exact figures. Preliminary estimates put a five-foot-wide sidewalk at $15-20 per running foot. This does not include a retaining wall in two different places.

The Haakon County Ambulance Service has two new state-of-the-art defibrillators. A more basic unit was donated from the ambulance department to the Haakon County Sheriff’s Office to equip their second vehicle.

Each of the new defibrillators costs $20,000; one purchased from the Ambulance Service’s expenditures and one received by way of a grant. Jim Sobesta, Emergency Medical Services territory manager, delivered the two units and presented an in-service training to the ambulance personnel.