Custer County Chronicle

Bonnie McNeil

Published by admin on Thu, 11/14/2019 - 8:55am
Bonnie Virginia (Rowe) McNeil was born Dec. 26, 1924 in Rapid City, S.D., to C. Merle and Ealsa Rowe.
Bonnie loved her family and her life as a military wife. She received her ABA from Cottey College, her bachelor of arts from Yankton College and her masters in theater from the University of Wisconsin.  
She married Robert James McNeil  June 12, 1947 after his graduation from West Point and traveled the world with him until their retirement in Custer 27 years later.    

Ronald French

Published by admin on Thu, 11/07/2019 - 9:14am
Ronald  Howard French was born in Custer, S.D.,  Feb. 14, 1944, to Beulah and Howard French.  He graduated from Edgemont (S.D.) High School in 1963.  
Football was a big part of Ron’s life in high school and college.  After graduating from Northern State College in Aberdeen, S.D., he started his teaching career at Lake Andes, S.D.

Jack Virtue

Published by admin on Thu, 11/07/2019 - 9:13am
Jack LeeRoy Virtue was born April 12, 1948, to John and Eva (McCann) Virtue in Custer, S.D. He graduated from Custer High School in 1966. In 1968 he entered the Marine Corps, serving in Vietnam. After his discharge, he spent his work career at various sawmills turning trees into planks. 
Upon his return from Vietnam, friends introduced Jack to Carla Middlemas.  They were married April 17, 1971, and had two sons, Jason and Corey.

Marilyn Lakner

Published by admin on Thu, 10/31/2019 - 9:16am
Marilyn Luice “Midge” (Katsch) Latner was born Aug. 2, 1931, in Rapid City, S.D., to Alfred and Nellie (Lowe) Katsch. She grew up in Fairburn, S.D., along with her brothers, Dale and George, and sister, Charlotte.  She attended school through the eighth grade in Fairburn and completed high school in Hobson, Mont.

Janet Tuggle

Published by admin on Thu, 10/31/2019 - 9:15am
Janet Jean Tuggle was born in Broadwater, Neb., and graduated from Chadron State College (Neb.) with a degree in music. Her love for music and children led her to spend the majority of her life as a music teacher in Montana and Nebraska.  Janet’s spring programs were legendary and the highlight of the year for her K-4 students and parents.   

Brian Barber

Published by admin on Thu, 10/31/2019 - 9:13am
Brian Allen Barber was born Oct. 28, 1961,  to Harold and LaVonna Barber in Wessington Springs, S.D. Brian was very busy on the family farm and working with several local farmers in the Springs area. Brian was also active in rodeo, riding bareback in high school and 4-H rodeos.

Charles Kayl

Published by admin on Thu, 10/24/2019 - 8:57am
Charles Calvin Kayl was born to Frances (Kreber) and Charles H. Kayl July 29, 1925. He attended country school part time and rode horse to Saint Joseph Catholic School to make his first communion. His family moved south of Gregory, S.D., and he rode with the neighbors to Catholic school.

Jud Johnson

Published by admin on Thu, 10/24/2019 - 8:56am
Jud Dale Johnson was born July 11, 1953, in Basin, Wyo., to Paul Stanley Johnson and Cora (Wilson) Johnson. He graduated from Basin High School in 1971 and in 1975 from Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont., with a bachelor of science in education.
Jud taught junior high and high school math for 30 years in Montana and Texas and also had his own woodworking and construction business. In 1976 he married his college sweetheart Lynne (Stanhope) Johnson. They raised two daughters, Kora (Johnson) Lehmann and Kelsey Johnson.  

Donita Kindt

Published by admin on Thu, 10/24/2019 - 8:51am
Donita M. Kindt was born in Winner, S.D., and moved to Sioux Falls, S.D., at the age of 2. She attended grades K-12 in the Sioux Falls public school system. After graduation, she received a bachelor of science in elementary education from Dakota State University in Madison, S.D., completed her student teaching in London, England, and went on to receive her master’s from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, S.D.

Carla Virtue

Published by admin on Thu, 10/17/2019 - 8:48am
Carla LaRue Virtue was born Aug. 3, 1948, to Ralph and Alice (Wyman) Middlemas in Spearfish, S.D., the youngest of four children.  Her family moved around quite a bit as Carla was growing up, landing wherever her dad’s work took them. She attended many schools before graduating from Belle Fourche (S.D.) High School.
While in high school she began working as a nurse’s aide at a nursing home. Her job duties looked different when she moved to a different nursing home where she worked in the business office.