Wayne Joseph Blindauer, 72, of Mitchell, died Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, from cancer at his home.

Memorial services were held Tuesday, Nov. 23, at the Will Funeral Chapel with burial at Butler Cemetery at Letcher. Visitation was Monday, Nov. 22, at the Will Funeral Chapel.

Wayne Joseph Blindauer, son of Edwin and Loretta (Van Overschelde) Blindauer, was born Aug. 23, 1949, in Mitchell. He grew up on the family farm near Letcher. Wayne received his education in Letcher, graduating from Letcher High School in 1967. He then attended Watertown Area Vocational School and graduated with a degree in Diesel Mechanics.

Wayne was united in marriage with Shirley Schoenfelder on May 31, 1969, at Holy Family Catholic Church in Mitchell. The couple made their home in Huron for two years and then in Cavour until 1995. Wayne was employed as a diesel mechanic at Olson Implement in Huron. After Wayne and Shirley divorced, he made his home in Letcher where he did odd jobs. In 2019, he moved to Mitchell.

He enjoyed camping and fishing. Wayne truly loved the time he spent with his family.

Wayne is survived by his daughters, Jody (Daniel Schauer) Blindauer of Minneapolis, Minn., Robynn (Daniel) Roy of Corson, Dawn (Gaetan Metra) Blindauer of Minneapolis, Minn., Ashley (Matthew) Gunnare of Parkston; nine grandchildren; his parents, Edwin and Loretta Blindauer of Mitchell; two brothers, Mike (Candace) Blindauer of Chandler, Ariz., Gary (Faye) Blindauer of Letcher; two sisters, Patricia (Gordon) Moore of Artesian and Diane (Gerald) Syring of Gehring, Neb.; and nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by a brother and sister in infancy.

David Ross, 57, of Canton, died unexpectedly on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. 

Memorial services were held Saturday, Nov. 20, at LifeScape in Sioux Falls. Visitation was Friday, Nov. 19, at Anderson Funeral Home in Canton.

David was born Oct. 4, 1964, to Clyde and Leona Ross of Artesian. He attended school in Artesian where he played football and basketball. David enlisted in the Army National Guard in 1982 and completed basic training that summer at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. He graduated from Artesian High School in 1983 before returning to finish his training. In November 1987, he entered Active-Duty Air Force.

David married his first wife Melissa Bendt in Spearfish in October 1987. Shortly after, they were stationed in Turkey where their first child, Troy, was born in June of 1988. In 1990, they were stationed at Fort McCord, Wash., where their daughter, Beth, was born. That year, David was also deployed to Saudi Arabia where he served in Desert Shield/Desert Storm. In 1994, David left the Air Force and transferred to the Army National Guard in South Dakota. He served in the National Guard until 2003.

His daughter, Allie Mae, was born in 2003 to David and Billie Jo Fischer. In 2008, David began working at LifeScape, where his daughter, Allie, was a student.

In 2013, David married Cindy Bakker. Through this, he gained three children, Brooke, Dan, and Matt. Together, David and Cindy were campground hosts at Dirk’s Resort Campground in Madison.

David is survived by his wife, Cindy Ross, of Canton; five children, Brooke Rollinger, Daniel (Sarah) Bakker, Matthew (Janae) Bakker, Troy (Amanda) Ross, and Beth (Mickey Ladich) Ross; six grandchildren; his mother, Leona Ross of Mitchell; four siblings, Deb (Mike) Johnston, Donna (Lonny) Quiram, Dorene (Gordy) Smook, and Darin (Lynde) Ross; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, and friends.