Wayne August Steichen, 96, of Brandon, formerly of Woonsocket, passed away on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022, at Bethany Home Brandon.

Visitation was on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, from with a Liturgical Wake and Holy Rosary at George Boom Funeral Chapel in Brandon. Mass of Christian Burial was at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022, at Saint Wilfrid Catholic Church in Woonsocket, with public visitation from 12-2 p.m. at the church on Wednesday. A luncheon was served in the church basement following burial. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations in his name to the Sanborn County “Raise the Roof” 4-H Building Addition.

Wayne was born on Sept. 10, 1926, at home in Woonsocket, to Battis and Marie (Rauch) Steichen. He attended Saint Joseph Catholic School and graduated from Woonsocket High School in 1944. Wayne entered the United States Navy in December 1944, attending boot camp in Great Lakes, Ill., and radio/radar school in Gulf Port, Miss., for five months. He was sent overseas and served in the South Pacific and China area aboard a landing craft support ship. Wayne was honorably discharged from the US Navy in July 1946. He entered South Dakota State University in the Fall of 1946 and graduated from SDSU in 1950 with a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife conservation and forestry. He then taught veterans agriculture class in Woonsocket for two years. Wayne operated a family-owned bar business, Bot’s Bar, with his father, Battis Steichen, and brother, Raymond Steichen, and continued with farming and ranching in the Woonsocket area.

On Feb. 25, 1974, he married Betty Wagner at Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Bellevue, Iowa. To this union two children were born, Terry and Janelle. Wayne and Betty lived on a farm southwest of Woonsocket continuing to farm and ranch. He was a member of Saint Wilfrid Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus, American Legion Post 29, and an honorary Woonsocket Fire Department member. Wayne enjoyed the outdoors and was an avid deer, pheasant and goose hunter, fisherman and trapper. He was a sports fan with his favorite teams being the Chicago Bulls and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Wayne is survived by his wife of 48 years, Betty Steichen of Brandon; two children, Terry Steichen of Dakota Dunes and Janelle (Mitch) Zerr of Brandon; and five grandchildren. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, Battis and Marie Steichen, and his brother, Raymond Steichen.