“Kelly” Carole Podhradsky died Tuesday, Feb. 15, at Avera Queen of Peace in Mitchell. 

Funeral services will be this weekend with location pending. Check Basham Funeral Service’s website for updates on time and location.

Robert McKillop, 72, of Artesian, died Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, at Huron Regional Medical Center in Huron. 

Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9, at Bittner Funeral Chapel. Burial was at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Artesian. Visitation was on Tuesday, Feb. 8, at Bittner Funeral Chapel.

Robert Donald McKillop was born June 5, 1949, at Mercy Hospital in San Diego, Calif., to Donald Ira and Jessie Eleanor (Walker) McKillop. He was raised in La Mesa, Calif., and attended Helix High School, graduating in 1967.

In his youth, he worked in an Italian restaurant, a gas station, and did some construction. This California boy’s road to being a country boy in Artesian started when the family came to South Dakota in the summer to help on the family farm. In 1968, he left college and the “fruit and nut land” of California to come to South Dakota to work on the farm full-time. 

After a pre-marriage celebration at the Artesian street dance, Robert flew to Las Vegas with Holly Salem, where they were united in marriage on July 4, 1982.

The farm was primarily a cow-calf operation of Angus cattle. Although he cut back after his health problems started, he still enjoyed checking out fields while driving and listening to WNAX for grain prices. The best part of farming seemed to be the down times when he could make the rounds to the Forestburg Farmers Elevator, the Country Pumper, and S&S Paint Repair and Salvage to catch up on the local “history.”

In high school, he played handball but switched to slow-pitch softball once in South Dakota. He enjoyed reading. History was his favorite, especially anything about WWII. Card games at the Longbranch were a favorite pastime. Robert was not above going to Vegas on occasion to shoot craps or play pai gow and occasionally blackjack. In his later years, he would hit the casinos and local poker tournaments. Robert enjoyed hunting season. He “inherited” the Van Tuyl group of pheasant hunters from his Aunt Catherine, and opening weekend was his favorite time of year. 

Robert is survived by his wife, Holly of Artesian; son, Donald of Artesian; daughters, LeAnne (Chris) Grassel of Sioux Falls, and Karrie (Brett) Stekl of Letcher; six grandchildren; brother, Malcolm (Sally) of Sioux Falls; and sister, Laurie (Mitch) Hilles of San Diego, Calif.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made in Robert’s name to the Sanborn Central School Library, Forestburg.

Patrick L. Howard, 86, of Woonsocket, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022, at the Prairie View Healthcare Center.  

Mass of Christian Burial was held Monday, Jan. 31, at St. Wilfrid Catholic Church in Woonsocket. Burial was in the church cemetery. Visitation was Sunday, Jan. 30, with a scripture service and rosary at the church.

Patrick Louis Howard was born on Feb. 16, 1935, to Francis and Edith (Smith) Howard southwest of Woonsocket. Patrick was the second oldest of 14 children. He attended rural school in the early years before his family moved to a farm east of Woonsocket. Pat continued his grade school education at the St. Joseph Catholic School and graduated high school from Woonsocket Public High School. He started his lifetime passion of farming south of Woonsocket in Twin Lakes Township.

Pat married Marlene (Higgins) Howard on Nov. 11, 1961, raising six children during sixty years of marriage.

Patrick was active in the St. Wilfrid Catholic Church, a member of the Knights of Columbus, a Fourth Degree Knight and a 4-H leader. He had a real fondness for farm auction sales.  He loved the social atmosphere and, over his lifetime, brought home loads of possibilities. He enjoyed a good William Penn cigar, along with a variety of barley hops. He believed his greatest pleasure was seeing his kids’ expression when he would say, “Let’s go pick a load of rocks.” He farmed to make a living and lived to farm, even in his retirement years. He enjoyed monitoring his neighbors’ activities from his mobile units. Overtime, he collected a monument of friends and good neighbors that cultivated his existence.

Pat is survived by his wife Marlene (Higgins) Howard; his children, Julie (Robert) Thomson, James (Lori) Howard, Jeffrey (Carrie) Howard, and Jason (Torria) Howard; four grandchildren; six step-grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and siblings, Janice Lepore, Theresa Smeltzer, Frank, Doug, Mike, and Wayne Howard, Lynda Steichen and Brad Howard.

He was preceded in death by his two sons, Rodney Francis and Joseph Louis; one grandson, John Michael Thomson; parents, Francis and Edith Howard; in-laws, Leo and Gladys Higgins; sisters, Irene, Retta, and Carol; and brothers, Jeffrey and Jerome Howard.