John Hergenrider

John Hergenrider, 88, passed away Saturday, October 16, 2010, at the Dorsett Regional Care Center in Spearfish, SD, where he had been a resident for several years. Johannes (John) Hergenrider was born January 8, 1922, in Belfry, Montana. He spent the first part of his life in the Belfry area, farming sugar beets and raising cattle. When he was 50 years old, he met the woman who would change the course of his life, Edna Brost. They were married on December 30, 1972, in Bridger, Montana. Edna and John continued farming in Montana for several years, taking vacations to visit different parts of the country that John had never seen. After John retired from farming, they traveled and lived in many places around the United States, including South Dakota, Arkansas, Virginia, and Florida. In 2002, they returned to South Dakota, living briefly in Belle Fourche before moving to Spearfish in 2003. When physical health problems required him to enter the Dorsett home, John accepted it with grace and quickly adapted to his new living arrangements. John was a kind and gentle man who loved to tell jokes and make people smile. He had a strong belief in God, and was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Spearfish. He passed away attended by the people who loved him, the caring staff of the Dorsett Home, his wife's niece Shirley, and his brother-in-law Harold. John was preceded in death by his wife Edna; his parents John David and Sophie; and several brothers and sisters. John is survived by his brother-in-law Harold Brost, Spearfish; sister-in-law Donna Cooper, Belle Fourche; and many Hergenrider relatives including brother Rudy (Clara), Bridger, MT. John is also survived by his wife's nieces and nephew, whom Edna and John treated as their own children: Carolyn (Bruce) Norquist, Centennial, CO, Shirley Brost, Spearfish, SD, and Douglas (Judi) Brost, Anchorage, AK; by two great-nephews whom he loved and considered his grandsons, PFC Alexander Brost, Ft. Knox, KY, and Samuel Brost, Anchorage, AK; by great-niece Bethany (Chris) Dinkle and her daughter Ava, Golden, CO; and by his extraordinary cat LeRoy, who helped John through his rehabilitation following a stroke, and kept him company for many years. Graveside services to celebrate John's life will be held at 10:00 am Wednesday, October 20, at Pine Slope Cemetery in Belle Fourche, with Pastor Gene Bauman officiating. Arrangements are with Funeral Home of the Northern Hills in Belle Fourche.