Ralph F. Zieger

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Ralph Zieger, 93, of Miller, a beloved husband and father, went to his eternal rest on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at Highmore Health, after a long battle with dementia.

Graveside service will be at 10:30 a.m., Monday, March 30, 2026, at G.A.R. Cemetery in Miller.  A visitation with family present will be from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., immediately followed by a 2:00 p.m. funeral service on Monday, March 30, 2026, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Miller, with Rev. Rhonda Wellsandt-Zell officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed to Trinity Lutheran Church, 707 E 1st Ave, Miller, SD 57362, or Highmore Health, 410 8th St SE, Highmore, SD 57345.

Born May 30, 1932, to Frank and Sophia Zieger, Ralph grew up on his parents’ farm north of St. Lawrence, SD. He attended grammar school in Holden Township and graduated from Miller High School in 1950. While in high school, he met the love of his life, Barbara Cotton. He picked her up for their first date on his motorcycle, and the rest is history! They were married on June 1, 1952.

He served in the Army and was deployed to Korea in December of 1952, where he was wounded and earned a Purple Heart. He returned to South Dakota in January of 1954.  He and Barbara bought a small farm southwest of Miller. Having started on a shoestring, it was necessary that Ralph could make or fix nearly anything, as any farmer knows. They retired from farming in 2000 and moved to Miller in 2005, where Barbara still lives.

Ralph was an accomplished woodworker and made hundreds of pieces of furniture, not only for his family, but for many others. He loved to design and build unique pieces and was always up for the challenge when Barbara or one of his daughters asked for something specific. He even built an oak spinning wheel just to see if he could.

He had a lifelong love of cars. In his youth, he had a vision of going to Detroit to design cars.  In later years, he often commented that he had made the right decision to be a farmer instead.

Ralph loved his church and served in many roles over the years. He was a devout man and read his Bible every day.  He loved his family deeply and treasured their visits. His wife Barbara was precious to him, and his only regret was having to leave her behind.

Ralph is survived by his wife of 73 years, Barbara; daughters: Peggy Zilverberg (Don), Janet Fett (Randy), and Laurie Milbrodt (Matthew); 8 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Sophia Zieger; his sister, Hilda Hargens (Bill); his brother, Herbert (Gladys) Zieger; his nephew, Kenny Zieger; and his great-grandchildren, Jonah and Emory Scott.

Reck Funeral Home of Miller has been entrusted with Ralph’s arrangements.