Delbert Siebrasse

Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, September 25, 2009 the Luce Funeral Home in Gettysburg with Pastor Brad Urbach officiating. Burial followed in the Gettysburg Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Thursday, September 24, 2009 with the family present at the funeral home.

Delbert was born on January 30, 1929 to Henry and Emily (Evans) Siebrasse at their ranch home in southwest Potter County. He was the youngest of four children.

At the age of four during the Great Depression, his older twin sisters taught him how to play cards. Delbert would count the cards played and know what had happened in each hand. His love of playing cards followed him throughout life.

His earliest schooling was at the Cattron Township in Southwest Potter County in a one-room schoolhouse. He graduated from Gettysburg High School in 3 ½ years in December of 1945. His GHS high school football team was undefeated in four years.

When Delbert was 16 years old, his father Henry took him to the train in Selby where he boarded and left for college at the University of South Dakota. He attended for one year and studied law. He also played football for USD.

Then the love of farming and his desire to work the land called to him. In 1947, at the age of 18, he purchased Section 24 in southwest Potter County 2 miles from Henry’s ranch and broke the land with a WD International tractor and 3 bottom plow. Delbert took great pride in the fact that he was the 4th generation of Siebrasse’s to farm in South Dakota. His great grandfather homesteaded in South Dakota in 1881 at Northville, SD.

Delbert valued the importance of higher education. He enrolled at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado in January of 1947. In 3 ½ years, he graduated with highest honors from CSU with a Bachelors Degree in Animal Husbandry. The importance of higher education was a family value that Delbert worked to instill in his children. His six children have graduated with a college degrees, some have achieved Masters Degrees and several grandchildren so far have graduated with highest honors in college degrees.

While at Colorado State University, Delbert met and married Doreen L. Stinnett at the Methodist Church in Brighton, Colorado on August 20, 1950.

Delbert and Doreen lived with his parents in Potter County in the fall and winter of 1950-51 while Delbert constructed their farm home with the help of relatives and friends. Delbert engineered and built all the buildings on the family farm with lumber hauled from saw mill in Spearfish, South Dakota in his 1947 Ford truck. Building construction was a family affair with relatives and neighbors pitching in.

Delbert and Doreen moved into their farm home in the summer of 1951 with a one-mile prairie road leading to the farm and no indoor plumbing, no running water and no electricity. They were snowed in on the farm during the winter of 1951 for 8 weeks with their first born child Dewayne.

In the 1950’a, Delbert purchased high quality Hereford cattle, Columbia sheep and Hampshire hogs with great pride and the knowledge gained at Colorado State University. In 1958 he attended a 2-week swine seminar in Europe bringing home and implementing the latest technology in swine production. Delbert sold all the livestock in 1962 and moved 25 miles to Gettysburg so his children could get a high quality education at the town public school system. The family then lived on the farm for 3 months each summer to work the land until 1990 when the land was put into the CRP program.

He cash farmed his land for 42 years producing high quality crops and livestock with the latest farming technology methods. His wife and 6 children worked by his side on the farm at all times. He instilled a very strong work ethic, a "never quit" attitude and the desire to always do your best in everything into his 6 children.

In 1965 Delbert had a pontoon boat homemade and the family started going east to Whitlock Bay on the Missouri River (18 miles from the farm), camping, boating, swimming, fishing and water skiing with his high school friends and their families. For 30 years, from Memorial Day to Labor Day the family never missed a weekend at the river except during wheat harvest. His 6 children developed a life-long love for the outdoors and water sports. The family time created a very strong bond for his children, which lasts until this day.

Delbert’s love for the outdoors also extended to hunting. He enjoyed many local pheasant, deer, grouse, turkey and goose hunting trips with his 3 sons. In retirement he had many happy hunting days with his fellow retired friends, many of who have preceded Delbert in death. It was hard for Delbert to say goodbye to such good friends.

In the early 1990’s right after retirement, Delbert pursued his love of travel. He and Doreen sojourned to many interesting places, such as Florida, Alaska, Hawaii and Panama.

Delbert always spent time with his family throughout his entire life. He traveled to Panama City, Panama to visit his daughter Donna and family nearly every year for 25 years. In recent years, he also traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada to spend time with his adult grandchildren, Angie and Justin Ellenbecker and his former son-in-law, Rick and his current wife Carol.

Delbert was a very intelligent man, who worked extremely hard to be the best at whatever he did in life. He valued his independence and ability to choose his own destiny.

Delbert was preceded in death by his parents Henry and Emily Siebrasse, his daughter Delene and his sisters Leola Hall and Louella Owens.

Delbert and Doreen’s loss of Delene, their oldest daughter, in a car accident on June 24, 1988 was a family tragedy that affected them in a very profound way.

Delbert is survived by his wife, Doreen of 59 years; children Dewayne (Linda) Siebrasse of Aberdeen, grandchildren Ryan (Kate) and Nicole Siebrasse; Dianne of Minneapolis, MN; Donna (Miguel) Sanchiz of Panama City, Panama, grandchildren Monique and Nicholas; Dan (Laure) Siebrasse of Webster City, Wisconsin; David Siebrasse and grandchildren Madison and Bailey of Pierre, SD.; grandchildren Justin and Angie Ellenbecker of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Luce Funeral Home of Gettysburg has been entrusted with Delbert's arrangements.

CLERGY
Pastor Brad Urbach

CASKETBEARERS
Dewayne Siebrasse
Dan Siebrasse
David Siebrasse
Ryan Siebrasse
Nicholas Sanchiz
Justin Ellenbecker
Rick Ellenbecker

HONORARY CASKETBEARERS
All of Delbert's Family and Friends

PIANIST
Donna Hanson

VOCALIST
Mona Beringer
     "Amazing Grace"

CONGREGATIONAL HYMNS
"Beautiful Savior"
"What a Friend We Have In Jesus"
"I Know That My Redeemer Lives"