Don Faulstich

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Donlin “Don” Faulstich, USAF ret., 91, of Highmore, passed away Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at the Good Samaritan Society Village in Sioux Falls, after a life deeply rooted in his family, his Hyde County farm, his Lutheran faith, and his community.

Funeral service will be at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, October 10, 2026, at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Highmore, with Rev. Shari Schwedhelm officiating. Visitation will begin one hour prior to the service.  Burial will follow the funeral at the Highmore Cemetery.  Following the burial, the family invites you to the church fellowship hall for continued fellowship and refreshments.

He was born the eldest child of Elmer P. and Christine (Raske) Faulstich on February 21, 1935, in Highmore.  He was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith and raised on the family farm in Hyde County north of Highmore. He attended school at rural Washington School, followed by Highmore High School in the graduating class of 1953.  He attended South Dakota State College, majoring in general agriculture, on a tight budget supplemented by several small scholarships and several part-time jobs. Even with his roots in the soils of Hyde County, he had an eye for the skies above. Don joined the Air Force ROTC and enrolled in its flight training program. Don remembered fondly June 3, 1957, as one of the most important days of his life: in the morning he flew the check ride for his private pilot license, in the afternoon he graduated with a BS degree, and before sundown he had been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the USAF.  Lt. Faulstich entered active duty in January 1958 and began flight training and was later assigned to the 97th Air Refueling Squadron at Malmstrom AFB, Great Falls, MT. He flew the KC-97G aerial tanker for the Strategic Air Command.  Captain Faulstich was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal in 1962, was released from active duty in 1963, and was assigned to the inactive reserve until his honorable discharge in 1972 for a total of 15 ½ years of service to his country.

While stationed in Great Falls, he caught the attention of school teacher Gayle Ledgerwood.  They married on February 2, 1964, in Great Falls, and moved to the Hyde County farm outside Highmore that Don had purchased in 1959. The farm became the center of family life as Don and Gayle raised four daughters, Pamela, Charlene, Cindy, and Cathy.

Don and Gayle built a successful farming operation while raising their four daughters. Always a thinker and innovator, Don designed and largely built the family home using reclaimed lumber, planted shelterbelts for wildlife and protection from winter winds, and enjoyed woodworking and building furniture for his family. He was an early adopter of new farming practices, including artificial insemination, rotational grazing, and no-till farming. He also built the area’s first finishing hog confinement and modified much of his own farm equipment. Even after retiring at age 82, Don continued to follow the weather, farming reports, and changing seasons with great interest.

Don never grounded his love of aviation. In March 1979, with his USAF experience and after a self-study program, he earned the “PhD” of flight aviation: multi-engine Airline Transport Pilot. He held a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser type rating and at one time was a certified flight instructor and certified instrument flight instructor. Don served the community in several elected and appointed positions: Washington Township clerk, Our Savior Lutheran Church council and president, church financial secretary, church Sunday school teacher, member of the first Hyde County planning and zoning board, chairman of the Hyde County Water Users Association, CENDAK Water Supply System vice president and then executive director.

He will be missed and his memory cherished by daughters Pamela Clapp (Todd) of Brandon, MS; Charlene Faulstich (Brad Heinemann) of Dell Rapids, SD; Cindy Bennett (Ed) of Hopkins, MN; and Cathy Hennies (Mark) of Rapid City, SD; sisters Sharon Hurd of Nampa, ID and Pat Heckenlaible of Madison, SD; and brother Jim Faulstich (Carol) of Highmore. He leaves behind grandchildren Isaac and Olivia Clapp; Sydney Eichinger; Alice, Harriet, and Stella Bennett; and Cole Hennies, along with many nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 58 years, Gayle; and two brothers-in-law, George Hurd and Jerry Heckenlaible.

Memorials may be directed to the Highmore Area Community Foundation, 19938 341^st Ave, Highmore, SD 57345. Cards may be mailed to the Don Faulstich Family c/o Pam Clapp, 120 Paradise Point Drive, Brandon, MS 39047.

Don spent his life working the soil, serving his family and community, and looking toward the skies. Now, after a lifetime of work, faith, love, and service, he has slipped the surly bonds of Earth, danced across the skies, and reached out to touch the face of God. *

*Borrowed from John Magee’s poem “High Flight.”

Luze Funeral Home of Highmore has been entrusted with Don’s arrangements.