Duane Eschenbaum
August 19, 1927 ~ September 6, 2020
An audio recording of the funeral is posted below.
Duane H. Eschenbaum, 93, of Miller, passed away Sunday, September 6, 2020 at Highmore Health.
Celebration of Duane's life was held at 2:00 p.m., Friday, September 11, 2020 at the Midway Drive-In at Miller with Rev. Brad Sanderson officiating. Public visitation was held from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Friday, September 11, 2020 at Reck Funeral Home, Miller. Private burial with military honors followed at G.A.R. Cemetery, Miller.
Duane Henry Eschenbaum was born August 19, 1927, to Henry and Lena (Engelmann) Eschenbaum at home in Logan Township, Hand County, South Dakota. He attended grade school in Ohio Township and graduated from Miller High School in 1945.
Duane entered the Maritime Service immediately after graduation where he served from June through September 1945. He went into the Army of the United States in January 1946. He served in the 2nd Signal Corps in Korea. He drove all army vehicles up to two and a half ton, did minor repair and maintenance and transported supplies and personnel. He was discharged June 1946, in Yong Dunpo, Korea. He re-enlisted at that time and served until August of 1947.
Duane married Roberta Johnson, November 17, 1949 and they were blessed with four children, Duana, Shirley, Harrison, and Jeff. The couple farmed in south Hand County on the farm homesteaded by Duane’s grandfather, Weert Engelmann. They lived there until 2007 when they moved to Baltic, South Dakota to live with their son, Harrison. Duane moved into the nursing home in 2008, he was currently living in Highmore at Highmore Health. He enjoyed his life’s work and loved the land and animals in his care. He served on the Logan Township Board as treasurer for many years.
Duane was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church and served on the church council for a short time.
He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Roberta Eschenbaum; daughters: Duana Eschenbaum, Miller and Shirley (Mike) Cook, Ree Heights; sons: Harrison, Miller, and Jeff (Jody), Lake Preston; seven grandchildren: Vance (Rikki) Cook, Jennifer (Nate) McIntosh, Jessica (Greg) Naderi, Sterling (Courtney) Eschenbaum, Ty Eschenbaum, Calder Eschenbaum, and Stetson Eschenbaum; eight great grandchildren; Jacob DeBus, Jayden DeBus, Jillian DeBus, Zachary McIntosh, Anekka Vlcek, Devin Cook, and Ryker and Landry Eschenbaum; two sisters: MaryAnn Clodt and JoDean (Vernon) Joy.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers and spouses: Robert (Donna) and Harold (LaVonne); and one sister and brother-in-law, Ruth and Ola Harrell.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed to the Ty Eschenbaum Foundation, c/o South Dakota Community Foundation, PO Box 296, Pierre SD 57501. https://sdcommunityfoundation.org/for-advisors/existing-funds/ty-eschenbaum-foundation/
Reck Funeral Home of Miller has been entrusted with Duane’s arrangements.
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Bless you all. Praying for God's for you all. Always enjoyed seeing his smile during music at the healthcare center.
Duane will be missed. He always had a smile to greet you. My prayers and thoughts are with you.
I am so sorry to hear of Duane's passing. He was such a sweet fella. I enjoyed taking him to appts so much. And his smile when he seen his kids or wife come through the door was precious.
I missed visiting with Duane during the lockdown, but at least I was able to wave and see his beautiful smile through the window. He certainly was a wonderful man and will be missed.
My sincere sympathy to the family of Duane Eschenbaum.
My sincere sympathy to the family of Duane Eschenbaum.
Sorry for your loss.
Our Deepest Sympathy
Dick and Kathy Splichal
Thoughts and prayers to the family of Duane.God be with you at this sad time.
Another good South Hand rancher went to be with the Lord!! Prayers for all of your family.
Deepest condolences to all of Duane's family. We are thinking of you and are keeping you all in our prayers. God Bless.
I am so sorry to hear about Duane's passing. I pray that God comforts you and gives you strength in your time of need. I was a high school classmate of Jeff's.
My sympathy to Bobby and family for your loss of Duane. I remember lots of times visiting you "back in the days" out on the farm and how much fun we had. He was always ready to have some fun with us kids. May God's blessings shine on him and your family as you face life without his earthly presence. Hugs and prayers.
Our sincere sympathies go out to Duane's family members! May the Lord comfort your family as we mourn Duane's passing.
Thinking of you at this time, my thoughts and prayers are with the Eschenbaum Family. May he rest in peace! With Sympathy Ellen Kay Wagner.
My thoughts and love to you all. I wish I could be there. Duane was a special person to me. I will never forget our ride through the pasture talking about a lot of things but mainly his sons. Working together as a family can be challenging.
Like I said in a previous post he always had a smile on his face. He so loved his wife and counted on her more than I think he ever realized.
I learned a ton about ranching from him but had to ask another family member to explain some of the things to me.
Duane was a stubborn man. Prideful. Sometimes it worked for him sometimes not. I guess we are all guilty of that at one time or another.
He was proud of his girls and carry on a conversation about them once the topic was raised.
He also loved his grandchildren so. His time with Jacob that I saw was special. Duane would watch him with a smile on his face. He was so gentle with him. Jacob was about 2 when he came to me to be put now for the night. Duane just was so amazed by it. ‘My kids didn’t go down that easy’.
So, now we say good-bye to his soul and wish him a patient rest until it is our turn to join him.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you, the whole family. I'm sad to hear about this. Duane was one of my favorites when I worked over there. Fly high with the angels.
Sending thoughts and prayers to Duane’s family. With deepest sympathy.
I send my sympathy to the family of Duane and all who loved him. I was a classmate of Duana and am thinking of you as you mourn his loss.
Bobby and Family,
I am so sorry to hear of Duanes passing-I was so blessed to work for Bobby and Duane heat detecting their cows and helping curry bulls for the sale-their cattle were so calm and gentle and my horse Mac loved grazing with them. I learned a lot that summer and think back fondly on my time with them! I wish you God’s comfort and Peace as you mourn Duanes passing from this life! All my love Chanda Engel
We were saddened to see Duane's passing in the Highmore Herald. My husband and I always enjoyed saying Hi to Duane at Highmore Healthcare when we came to visit my Dad, Lee Moysis. Duane always had a big smile and wave for us. When it was cold outside we especially envied his warm winter hat. We saw his family visiting every time we were there. Thinking of you. Roxanne and Joel Watson