Bernard C. "Barney" Stoltz was born September 21, 1918, at Zell, SD, to John & Catherine (Jandel) Stoltz. His parents passed when he was a very young boy so he was raised by his Aunt and Uncle, Joe and Lizzy Puettman. He attended Catholic school with his sister, Lucy.

He worked at Homestake Gold Mine from 1944 to 1949. Then he worked mostly heavy equipment construction.

He met his wife of 62 years, Clara Vandenberg, in Strool, SD. They were married on August 8, 1943, in De Smet, SD. They had 3 children, Leotta (Lee) Eileen, Douglas Bernard, and Bernita Gayle. Barney had 9 grandchildren, 17 great-grand-children, and 16 great-great-grandchildren.

Barney didn't like going to see the Doctor. He wouldn't go unless Clara forced him to go or it was absolutely necessary. He didn't find out until he was in his early 90's that he had only one kidney. The Doctor told him he was born that way.

When working on road construction, they traveled all over the U.S. They had a good time moving from construction site to construction site. They were always playing pranks on each other. They would sneak out at night and switch all the stair cases at the mobile home parks that they stayed at. People got a rude awakening each morning when they tried to leave their homes for work. Either their door wouldn't open because the stairs were too high or they about fell because the stairs were a lot shorter than their original stairs. Oh, what fun!

He loved playing practical jokes on people. Whenever he went to visit it someone, if they were not home he would stack whatever he could find around the outside of the house in front of their doorways so they couldn't get in the door. It was kind of his calling card.

One day his neighbor, Lucy, asked him to run to Lynn's to buy some eggs that were on sale. He did what she asked but when he got back he decided he would play a prank. He took the egg carton over to Lucy and handed it to her. She looked at the carton and said these weren't the ones on sale. Barney told her that they were out of stock (which they weren't). The carton he handed her was a little bit heavier than a normal egg carton but she didn't say anything. Barney told her that she best check the eggs to make sure that there weren't any broken ones. When she opened the carton, she was very surprised to find it filled with rocks instead of the eggs. Lucy laughed and so did Barney. I think she called him an old fart. He laughed and thought he was pretty funny!

He loved spending time with his grand, great-grand, and great-great-grandchildren. He taught Lee's two oldest girls, Linda and Laurna, how to go snipe hunting. He decided to do this on one of the coldest fall evenings. They had their sacks and flash lights and told them to stay quiet and they should catch one. He even promised them some money if they caught one. Barney had left them out there for about half hour. He felt bad that he was playing a joke on them and went and told them it was time to come in. Laurna cried because she hadn't caught one yet and she didn't want to quit. Oh, the good old days!

He also loved it if one of the grandkids would comb and play with his hair. Sometimes he looked kind of funny with barrettes and hair ribbons in his hair. But he loved it!

He loved fishing. He taught most of the grand kids how to fish. He also loved gardening. He said tomatoes were the best. He loved watching TV. Hee Haw, Gunsmoke, and any movie with John Wayne were some of his favorites.

But I think his most favorite past time was playing cards. He and Clara would play cribbage for hours. His favorite game was a card gamed played with 65 cents. If you happen to go out and take one of his nickels, he'd make such a fuss you'd think you took his life savings (teasingly of course). You couldn't leave Barney's house unless you played a game of 65.

He was also known for the 6 or 7 candy dishes on his coffee table, always filled with his favorites. Needless to say, all the grandkids loved coming to grandpa's, because they all knew they could have candy out of grandpa's candy dishes.

He will be remembered for his love of his family and friends and for his quick sense of humor.

Barney, 96, Sturgis, died Friday, October 24, 2014, at Rapid City Regional Hospital.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Clara; oldest daughter, Leotta (Lee); two brothers, Frank and Colonel; and three sisters, Anne, Lucy, and Mary.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, October 29, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. at Kinkade Funeral Chapel with Rev. Denzel Nonhof officiating. Visitation will be Wednesday morning from 8:00 a.m. until service time at the funeral chapel. Burial will follow at 2:00 p.m. at the Prairie City Cemetery, Prairie City, SD.

A memorial has been established to the Lippold Hospice Suite at Sturgis Regional Hospital.

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