Veron McCarthy, 85, of Newell, South Dakota passed away peacefully in his sleep the morning of April 28, 2023, after a year-long battle with cancer. Veron was born June 10 ^th , 1937, to Justin & Luella (Justman) McCarthy. He attended several rural schools growing up around the Fairpoint area, often boarding with families around those schools. He attended high school in Newell and graduated in 1955. He then returned to the McCarthy Ranch where he would farm and ranch for the next 30 years.
In 1965, Veron married his lifetime love Carol, and they would have two children, Kim & Mike.
He farmed and ranched in Fairpoint until 1985 when he moved to Newell and bought a small place outside of town. He continued to farm and raise sheep until he took a job with the Belle Fourche Irrigation District where he spent 15 years as a ditch rider and later as watermaster.
Veron retired from the Irrigation District and took a part-time job as a bus driver for the Newell School District. He loved his time as a bus driver, especially the trips to Brookings with the FFA students. His time as a farmer and rancher made these trips particularly enjoyable.
But his favorite times driving bus were for the sporting events that his granddaughters Jordan & Taylor played in. On these trips he was simply known as Grandpa Veron to everyone on the team. Not only did he take pride in getting the athletes to and from their events safely, but he also got to do one of his favorite things…watching his granddaughters play basketball. He was especially proud of the fact that he was able to drive them to three straight state basketball tournaments.
Veron's years on the ranch also turned him into a well-versed handyman. Whether it was an electrical or plumbing problem, he could fix or repair about anything. In addition, those years also taught him the skill of woodworking. Veron spent many of his retirement days working on various woodworking projects. He even built a shop next to his home so could get out of the house to pursue his woodworking passion. The farmer in him demanded that he be outside as much as possible, so he spent hours on his lawn and strived to have the greenest yard in town.
Veron was a member of the Lion's Club, the Newell Evangelical Church, the Enning Fire Department and was a founding member of the Fairpoint Fire Department.
Veron was preceded in death by his parents Justin & Luella McCarthy. He is survived in death by his wife of 57 years, Carol (Killinen); children, Kim (Scott) Wince, Mike (Laura) McCarthy; brother, Richard (Darlene) McCarthy; grandchildren, Jordan (Bryce) Nepstad, Taylor (Zack Olson) Trohkimoinen, Dawsen McCarthy, Jagar McCarthy, Brystal McCarthy; and step-grandson, Chad Trandahl. He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews & cousins.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established for the Newell Fire Department, the Newell Ambulance Service and the Newell Evangelical Church.
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