A celebration of life was held for Gary Fredrick Feyereisen at 2 p.m., Sunday, August 30, 2026, at Prairie View Gospel Barn with Pastor Gary Jacobsen officiating. JD Steffen and Duane Wetzel were in charge of registrations. Gary was born April 27, 1949, to Vance Sr. and Lucille (Tagtow) Feyereisen. He was welcomed to the family farm northeast of Iona, South Dakota, by older siblings Vance Jr. (Sonny), Verlynn (Pat), Carolynne (Cookie), Denise, and Ruth. The family was later completed with Robin, Beth, and Bradley. Gary attended the Star School in Iona until the family moved to Gregory, where Gary graduated from Gregory High School in 1968. Gary had several jobs over the years, including working for Opperman Sand & Gravel, working on the family farm, driving milk truck for D & T Transport, and, finally, raising his beloved cows.
In 1973 Gary married Denise Worcester. They lived on the Feyereisen family farm where Gary grew up in Iona. The couple welcomed four sons — Seth in 1973, Jude in 1977, Tanner in 1979, and Samuel in 1984. In true Gary fashion, he told laboring Denise to hurry up so Sam would be born on his birthday. The family moved to Gregory in 1986. Gary taught his boys about his passions, coaching the older two in baseball and buying the youngest his first horse.
Gary enjoyed hunting, fishing, and trapping in his youth. He was also a big fan of the river, and enjoyed being able to go across the pasture to the river whenever a sibling would upset him. Gary was always an animal lover, and could spend countless hours picking on his dogs, and watching his cows while the radio played a game of his beloved Twins or Vikings. His one request was to be cremated so his ashes could be spread with the ashes of his favorite chunky wiener dog, Wee Wee. As an adult, he spent much of his time working hard to provide for his family.
He took great pride in being able to help his family with anything they needed. Later in life, Gary’s grandkids became his biggest pride and joy. He loved sharing his passions with his grandkids, showing them the joys of animals and the outdoors. He loved taking them fishing at the pond, watching a sow while she farrowed, teaching them about cattle, or just sitting on the front steps picking on the dogs.
After Gary retired from driving milk truck, he could frequently be found in local sale barns, often razzing other buyers into keeping prices fair. He would often spend his afternoons sitting in his Ford Ranger parked amongst the cows. In more recent years, Gary could almost always be found at Mr. G’s as part of the “Coffee Crew”, gossiping and complaining about anything and everything. He was also a staple at Frank Day’s as part of the Pitch Players. Anyone who played with him can tell you that Gary took his cards very, very seriously. Gary never met a person that he could not pick on or give a hard time.
Gary passed away peacefully August 20, 2026, at his home in Gregory at the age of 77.
Gary is survived by his sons Seth Feyereisen and children Kaleb and Savannah of Katy, Texas, Tanner Feyereisen of Gregory, and Sam (Shi) Feyereisen and children Tabitha, Ree and Wesson of Gregory; his brother Bradley (Tenae) Feyereisen of Gregory; his sisters Carolynne Feyereisen of Omaha, Nebraska, Denise Zeisler of Gregory, and Beth (John) Raschke of Gregory. (Beth subsequently passed away on August 26, 2026.) He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and friends.
Gary is preceded in death by his parents Vance Sr. and Lucille Feyereisen; his infant son Jude; older brothers Vance Jr. and Verlynn Feyereisen; sisters Ruth Borzich and Robin Vavra; and his beloved wiener dog Wee Wee.
