Walter Hein

Funeral services for Walter Hein were held on Friday, September 10, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. at Kotrba-Smith Funeral Home in Gregory, SD, with Pastor Bill Serr officiating.

Velda Benson was in charge of registration. Casket bearers were Skylur Vomacka, Chane Vomacka, Jim Royer, Jeff Royer, Donnie Petersen and Bob Petersen. Honorary casket bearers were Jeff Schonebaum, Ray Royer, Dean Hovey and Cory Wetzler.

Burial with military honors were conferred by the Herrick Legion and the National Honors Team was held in the Herrick Cemetery in Herrick, SD. Kotrba Smith Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Walter Lee Hein was born September 25, 1934, in Shattuck, OK, to William C. Hein and Eliza Thompson Hein. Walter grew up on his grandfather Charlie’s farm near Shattuck. He was taught to run a Baldwin combine at age nine and was plowing and planting wheat for his dad and grandpa shortly thereafter.

At age 13, after his parents divorced, Walter left with a combine crew that traveled to the Canadian border and returned to Oklahoma in October. Upon getting back to Oklahoma he and two other boys were hired to plow summer fallow ground in the panhandle of Texas. Besides plowing Walt was elected to cook. The owner lived in the panhandle of Oklahoma and would come every few days to see how much the boys had gotten plowed and bring them more groceries. Later that fall of 1948 Walt came to South Dakota driving a truck loaded with furniture and moved his mother and new husband to a ranch near Philip, SD. He didn’t leave soon enough for Oklahoma before the blizzard of ’49 hit the area. Walter spent the next five years working for ranchers in the Philip area and experienced the 1952 blizzard.

Walter enlisted in the Army in Oklahoma City in January of 1954 and took his basic training at Camp Chaffee, AR. He was assigned to tank corps in Texas where he trained for what he spent doing for the next two and a half years in Germany. Walt served as tank driver, ordinance truck driver, and manned the Howitzers while training new enlistees how to do what he was doing.

Walt toured several countries during his 30 day leaves - Austria, Switzerland, France, and Italy - to name a few. He was honorably discharged at Fort Carson, CO, in January of 1957 with the rank of SP-3 earning the Good Conduct, National Defense Service Medal, and Army Occupation Medal (Germany).

Walter met Wanyce in February 1957 in Philip and they were married on June 2, 1958, in Philip. After moving and working on ranches and farms in Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Kansas, they bought a farm in St. Charles, SD, raising their three children to adulthood there.

After selling the farm in 1988, they moved to Black Hawk, SD, and Walt spent the next 18 years driving truck. He also began woodworking, making and selling many unusual items. Walt enjoyed attending craft shows and celebrations.

While raising the family, Walter was active as a 4-H leader and instrumental in getting a county 4-H horse show and 4-H rodeo in Gregory County.

He is survived by Wanyce, his wife of 63 years; son Wesley (Ellen) Hein of Herrick, SD, daughter Wendy Hein of Cody, WY, and daughter Wynnette Hein Williams of Rapid City, SD; two grandsons Skylur (Tracy) Vomacka, Herrick, SD and sons Justin and Wyatt and daughter Lily, and Chance Vomacka, Rapid City, SD; granddaughters Jessica Beyer and sons Zander and Zeelan, Fairfax, SD, Taylar (Lee) Davis and children Rekaya, Maddison, and Wayne, Winner, SD, Jennifer Hein, Shawn Shaw, and Toni Hein, Walker Hein, Tucker Hein of Bassett, NE; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his father, mother, paternal grandparents C.B. and Minnie Hein, maternal grandparents John R. and Sarah Thompson, great-grandparents Mennonite immigrants Jacob and Wilhemena Hein, brothers-in-law Raymond, Charles, Lloyd, and Richard Royer, sister-in-law Elaine Royer, aunt and uncles.