James ‘Jim’ Beranek
September 21, 1928 - December 24, 2019

​Funeral services for James “Jim” Beranek, 91, of Hamill, SD, were held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019, at Mason Funeral Home of Winner, SD.
Visitation was held one hour prior to the funeral services on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019, at Mason Funeral Home of Winner, SD.
Burial was at the Winner City Cemetery of Winner, SD.
James “Jim” Beranek died peacefully on Dec. 24, 2019, at the Winner Regional Health Care Center of Winner, SD. Prior to that, Jim was in Home Hospice for a year and a half. Lou was able to care for him during this time.
James “Jim” Beranek was born Sept. 21, 1928, to Fred and Mary (Klima) Beranek. He was delivered by his grandmother, Marie (Vojti) Beranek, who was the area midwife.
He lived his whole life within a mile from where he was born.
Jim went to country school near Bull Creek in South Dakota. He walked or rode his horse to and from school every day. He attended the local country school through eighth grade, at which time he told his mother he would never walk into a school again!
Jim loved cattle. He ranched and farmed with his father.
Jim was drafted into the Army during the Korean Conflict on May 23, 1951, and was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska. He obtained the rank of corporal and was a squad leader in a heavy mortar company. He was transferred to the active reserve on April 1, 1953, and was honorably discharged on Aug. 8, 1956.
At his brother, Donald’s wedding, he met Lou Jean Moerike. She was the sister of Donald’s new bride, Dorothy. They danced and were never apart for 63 years. They were united in marriage on March 28, 1955.
Jim and Lou worked the land and raised Hereford cattle together.
On Jan. 20, 1956, their daughter, Kathy was born.
Anyone who knew Jim could tell that he loved livestock. After he sold his cow herd in February of 1979, he ran black-white face yearlings. He also started to buy cattle for other people. He loved being on the road and
was a cattle order buyer from 1977 through December of 2016. Due to losing his sight and hearing, he decided it was time to quit at the age of 88.
Jim made many friends and always called his customers to make sure they approved of the cattle he bought.
In 1974, Kathy married David Turgeon and Jim gained a son-in-law. Dave and Kathy had two daughters, Stacy and Jamie. They loved going to the farm and helping with the everyday chores. The girls spent a lot of time at the farm and Stacy worked several summers for them.
Jim also loved to hunt pheasants with family and hunters from all over the United States. But he was always in a hurry to get a limit, especially if there was a sale to go to. Jim’s happy place was any sale barn. He’d get up extra early so he could go out and look at the livestock he was interested in buying for someone.
Jim and Lou liked to dance. He was a member of the ZCBJ Lodge and the dance hall was located on his property by Hamill, SD, where many weekends were spent.
Jim was a lifetime member of the American Legion also.
He loved to play cards with family during the holidays and taught his granddaughters to play pitch.
Jim enjoyed celebrating birthdays and anniversaries by going out to eat, especially because this gave him a reason to go to the casino.
Jamie spent more Fridays skipping school to go along with grandpa and grandma to the sale barns than she spent in the classroom, from middle school on, especially her senior year.
Kathy always called Jim and Lou the “weed patrol,” as they were out looking for thistles all summer long. When Stacy worked for them, she would dream about chopping and spraying thistles for they did it so much!
Grateful for having shared his life are his wife, Lou Jean Beranek of Hamill, SD; a daughter, Kathy Turgeon and husband, Dave and granddaughters, Stacy Turgeon and Jamie Turgeon-Drake and husband, Jay; great granddaughters, Samantha Peppel and Jaymes Lou Jean Drake; a brother, Donald Beranek; a brother-in-law, Don Moerike and a sister-in-law, Yvonne Umburger and husband, Don.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Mary Beranek; sisters, Rosie Jordt and husband, Walter, Mary Foss and husband, Elmer, Libby Hecht and husband, Arthur and Emma Cervanka and husband, Tony; a
sister-in-law, Dorothy Beranek; sisters-in-law, Tillie Creemur and Tiny Johnson and several nieces and nephews.
Mason Funeral Home of Winner, SD, was in charge of arrangements.