Memorial services for Jacob "Jake" A. Reuer, 94, of Chamberlain, SD will be 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at the Zion Lutheran Church in Chamberlain followed by a luncheon in the church hall.  There will be a private family burial of the ashes.

View Folder Here

Jacob (Jake) Alfred Reuer was born on May 5, 1929 to Lydia Hieb Reuer and Jacob Alfred Reuer on the family homestead outside of Reliance in Lyman County South Dakota. He was part of the big intertwined Hieb and Reuer families that immigrated from the German settlements outside of Odessa, in Southern Ukraine.

When Jake was four, his father died from a sudden heart attack at age 32, leaving Lydia with four children and the farm during the height of the "dirty thirties." Jake's older siblings preceded him in death: John Reuer, Esther Reuer Olson and Otto Reuer. Eldest brother Emil died when he was about a year old.

Although life was hard, Jake remembered many good times. One Christmas, Jake and Otto received a BB gun from Santa Claus. One of their favorite games was to lie on the big bed and try to shoot BBs through the keyhole in the closed door. When asked about this in her later years, Lydia said "well, those boys had to be doing SOMETHING." Both Jake and Otto were fine marksmen as a result.

Jake and his cousin Ervin Hieb were sent from their family farms to Alpena, South Dakota when they were 13 years old to study for their first communion at the Lutheran church there. They had to learn their Luther's Small Catechism in German.

Although both Jake and Ervin attended Reliance High School, their mothers wanted them to graduate from the larger high school in Chamberlain, so the cousins roomed together for their Senior year, staying with the Olson family. Their son, Henry Olson, would go on to marry Jake's sister Esther.

In high school, Jake met Beverly Bairey, who grew up in Ola and attended Chamberlain High School. They both graduated in 1947. They did not date in High School but both were part of the same large group of friends. When Beverly returned to Chamberlain after studying to become a Registered Nurse, they caught each other's eye. In 1950, they were married in a rare double wedding ceremony with their pals Mac and Grannie Marsh at Zion Lutheran Church in Chamberlain. Beverly and Jake remained members of the church for the duration of their lives.

Jake joined the U.S. Air Force the same year he and Beverly were married. They spent time in Texas, Washington State and in South Carolina. Jake trained as a Baker with the Air Force. Beverly was hired as an RN in each of their postings. Jake and Beverly were quite relieved to return to South Dakota, having found South Carolina in the Summer to be hotter than either of them thought possible.

Jake was a talented entrepreneur and after working for Mobil Oil and at the Pepsi bottling plant in Chamberlain, he owned and operated a men's clothing store. In the 1960s, he owned a business hauling water to rural families around the area. Jake sold the business and returned to the men's clothing business, opening another store on Main Street in the early 1970s. Soon after Beverly purchased Peggy's Dress Shop. They enjoyed owning businesses across Main Street from each other. Jake went on to own two grocery stores, purchasing Wait's grocery on the North end of Main Street and another independent store in Yankton, SD.

Throughout his life, Jake was a passionate fisherman and hunter. During the 1960s, he enjoyed fishing for big Northern Pike and walleye locally on the Missouri River (Laked Francis Case and Oahe, in particular.) He loved fishing for big Northerns and lake trout in Northern Canada and Alaska. He took a yearly fly-in trip to a variety of lakes up until he was 88 years old. He also traveled to Detroit Lakes, Minnesota to fish for big Muskie, which he said were the most fun fish he'd ever caught. He even caught tarpon on the flats in Southern Florida. He was passionate about "catch and release" practices. After Beverly passed away, Jake started to memorialize his catches by ordering custom mounts. Almost all of them were made by Clint Larson of Chamberlain/Pukwana, whom he regarded like a son. Jack also kept Clint busy making mounts of his favorite birds. Over time, his collection grew and included amount of a tundra swan, whose six foot wingspan flew from the ceilings of his home in Chamberlain, at the Regency Assisted Living home and at Touchmark Assisted Living in Sioux Falls.

Trap shooting was another of Jake's loves and he was the South Dakota State Champion in 1970. He continued to shoot trap even when he lost sight in his right eye, learning to shoot well with his non-dominant eye.

Jake was a talented wildlife artist, taking up a pencil in the mid 1950s. These first drawings were truly professional, and he was encouraged to pursue drawing as a career. But "real life" intervened, and he did not pick up a pencil to draw seriously until he moved to the Regency. He drew many wildlife portraits in the last four years of his life. He was so happy when the Smoking Mule and Upper Crust hung several of his drawings along with some of his favorite mounts.

Jake was preceded in death by his beautiful and talented wife Beverly Bairey Reuer, Mother Lydia, Father Jacob and siblings Emil, John, Otto and Esther. He is survived by his beloved daughter Stephanie and Son-In-Love, Randy Bruscup; his devoted nephew Larry Olson and wife Linda Allen; and his Son-by-Choice, Clint Larson. He is also survived by a passel of nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends.

Jake loved South Dakota, loved his outdoor sports, loved his business career and loved his family. His was an abundant prairie life very well lived.