Celebration of Life for Patrick W. Kerwin, 61, of Chamberlain, SD will be at 1:00pm, Saturday, September 12th, 2026 at the Oacoma Community Center in Oacoma, SD.

Patrick W. Kerwin passed away on Friday, August 28th, 2026 joining his father, Dennis Kerwin (Skinny Denny), and sons Kooper and Joseph Kerwin.

Patrick was born April 7th, 1965 to Rhoda Kerwin and Dennis Kerwin. He was born and raised in Chamberlain, SD as the first of five children. He was a natural born leader. Pat truly was the quintessential big brother, constantly looking out for his family’s well being. He loved family, food and of course football. Pat loved sports almost as much as he loved people. He enjoyed baseball, track and basketball in high school. After high school Pat attended SDSU and studied business. He enlisted in the National Guard on September 26, 1986. As with anything, he tackled the opportunities presented to him. He retired December 11th, 1995 as a Captain with the 200th engineer company. He had several awards including the Army service ribbon, National Defense service medal, army achievement medal twice, amongst some of them. He was very proud to have served his country.

Patrick was a kind man dedicated to helping his community. Whether it be organizing annual community feeds and fundraisers or simply dropping everything to help a customer at Buches, he was always willing to lend a hand. Everyone that he saw would be greeted with a warm smile and a hello. No matter who you were, he wanted you to feel welcomed. He was arguably the Minnesota Viking’s #1 fan even if he knew they almost always were going to lose. Patrick could be found playing softball/baseball up at the Explorers Athletic Complex or bowling at the Bowling Dome. At these places, he made many memories joking and sharing drinks with his family and friends.

Patrick is survived by his three children Stephan Oak, Kori Kerwin, and Robbie Kerwin; best friend and mother to his children, Mavis Cheney; mother, Rhoda Kerwin; siblings Kasey Kerwin, Kali Sabatka, Leslie Martinez, and Bart Kerwin; and many nieces and nephews. Last but not least, his beloved beagle or as he called him “eagle with a b”, Watson Kerwin.

Preceding him in death were his father, Dennis Kerwin; sons, Kooper Kerwin and Joseph Kerwin; and special niece, Fenette (Puffer) Middletent.

While it is sad that Patrick left us too soon, he will always be remembered for his positive impact on his community and kindness to all those he met. He often shared motivational messages in his workplace and on his facebook. One message shared was “The world is full of good people! Can’t find one? Be one!”. Patrick was someone who lived by this message.