Lane K. Briggs, 82

Lane K irby Briggs w as born on August 18, 1 943, in Pierre, S .D., to Kirby and Lillian Briggs. He grew up in Haakon County on the Trails End Ranch with h is parents and four brothers, where he learned the value of hard work and, occasionally, a little bit of mischief—spending plenty of days “raising hell” with his siblings. His mother told of the time he, K and Lee brought back pocketfuls of “biting worms,” also known as baby rattlesnakes. He attended Robbs Flat Elementary School and graduated from Cheyenne-Eagle Butte High School. It was at a carnival in Eagle Butte where he asked LuAnn to ride the ferris w heel. From that night on she was the love of his life. They married in July 1965, and together they were a force—raising three children, running a restaurant, managing the Luke Gilbert Manor, and operating the local movie theater. Their marriage lasted until her passing from lupus in 1985. A few years later, Sonja caught his eye. After a few dinner requests, she agreed to go out dancing, and the two were married in September 1991. He gained two bonus children and grandchildren. They shared a great love and remained inseparable partners until his last day. Known by those who loved him as “strong as an ox” and “absolutely fearless,” he approached every challenge head-on. Vernon Sivage used to say, “I’d hire three guys to do a job, then I hired Lane.” He loved to be working—ranch work, making hay, fencing, building roads, bending iron, hauling cattle or equipment, welding, mechanicing. He worked as a carpenter, served the City of Eagle Butte as Chief of Police for four y ears, and for more than 20 years he s erved as a respected and invaluable farm foreman at Haskins Farms. He put on a million miles in his 82 years: plowing s tate highways, trucking for Hannum, delivering for New Holland, patrolling the streets of Eagle Butte, and hauling nitrogen all over the state. He probably put the last hundred thousand miles on within a 3 0-mile radius of his place outside Fort Pierre, running family errands as the driver for Sonja and her crew. If you knew him, you knew his protection and steady way of showing up made life better for a whole lot of folks. He stood up for people, took people in, and showed them the ropes and gave them plenty of room to figure things out their own way. The man just knew so much. He’s one of the good ones—dependable, steady, the kind of man who knew the right way to get things done but also knew when a piece of wire or rope had to work for now. But as hard as Lane worked, nothing meant more to him than his family. His children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were his pride. He loved seeing their photos, hearing their stories, and watching them grow. Family was his greatest joy, his deepest source of meaning, and the legacy he leaves behind. Lane is survived by his loving wife, Sonja; his children Wade (Jennifer) of Madison, S.D. and Eileen of Eagle Butte, S.D.; step children Darin Huehl and Dana Huehl of Pierre, S.D.; his grandchildren Ashley (Cole) Torgerson, Morgan (Riley) Stegmeier, Colby (Allie) Briggs, Anthony Briggs, Ian (Paige) Briggs, and Emmeline Briggs; step-grandchildren Stephanie Frost, Brittany (Josh) SeekingLand, and Tiffany Castiglione; and his great-grandchildren Estella and Theodore Lane, Domanic, Tavien, Zadiah, Jonathan, Analia, Paetin, Elza, and Samuel. He is a lso survived by his brothers Lee ( Mary) Briggs, Cody (Lila) Briggs, and Cole (Vicky) Briggs, sisters-in-law Eva Briggs, Sherry Mitchell and Marcy Lesmeister and brothers-in-law Crit Mitchell and Greg Jewett, his Aunt Mary Hedman, numerous cousins and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Kirby and Lil Briggs; his first wife, LuAnn; his brother Walter “K” Briggs; his son Warren Briggs; and great-grandson Gabriel Frost. Condolences may be conveyed to the family at www.feigumfh.com.