Funeral services for Reinhold Kolb, age 96 of Bison, will be held at 2:00pm Friday, October 19, at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bison with Rev. Gerhardt Juergens, officiating. Burial will be in the Bison Cemetery with full military honors afforded by the Rogers-Smith American Legion Post #255 of Bison.


A family service will be held at 11:00am Friday, at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bison.


Special music will be provided by Diana Landis, organist. Serving as casketbearers are Shane Kolb, Jerry Martin, Lynn Martin, Dennis Keil, Alan Kolb, and Lowell Haggart. All step-grandchildren are considered honorary bearers.


A memorial has been established.


REINHOLD KOLB was born November 19, 1910 at Drew, SD, the first son of Gottlieb and Katherine (Oberlander) Kolb. His parents moved to North Dakota when Reinhold was about one year old. They settled in Stutsman County in the Medina area where Reinhold started school at the age of six in a country school. His parents returned to Perkins County, SD when he was eight years old. Reinhold attended the Reder School for two years and then the Highland School for one year. His parents then moved and Reinhold attended the Richland Township Daviston School where he completed the sixth grade.


Reinhold worked at home for his dad and at various neighboring farms. In 1934, he leased the Knutson place where he farmed for two years. In 1936, he went to Montana where he worked in the sapphire mines near Phillipsburg. In November, he went to California where he stayed with his uncle Henry. He returned to the mines in Montana in March of 1937 and worked there until fall. Reinhold returned to Bison and worked for Ted Beckman that winter, and in the spring, worked for Harry Kast. He then purchased the Dan Collins place where he farmed and ranched until the spring of 1942 when he was inducted into the US Army. His official record shows that he served as a corporal of Company A of the 180th Infantry in Germany, Italy, France, and Africa. He was decorated with an infantry badge on April 23, 1944 for fighting on the front line. He also earned a Good Conduct Ribbon, an American Theatre Ribbon, and a European-African-Middle Eastern Ribbon with one Silver Star and one Bronze Star attached. Reinhold was honorably discharged on October 28, 1945 and returned to Bison.


Reinhold and his brother Arthur began farming the home place in 1946. In 1949, Reinhold purchased land from the county and his brother Herb, establishing his own place 13 miles southwest of Bison. He constructed an Adobe house using forms to make the blocks by mixing dirt and straw. He gradually built a two bedroom home and added an addition to it in the 1950's.


On March 3, 1954, Reinhold was united in marriage to Carol (Root) Larson at Bison. To this union two children were born, Janine Carol on October 14, 1954; and Walter Ludwig "Buster" on September 14, 1955. They lived on her farm until the spring of 1958 when they moved to his farm. They farmed and ranched together near Bison until moving into Bison in the early 1980's.

Carol passed away on July 2, 1999. Reinhold continued to live in Bison until entering Hillcrest/Western Horizons Care Center in Hettinger in February of 2004. He passed from this life there on Monday, October 15, 2007 at the age of 96 years, 10 months, 26 days.


Reinhold was a lifelong member of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church and a member of the Rogers-Smith American Legion Post #255 of Bison for over 60 years.


Surviving family members include a daughter and son-in-law, Janine and Jerome "Moe" Hanson, Moorhead, MN; 4 step-daughters and 2 step-sons-in-law, Darlyne Kopren, Sturgis, SD; Dolores and Juell Chapman, Bison, SD; Vanna Tracy, Lemmon, SD; Venita and Bob Starkey, Savage, MT; step-daughter-in-law, Donna Larson, Bison, SD; 28 grandchildren; over 70 great and great great grandchildren; 3 brothers and sisters-in-law, Albert and Berniece Kolb, Spokane, WA; Herbert and Jessie Kolb, Bison, SD; Walter and Jeannette Kolb, Spearfish, SD; 2 sisters, Helen Sperle, Sturgis, SD; Edna Martin, Spearfish, SD; and numerous nieces and nephews.


He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Carol on July 2, 1999; 1 son, Walter L. "Buster" Kolb on July 4, 1976; step-sons, Duane and Henry LeVon Larson; 4 brothers, Theodore, Lee, Art, and Alvin Kolb; 3 sisters, Martha Sperle, Alma Keil, and Emma Lutz.