Elmer and Ruth Lusk

Elmer and Ruth Lusk

from Hyde Heritage, copyright 1977, page 304

Elmer Ralph Lusk was born January 24, 1915, to John and Mary (Zemlicka) Lusk at the home in Banner Township. He was the sixth child in a family of eight--Mina, Mary, John, Stella who passed away in infancy, Earl, Elmer, Olive and Leslie.

Elmer received his elementary education in the Baloun School in Banner Township. Some of his teachers were his sister Mary, Carl Wells, Bessie Ondricek, Bessie Vondra, Alice Bouzek, Violet (Hanson) Bouzek, and Reginald Gallagher.

Elmer was united in marriage to Ruth Thurston on November 8, 1940, and they established their home on the farm that had belonged to Frank Volek, Sr., in Banner Township, and was owned by Jerry Volek at the time they purchased it. Elmer was Chairman of the Banner School Board. Supervisor on the Township Board and worked on the ASC Program.

Ruth Thurston was Born July 22, 1919, to Joseph and Agnes (Vondra) Thurston. She received her elementary education in the Money School in Banner Township and graduated from Faulkton High School. During high school, she worked on the NYA Program in the office of the high school superintendent, Marvin Kemp, and after graduation, she worked for the Hyde County Superintendent of Schools, Mrs. Earl Gannon, and three school terms at the Pierre Indian Boarding School on a combination NYA-Boarding School employee program. She was chairman of the Banner School Board, a member of the Hyde County Board of Education and member of an extension club.

Elmer and Ruth had five children --Rita, born October 6, 1941; Lysle, born June 1, 1943; Albert, born July 19, 1946; Michael, born 1948; and Gary, born 1950. Rita was born at the J.P. O'Brien home and the boys at the Sammons Maternity Home in Highmore. All of the children graduated from Highmore High School. 

After graduation, Rita worked in the State Department of Public Instruction for seven years and then obtained employment at the Englewood Bank--in Englewood, Colorado. 

Lysle was drafted into the Army in 1966 and spent one year in Viet Nam as a Finance Officer. He was employed as a guard at the State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls for about three years before getting employment with Richards-Ewing Chemical Company. He married Sharon (Tassler) Dickman of Sioux Falls, October 16, 1971. He has a stepdaughter, Alicia Lea, and son Marty Joe. 

Albert attended and graduated from Sioux Falls Barber College in 1965. He enlisted in the Army in 1966 and served in the Medical Corps including one year in Germany. He attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls one year and the University of South Dakota at Vermillion for three years obtaining a degree in Business Management. He married Edna Craig of Sioux Falls on June 6, 1970. He is employed by the St. Paul Insurance Company and resides in Houston, Texas. They have a son, Todd Jason, and a daughter, Molly Jo. 

Michael attended the University of Colorado, on a 4-year ROTC scholarship and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Field Artillery December 17, 1971. He served one year in Turkey as part of his military commitment. He was married to Patricia Childers of Bird City, Kansas on December 15, 1973.

Gary enlisted in the Air Force in May, 1970. He served as ammunition's man and spent three years in England. He married Martha (Gillespie) Dunlap of Homestead, Florida on June 7, 1974, and they established their home in Sioux Falls where he worked in the body shop of Holcomb-White Truck Company and Kenworth Truck Company. He has one stepdaughter, Patricia Ann, and one daughter, Deborah Jean.

None of the sons wished to return to the farm after serving in the military so Elmer and Ruth sold it to Melvin Baloun in October, 1969, and purchased the Delvin Heckenlaible house in Parker's Addition in Highmore. Elmer worked for the city of Highmore in the Streets and Water Department and Ruth worked as assistant to janitor of schools, Don DeGooyer, for two years and as substitute cook in the school lunchroom.

By Mrs. Elmer Lusk