Jerry was born May 2, 1941, to Evelyn (Bachand) and Dan Beug at a midwife facility in Sturgis. His first memory is of crawling from the pantry to the kitchen in their claim shack (it was a very small house)!
At the age of 2 or 3 he decided he wanted some lemon pie and couldn’t have any, so pouting he walked 2 ½ miles to Grandma’s and he still didn’t get any pie. Jerry used to stand between the seats of his Dad’s Ford Coupe. His Dad eventually decided they needed a bigger car because the coupe wasn’t big enough for three people.
In the 40’s the family bought the Bill Hardy place and Jerry started school. Times were tough and he remembers using flattened tin cans on the roof to stop the leaks.
He attended one year of college at Brookings, but couldn’t spell ‘cat’ so he quit and joined the Navy. During testing in the Navy, he scored high enough that he was trained as a technician for Navy training devices. He served in the US Navy for four years and signed up for two more.
During his time in the Philippines, he became a Roman Catholic following a ruptured appendix. Following his time in the Navy, Jerry studied at Sacred Heart Novitiate in Wisconsin taking temporary vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
After returning to South Dakota, Jerry served in the National Guard for 15 years. He was also destined to be a caregiver for his grandmother, father, and mother as they came to the end of their lives.
Jerry was surprised he lived to be 84 years old and ended life with no money, no property, no wife, and no responsibility!
Jerry D. Beug, 84, Sturgis, SD passed away Friday, August 29, 2025, at the Fort Meade VA Medical Center.
Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Dan and Evelyn and a brother, Dennis. He is survived by his brothers, Lavere (Linda), and Harvey (Lola); sister-in-law, Meredith; aunts, Joyce Evans and Shirley Bain, and multiple nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be at Kinkade Funeral Chapel Wednesday, September 3, 2025, 5-7 p.m. with a Rosary at 6:30 p.m. Mass of Christian burial will be at St. Francis Catholic Church, Thursday, September 4, 10:00 a.m. Burial, with military honors, will follow at Black Hills National Cemetery.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.kinkadefunerals.com.