Thomas Wilbur Bachand was born September 17, 1927 to Elmer Bachand and Anna (Lanouette) Bachand. He was the fifth of five children. He was born at home in Bear Butte Valley. He attended grade school at Volunteer Country School and then attended high school at St. Martin’s Academy in Sturgis.
Following graduation, he continued ranching and farming with his dad. He married Jeanne Marie Cordes on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1953, and to this union, seven children were born.
They ranched, farmed, and raised their children one-half mile south of his childhood home. He often joked he made it one-half mile in his life.
He worked hard to provide for his family doing what he loved. His black Angus cattle were well fed and his gre en John Deere tractors were well maintained. His garden and fence rows were straight and evenly spaced. There was no cutting corners with anything Dad did. Any of us who worked alongside Dad had to know the language of hand signals and if you misinterpreted them, he would let you know. In fact, with Dad, you usually knew where he stood on things.
Along with working hard, he still found time to enjoy life. He loved hunting, entertaining New Year’s Eve and Fourth of July parties, keg beer, and playing bridge and cribbage. He taught us all how to play cards and there was no letting us win just because we were learning- we had to earn it. He could play cribbage and count his cards right up to the end.
In 2005 they built a home in Sturgis and entered their retirement years. They remained active with church, cards, and Deadwood. In 2021 after Jeanne passed away, he entered Aspen Grove Assisted Living.
We are thankful for the lessons we learned from Dad. He was once described by one of his nieces as a great big teddy bear- a little gruff on the outside but soft on the inside. He had a great sense of humor which he kept until his very last days.
He is survived by his children, Pam (Jay) Livermont, Colleen (Gary) Heezen, Brett (Glenys) Bachand, Narcel (Clint) Clark, and Hallie (Brian) Budmayr; grandchildren, Hadley (Aspin) Livermont, Austin Livermont, Leah Peterson, Tyler (Natalie) Peterson, Krista (Brady) Menzel, Paxton (Kenzie) Bachand, Courtney (Chance) Uhrig, Garrett (Megan) Clark, Paige (Jaren) Beckman, Fallon (Alex) Hendricks, and Anthony Budmayr. He is also survived by 17great-grandchildren and one great, great grandchild.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Elmer and Anna Bachand; wife, Jeanne; infant children; Thomas and Marcia; son-in-law Dan Peterson, and great granddaughter, Kaylee Teppo. He is also preceded in death by his siblings, Ambrose (Florence) Bachand, Arlene (Carl) Rossitto, James (Fran) Bachand, and Bernadette (Maurice) Ricard.
Thomas “Wilbur” Bachand, 97, passed away Wednesday, October 16, 2024, Sturgis, SD.
A visitation will be held Sunday, October 20, beginning 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at St. Martin’s Chapel, Sturgis, SD, with a rosary at 7:00 p.m. Funeral Services will be Monday, October 21, 10:00 a.m. at St. Martin’s Chapel, with burial to follow at St. Aloysius Cemetery.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.kinkadefunerals.com.
