Funeral services for Stanley A. Nissen, 95, of Reliance, SD will be 2:00 p.m., Saturday, May 21, 2022 at the Reliance United Methodist Church in Reliance, SD with burial in the Reliance Cemetery at Reliance, SD.  Visitation will begin 1 hour prior to the funeral at the church.

Stanley Andreas Nissen, 95, died peacefully on May 15, 2022, in the Sanford Care Center in Chamberlain, SD after a brief bout with Covid. He was born on September 6, 1926, in Reliance, SD the second child out of five and first son to Fredrick Nissen and Alice (Murphy) Nissen.

Stan was an unassuming farmer and family man who did his work day after day and left complaining to other people. He was grateful for the good times and persevered through the bad times with the optimism of a farmer and his experiences as a member of the greatest generation who saw our country though many tough times.

Stan attended school in Reliance and graduated from Reliance High School in 1944. He joined the army and was on a troop ship in the Pacific when the Japanese surrendered. He ended up serving as a truck driver as part of the Allied occupation of Korea. After his service he returned to live and work at farming and ranching with his parents. Shortly thereafter he noticed the pretty new “schoolmarm” and asked her to dance which started their courtship. Stan and Anna Mae Lavonn Yates had found the love of their lives. They were married on September 1, 1949, and were together for 73 years- richer and poorer, in sickness and in health.

Farming and ranching were his calling. In retirement he was content if he could look out the window at his piece of rolling prairie. He started as a young boy, partnered with his father, and then bought 720 acres nearby and his dad’s machinery and leased his parents’ land. His labor supported his mother after his father died. He was happiest on a tractor or being his own mechanic. In his later years, he often tinkered on some old piece of machinery that he was sure he could make useful again.

In his earlier years he owned a Piper Cub and later shared a plane with a neighbor though he never got enough time in the air. Between wheat harvest and corn harvest the family would often pack up for a quick break in the Black Hills or a longer adventure to visit relatives in Los Angeles, Salem, Victor MT, or Seattle. Family lore includes one epic Winnebago Christmas trip over the Rockies through a blizzard into a rare snowstorm on the icy hills of Seattle. After retirement he joined a group from the Assembly of God church on a mission to Nicaragua and joined other WWII veterans on an amazing Honor Flight trip to see Washington, D.C.

Stan was a proud member of the Johnson-Peterson Post of the American Legion and a member of the Chamberlain Masonic Temple and the Shriners. He was quite delighted to squeeze into one of their funny little cars for a parade. In his long life he also served the community as a school board member, on the board of his church, and served on the board of the Capital Area Counseling Service.

He is survived by his wife, his daughter Deborah Nissen, son-in-law Patrick Barber and grandson Andy Nissen-Barber of Seattle, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces and nephews, neighbors and friends. He was pre-deceased by sons Andrew, Timothy and Jeffrey, and his parents and siblings.

As a remembrance, donations can be made to the Methodist Church of Reliance or the National Alliance on Mental Health.

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