The 109 year old woman who has held the title of South Dakota Centenarian of the Year for the last two years has passed away.
Hazel Baumberger’s obituary says she died peacefully Tuesday (Dec. 30, 2025), surrounded by family. Her funeral will be held Jan. 13, 2026, at the Catholic Church in Pierre, with burial in the Onida Cemetery.
Baumberger was born in January of 1916 and spent much of her life on a farm in Sully County. Later in life, Baumberger moved into Pierre, then spent her final years living in Fort Pierre.
Among her life’s activities, Baumberger attended the very first Sturgis Bike Rally in 1938. She attended off and on throughout the years with one of the times being at the age of 86, riding on the back of a motorcycle with her nephew, a former Sturgis Police Chief.
When asked what factors contributed to her long life, Baumberger refered to her many years of regular exercise, her good diet and her optimism about life that was rooted in her faith in God.
Baumberger attended a country school and spent much of her time helping out with the many tasks on the farm. During her younger years she attended various socials and outings, and at a dance in Okobojo, SD, (was a town near Onida in Sully County) she chanced to meet Art Baumberger, the man she would go on to marry. The nuptials occurred on December 31, 1936, in Gettysburg, SD. They would remain married until Art’s passing, nearly 30 years later.
Art also came from a farming background, and Hazel would join him on the farm and become his partner in fixing fence, working cattle, and doing all manner of other farm labor. She savored the vigorous activity of farm life, which has contributed to her longevity. She continued to be active on the farm all the way to age 80.
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