Obituary of Wayne Pibal

Wayne Pibal, Jr., age 52 of Yankton passed away Tuesday, June 25, 2013 at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, MN. Memorial services will be a 2:00 PM, Monday, July 1, 2013 at the Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Chapel, Yankton with Rev. Rod Veldhuizen officiating. Burial of his cremated remains will be in the Garden of Memories. Visitations will be from 4-7 PM, Sunday, June 30, 2013 at the Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home and Crematory, Yankton with a 7 PM video tribute and memory sharing time. Visitations will resume one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Wayne was born Sept. 30, 1960 to Wayne and Gloria (List) Pibal at St. Vincents's Hospital in Sioux City, Iowa. He was raised at the family home near Mission Hill and was proud to say that he was one of the few people to ever attend kindergarten at the 4-H building in Yankton. He graduated from Yankton High School in 1978, where he distinguished himself in debate, oral interpretation and theater. He attended the University of South Dakota, Springfield, where he earned a degree in drafting. He married Lisa Herrboldt on May 16, 1992 in Yankton. They eventually moved to "River House" on the James River near Mission Hill, where Wayne grew up. Wayne began his "working career" at age 11, helping his father install steel buildings. From 1979 to 1980, he worked for the South Dakota Department of Transportation in Pierre. In 1981, he returned to Yankton and worked as a draftsman for Kolberg Manufacturing until 1983 when he went into business for himself, opening Speedy's Pizza at Yankton's Tripp Park Plaza. In 1984, he went to work for Syncom in Mitchell and, later, Minneapolis, Minn., until he was offered a sales position with Best Business Products in 1986. In 1988, he opened Home Town Realty in Yankton, during which time he served as president of the Lewis & Clark Board of Realtors. Eventually, Home Town Realty morphed into Collection Trust Collection Agency, and later added on Collection Trust Publications. But despite his various business ventures, Wayne was best known for his editorial column "Nobody Asked Me..." in the Yankton County Observer, which he wrote from 2002 to 2013. His "tell it like I see it" style earned him a wide following and strong reputation as a political writer. His writing also gained statewide attention, garnering him four first place awards and four more second and third place awards in the Best General Interest column category in the South Dakota Newspaper Association's Better Newspaper contest. His, at first, semi-monthly and, later, weekly columns were a staple of The Observer's editorial page, and a "must-read" for all local political hopefuls and incumbents. This position helped make him the "go-to guy" for anyone seeking advice on politics, as well as child rearing and buying new cars and houses. Although he didn't become a co-publisher of The Observer until March 2010, his on-going advice helped The Observer hold its place as one of the best weekly newspapers in South Dakota. When he wasn't involved in local politics and other affairs, he spent his free time boating on the Missouri River with his wife and dogs in the summer, and cheering on the Yankton Bucks Football team in the fall. At other times, he could be found following Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart around the NASCAR circuit. He also enjoyed cooking (especially soups), music and a good debate over local, state or national politics. Wayne was a past Exalted Ruler and member of Yankton Elks Lodge No. 994. He is survived by his wife, Lisa Pibal of Yankton; his parents, Wayne and Gloria Pibal of Yankton; maternal grandmother, Martha List of Yankton; uncles and aunts, Eugene and Joyce List of Yankton, Dale and Eileen List of Pierre; father and mother-in-law, Dale and Josie Herrboldt of Sibley, Iowa; brothers-in-law, Keith (Jolene) Herrboldt of Yankton, Curt (Katrine) Herrboldt of Papillon, Neb., and Kevin Herrboldt of Yankton; as well as several cousins, nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, monetary donations can be made in Wayne's name to the Parents of Debaters organization, c/o Yankton High School, 1801 Summit, Yankton, SD 57078.