William “Bill” Rook, 87, died unexpectedly and peacefully March 7, 2023, in Mesa, Arizona. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, June 22, 2023, at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, in Brookings. Funeral services will be livestreamed through the Rude’s Funeral Home website. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church, beginning at 1:00 p.m.
William “Bill” Rook, son of William H. and Dorothy (Oltmanns) Rook was born in Madison S.D. on the home farm Nov. 11, 1935. Bill was raised in Madison where he attended Mable Carney country school through the 8th grade and graduated from Madison Beadle High School in 1954. Bill then graduated from South Dakota State University with a degree in Medical Technology.
At SDSU, Bill met Donna (Grommersch), an RN at Brookings Hospital. They went on their first date New Year’s Eve in 1958 and were married Sept. 19, 1959, in Brookings. Bill and Donna both worked at McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls after their marriage. They then moved to Belle Fourche S.D. in 1964 where they continued to work at the hospital and nursing home until 1969. Bill finished his civilian career as a Med Tech at Dakota Midland Hospital in Aberdeen S.D.
In 1973, Bill started his government career with the Indian Health Service at Belcourt N.D. After one year, he was transferred to Fort Totten I.H.S. They resided in Devils Lake N.D. until his retirement on Aug. 1, 2000.
While in the process of moving to Fargo, they were involved in a tragic car accident on Aug. 23, 2000, that left Bill physically disabled. They enjoyed dividing their time between Fargo and Mesa. They purchased a home in Apache Wells and wintered there for 20 years.
Bill was proud of his second career in the National Guard. He enlisted at age 17 in the Sioux Falls Air National Guard with several high school buddies. He remained in the Sioux Falls Guard until their move to Belle Fourche. Bill joined the Army National Guard in Devils Lake at Camp Grafton where he attained the rank of Sergeant First Class. He retired with a total of 32 years of military service. Bill loved the Guard and enjoyed deployments to Germany and Turkey. He was a member of the Elks, American Legion and Knights of Columbus.
He is survived by his wife Donna, married for 63 years. Their three sons, Kevin William (Colleen) of Thief River Falls, MN. Brian John (Laurie) of Harwood, N.D. and Steven James of Poolesville, MD. Their grandchildren Andrew William (Kendra), Katie Marie (Craig), Gavin William (Amber), Maggie Rose, William Finn and Brady Steven. Great grandchildren Henry William, Lenni Ann, Charlie Andrew and Ila Marie. Two sisters, Joan (Ron) Kennedy and Jean Kennedy and several nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents and sister Janet (Dan) Hofeman.
Rude’s Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences may be sent to the family through www.rudesfuneralhome.com
