STURGIS, S.D. – A farm girl from Sully County who loves motorcycles is this year’s South Dakota Centenarian.
Selected by the South Dakota Health Care Association’s Century Club, Hazel Baumberger was born during World War I, lived through the Dust Bowl, Great Depression, World War II, and so much more.
She also was in the dust, heat and roar and excitement of the Jackpine Gypsy’s racetrack as the first of eight decades of the rally began in the late 1930’s and continued to attend most every year. “You know, I remember there being only a small number of racers at first,” Hazel recalls. What was known as the Black Hills Motor Classic began as a small, local race with just nine participants in 1938. “Look how big it’s become?”
At 108 years of age, Hazel recalls memories so vividly that you are almost there with her.
“I was born in town (Pierre, S.D.), in my Grandmother’s house in 1916,” she shares. During her younger years on the family farm, she attended various socials and outings. “I met my husband Art at a dance in Okobojo (now a ghost town near Onida, S.D.). I told my cousin, ‘I see the guy I’m going to marry.’ My cousin asked, ‘Who is he? I told her, ‘I don’t have any idea but I hope he’s a farmer.’”
He was.
The nuptials occurred on December 31, 1936, in Gettysburg, SD.
Art and Hazel farmed and worked cattle together. She talks of the activities of farm life and credits that to her longevity, along with family and faith. Art passed away in 1966 and she continued to be active on the farm into her 80’s.
“It was ours. We worked hard to get it. He would have been ashamed of me if I would have sold it,” says Hazel.
It was on the farm when she took up bicycling in earnest. Her Dad lived just down the road and she would ride over to check on him after her Mom passed. The family warning was, “Watch out for Aunt Hazel when you’re in the cornfield. You never know where she’s at on that bike and you can’t always see her through the rows and over the stalks.”
It was from her time spent on a bicycle that Hazel became intrigued by another kind of two-wheeler – the motorcycle.
Sandra Griese of Pierre is Hazel’s niece. “She loves the Sturgis Rally. While she was able, she didn’t miss too many and was still on a bike at age 99. She treasures her commemorative t-shirts from every Rally she’s attended. Her visits there have always been a part of her life story.”
She adds, “She didn’t have children of her own. Her nieces and nephews have been her family. A lot of us live in Pierre, some nephews who do the farming, and there are also relatives in Sturgis.
Attending the Sturgis Rally became a ‘must’, says Hazel. “We’d load up in the car and head to Sturgis.” She remembers, “I like the roar, the noise, the dirt, the smell of leather – I like everything about it. And the people; I have met so many wonderful people. It was fun. I’m old now and can’t do those things anymore but I have good memories.”
Like the time she rode with a great nephew, Thad Smith of Pierre. Riding by the courthouse, Hazel recalls hearing that her niece, Jeannie Weischedel, who worked at the courthouse at the time, saw her from afar and exclaimed, “My God, I think that’s my Aunt Hazel riding on the back of a motorcycle!” Janie is a sister to Jim Bush who served as Sturgis Chief of Police for 37 years. He is Aunt Hazel’s nephew. “Jim was so good to me during my rally visits.”
As time went on, Hazel became something of a celebrity among the bikers attending the rally. “It was so thrilling. People honked their horns and waved at me. They took pictures. Some because they knew me from over the years and others because of the sight of an old woman riding on the back of a motorcycle down main street Sturgis during the rally,” she says with a laugh.
Later in life, Baumberger moved into Pierre, and currently resides at Peaceful Pines Senior Living in Fort Pierre. She continues to be an inspiration for her family members. They describe Hazel as “a blessing.”
“She’s an amazing lady who always finds the good in everyone,” shares Sandy. “She’s smart and witty and I’d be surprised if she wasn’t indeed the longest living person to have attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.”
At 108, Hazel still remembers with clarity the ride, the roar, the rally. As a centenarian, she is a state treasure. In the annals of Sturgis Motorcycle Rally history, she is among the few whose memory reaches back to the earliest days when a group of Indian Motorcycle riders organized by Pappy Hoel held a small-scale motorcycle race for club members.
But more than that, Hazel is a testament to the hardiness and goodness people in this state are known for and whose independent spirit is embodied in a vibrant multi-culture … that lives to ride free.
The Century Club was created by the South Dakota Health Care Association to recognize South Dakotans aged 100 or older, both for their longevity and their contributions to our state. Nearly 1,500 South Dakotans have been inducted into the Century Club since its founding in 1997. The Century Club is, as its name states, a club. Therefore, there may be older people in the state that have not yet been inducted by a family member or loved one into the Century Club. The South Dakota Centenarian of the Year designation is a joint effort between the SD Health Care Association’s Century Club and KELOLAND Media Group.
