A 108 year old woman who grew up in Sully County and is now living in Fort Pierre has earned the title of 2024 South Dakota Centenarian of the Year.
Hazel Baumberger was born in January of 1916 and spent much of her life on a farm in rural Onida. Later in life, Baumberger moved into Pierre, and currently resides at Peaceful Pines Senior 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 contribute to her long life, Baumberger refers to her many years of regular exercise, her good diet and her optimism about life that is 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.
Baumberger’s father lived about a half-mile away from Hazel, and she bicycled back and forth between their residences several times a day to keep tabs on him. The sight of Hazel riding the bicycle was noted by several of her family members when asked to share their favorite memories of her.
Another common memory is Hazel organizing an annual family picnic that would bring together family from all over each year on the Sunday after Father’s Day, a tradition she carried on for 89 years. Others recalled that Hazel kept and maintained a family history with information on marriages, deaths, weddings, births, and photographs.
The Century Club is open to any resident of South Dakota upon the celebration of his or her 100th birthday. There are no dues and each inductee receives a specially designed certificate and membership card. Once a year, the current oldest living Century Club Member is recognized as the “Centenarian of the Year.” Submit names for the Century Club by visiting www.sdhca.org and downloading a Century Club application or call LuAnn Severson, Century Club Coordinator, at 1-800-952-3052.
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.
