Lorie Steinhauer
“I’ve Made Connections”
Words and music by Hank Fridell
With Mrs. Hartman’s and Mrs Bradeen’s
4th Grade Class
©2020 Hank Fridell
I grew up in Eagle Butte, my parents had a store
But the hardware store, our home, it burned to the floor
We rebuilt it all, adding carwash laundromat
My parents kept having kids, more and more
I got a purple ribbon, strawberry cherry pie
Liked Spelling and English, not so much with Math
Played basketball did yearbook and sang with a group
My family all pitched in, we liked to laugh
Chorus
Everywhere I’ve been, everything I’ve done
Every place I’ve worked, I’ve made friends
Everyone I’ve known, every child I’ve taught
Every time I’ve helped, I’ve made connections
I went off to college, Brookings and Black Hills
Got a job in Dupree, teaching the 3rd grade
But I wanted more trees, more hills, more water
So I got a job in Custer, that’s where I’ve stayed
I worked at Tastee Freez and the library,
The hardware store, laundromat, and carwash, too
Special Olympics, work study, homebound care
Baby sat, tutored, subbed and paid my way through school
Chorus
At the Fireman’s Brawl, Roger asked me to dance
Now he’s my husband, he’s my best friend
To keep track of our memories we’ve made over the years
I make books, a method I highly recommend
Roger and I had three, Jeremy, Beth, Joshie
We support one another, proud of their accomplishments
With Josh we had a scare, he needed extra care
But we focused on what we can do, not on what we can’t
Chorus
I like Grisham and Jan Brett, playing basketball
Special Olympics, beef and Chinese food
My memories, my life and being a grandma
Photography, crafts, babies, and helping people, too
My advice to you, do what I would do
If I’m feeling down, find someone to talk to
Things may look bad, but things turn around.
Hang in there, don’t give up whatever you do
Chorus
Lorie Steinhauer was born Velorise Maureen Hinzman on March 28, 1953 in Eagle Butte, SD. She is the third of 8 children in her family with 5 brothers and 2 younger sisters. She remembers riding horses, playing softball, sharing around the table with her family, and being in 4H where she won the calf scramble and a purple ribbon for her strawberry cherry pie. She had a calf named “Comet” and a horse named “Jo Jo”.
Lorie’s dad owned a hardware store that was in half of their home. One of her earliest memories is when she was three years old, they had a fire. Her parents managed to get all the kids out, but the building burned to the ground. Her father later had the hardware store rebuilt and added a car wash and laundromat to the family business. Then they lived on a different property.
Lorie always liked school, especially English and Spelling. She once won a spelling contest and was on the yearbook staff at her high school. She also played basketball, played the saxophone in band and sang in a group.
Lorie says that technology is the thing that has changed the most since she was a kid. She didn’t know the word “google” when she was growing up.
Lorie has always liked working with kids. When she was a teenager, she was hired to run a library story hour and then worked with the school band program when she graduated from high school. When she was growing up, she wanted to become a teacher, and that’s exactly what she did! She didn’t even consider anything else for a career. She went to SDSU in Brookings for early childhood and then Black Hills State in Spearfish for her methods classes. She got her first teaching job in Dupree, SD. She taught third grade there for three years.
In 1978, Lorie moved to Custer to teach 2nd grade. She wanted to go somewhere where there were trees, hills, and water, so she says she hit the jackpot with Custer! She was responsible for bringing our fourth-grade play, “The Hoboken Chicken Emergency” to Custer Elementary. She taught several different grades at Custer Elementary until she retired in 2011.
In October of 1979, Lorie went to the Fireman’s Ball in Custer. She jokingly referred to it as “The Fireman’s Brawl”. There she met Roger, who became her best friend and husband. They got married December 27, 1980. They received a unique gift for their wedding – a baby pig! The pig’s name was B.B. and was given to them by some friends who were pig farmers. The friends raised it and gave them the pork a year later.
Roger and Lorie have three kids; Jeremy (married to Elizabeth) with a baby boy named Dakota in Grand Junction, CO; Bethany (married to Don) with a daughter Signe, and son Henry in Spearfish, SD; and Joshua who lives in Spearfish also. When “Joshie” was born in 1991 with Down syndrome, the family learned the value of faith, perseverance, and how to walk through things without giving up. Because of Joshua, the family was also inspired to help with Special Olympics. Lorie was involved from the time Josh was 8 until he graduated high school. Both Jeremy and Bethany were high school coaches and they recruited many friends and students to help too!
Lorie said she used to think people her age were old! Now she enjoys spending time with her grandkids, visiting friends, biking, hiking, reading, volunteering to rock babies at the day care in Spearfish, and just helping fill a need whenever she sees one.
Lorie says she that looks up to her mother, who is 94, for her wisdom and good common sense. Lorie’s advice to us is to laugh a lot, and if you’re feeling down and need somebody to talk to, find someone. If things look bad, give it some time, things turn around. Thank you, Lorie for sharing your life with us!