Priscilla Romkema

Priscilla Romkema is an amazing woman. She is really nice, caring, positive and friendly. She was born in Deadwood on June 7, 1958. But she was raised in Spearfish. Her parents were both teachers, they taught at Black Hills State University. Don Young was her dad. He was mayor of Spearfish. Darlene Young was her mom. She had two brothers, Peter and Paul, and one sister Pam. They were all older than her. She learned to play piano when she was 7 from her sister Pam. Her childhood friends were Bonnie, who still lives here, Sue, Geraldine, Tammy and Terri, who are twins. Her childhood crushes were movie stars and her older brother’s friends. Her favorite toy as a child was the chalkboard and tumbling mat. She played school at home when she was young. She had many pets, usually a dog, like a Chihuahua or a cockapoo, or cats.

Priscilla loved to be a student and being with her teachers. In 1976, she graduated from Spearfish High School. She also graduated from Black Hills State University with a degree in music. Her education was important to her. She studied and worked really hard and furthered her education. She went on to get a masters degree in Business Education from the University of Wyoming in Laramie. She also got her PhD in education there too.

Priscilla’s first job was an usher at the Black Hills Passion Play. She left and traveled to Arizona, Michigan, Wyoming and overseas. She came back in 1996 to pursue her dream job to teach. She accomplished her dream and taught at BHSU for 10 years. Now Priscilla is helping at the Regional Health Foundation. They help raise money for the Cancer Care Institute, hospice and Children’s Miracle Workers. The Regional health motto is, “It starts with heart.” We feel this is a perfect motto for Priscilla!

Before she was married, she traveled the world. Priscilla married Fred Romkema in 1997 when she was 39. Like her father, Fred was also a mayor of Spearfish. They met through her parents. He had lost his first wife, but he blessed Priscilla with his three sons: Mark who is married to Tammy, Jason who is married to Vonda, and Adam who is married to Tonya. Through them, she also became a grandmother. She has 8 grandchildren: Nick, Carson, Nathaniel, Isabel, Eve, Michael, Vance and JT. She also has 2 great grandchildren, Collin and Olivia. Her siblings all live in Spearfish now. She loves spending time with her family.

Some of Priscilla’s hobbies are watching football, hanging out with friends, and her favorite hobby is running. She has run the Boston marathon 7 times. Her husband has run it 22 times! She watches the Broncos and the Vikings. Every Sunday after church, her family would watch football. Her dad was a football coach at BH! That is why she also is a big fan of the Yellow Jackets!

Priscilla loves many things! She loves music. She plays the piano in her free time. Her favorite music is classical, jazz, rock, pop and religious. Her favorite bands are The Eagles, The Beatles and Elton John. Her favorite presidents are the ones on Mount Rushmore. Her favorite season is summer because she likes to swim, bike and run. Her favorite flowers are sunflowers and roses. Her favorite foods are pasta and carrot cake. She likes people who have a good sense of humor. She also loves her home. Priscilla says, “There’s something special about Spearfish!”

We got a lot of good advice from Priscilla. She wishes she could live and enjoy the moment instead of rushing ahead. Some words she lives by are respect, civility, compassion, kindness, positivity, family, friends and faith. Her philosophy in life is, “We each have a purpose that will lead us to have an impact. I want to have a job to help someone, not just to have a job.” The advice she would give to the youth of today is, “Stay in school. Learn as much as you can, and try new things.” Thank you, Priscilla Romkema, for being our honored elder!