Verl Hieb, 75, of Brookings, died Monday, March 27, 2017, at his home surrounded by family after a brief but courageous fight with metastatic melanoma.  

Services are at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Christian Reformed Church in Volga. Burial is in Trinity Cemetery in Volga. Visitation is from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Eidsness Funeral Home in Brookings.

Verl was born on Nov. 19, 1941, in Bowdle, to Elmer and Ellen (Reisdorph) Hieb. He spent his time growing up helping his father with the family lumberyard business. 

He gained an interest in education from his mother who was a teacher. It is from her that he gained his love of music.

Verl taught for 40 years, retiring in 2004. He began his career in Ipswich, in 1963 and that is where he met his future wife, Carolyn Holsing. They moved to Brookings in 1970. From this union of 52 years are children, Jeff, Lisa, Mick, Rick, and Wendy.

Through Verl’s work in the classroom, he received numerous awards. 

He received Teacher of the Year for Brookings twice, Social Studies Teacher of the year, and South Dakota Social Studies President. 

He also received a seven-week Fulbright Scholarship to India and a six-week Institute on History at Princeton University.  His students may remember his love for his unique tie collection and also the various genres of music he would play as his students would enter his classroom each day.

His hobbies included reading, bird watching, and play time spent with his grandchildren.  Mentoring his 15 grandchildren over the years gave him a sense of great joy.

Verl was a member of the Volga Christian Reformed Church where he joyfully served as a Sunday school teacher, an elder on the church council, and a Bible study leader for many years.

Verl tried to instill the love of God and the redemptive power of the Lord Jesus Christ by the way he lived his life.

Verl is survived by his wife, Carolyn of Brookings; his children Jeff (LaDonna) of Brookings; Lisa (Mike) Moe of, Baltic Mick (Mary) of Brandon, Rick (Kasee) of Brookings, and Wendy (Brent) Porter of Baltic; 14 grandchildren; a sister, Lorene of Marion, Ind; five brothers, Lynn Hieb of Pensacola, Fla.; Lee (Susan) Hieb of Hickory Creek, Texas, Niel (Brenda) Hieb of Bayfield, Colo., and Jere (Dee) Hieb of Brookings, along with numerous nieces and nephews and brothers and sisters-in-law.

He was preceded in death by a grandson, Nicholas Hieb, a brother-in-law, Earle Miller, and a sister-in-law, Deborah Hieb.