James A. Burg

James A. Burg, 82, of Wessington Springs, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, after a courageous battle with cancer. 

Visitation will be held Sunday, April 21, from 2 - 4 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Wessington Springs with a prayer service beginning at 4 p.m. Funeral services will be held Monday, April 22 at 10:30 a.m., also at St. Joseph’s.

Immediately following the service, the burial will take place at Prospect Hill Cemetery. Military rites will be rendered.

A light lunch will be served during fellowship immediately following the service at the Springs Rec Center located at 904 2nd St NE, Wessington Springs, SD 57382.

Jim Burg was born April 22, 1941, to Albert and Pearl (Linafelter) Burg. He was the oldest of seven children and grew up on the family farm in Jerauld County.

As a high school student at Lane High School, he was elected as the State 4-H president. He often credited 4-H as the experience that paved the road for his future in politics. Following high school graduation in Lane, he continued his education at South Dakota State University, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science. His first job after college was with Federal Land Bank in Yankton, where he met his future wife, Bernice Kaiser. 

Jim and Bernice were married July 22, 1967, and the couple moved back to Wessington Springs to farm with Jim's dad, Albert, and brothers, Andy and Quinten. As Jim and Bernice welcomed their children Jeff, Cory, Julie, Casey and Lisa, they remained busy on the farm while also operating the Ben Franklin store on Main Street in Wessington Springs. When the older kids went to college, Jim, Bernice and Lisa moved to Pierre while Jim served as Public Utilities Commissioner.  However, Wessington Springs was always home and called Jim and Bernice back for the remainder of his life.

With a passion for advocating for others, Jim was a servant leader at the local, state and national levels through agriculture, politics and the military.

Agriculture was a longstanding tradition for the Burgs who have farmed in Jerauld County since 1883. Jim’s great-grandpa, Andrew, homesteaded only two to three miles from where the Burg’s operation, Firesteel Ranch, is today. In South Dakota, Jim had a lifelong association with South Dakota 4-H (foundation chairman). He also served as a board member for Horizon Health Foundation, South Dakota Corn Growers and many others.  He was named the SDSU 2012 Eminent Farmer/Rancher, South Dakota Farmers Union 2023 Ag Ambassador and 2024 Horizon Outstanding Philanthropist. Locally in Wessington Springs, Jim was mayor, a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus, school board and Farmers Union.

At the age of 33, he entered politics by serving in the state legislature for 12 years. During his time in office, he took the opportunity to stand up for agriculture and the state of South Dakota, by lobbying in Washington, D.C. during the 1985 Farm Crisis. While there, Jim was asked by Ted Koppel to be an in-studio guest on “Nightline”.

In 1987, Jim won the state-wide election to the Public Utilities Commission, where he served for 18 years. While serving as Public Utilities Commissioner, he saw opportunities for South Dakota to develop its wind resource which established 34 wind turbines and a 200-megawatt substation in Jerauld County.  Jim’s tenure as a public servant earned him a top 10 position on the prestigious “Over 25 Club”, a list of just 29 people in South Dakota history who have served in a federal or state elected office for 25 years or more.

Jim served 27 distinguished years in the South Dakota Army National Guard, retiring honorably as a Lt. Colonel.  While with the Guard, he served as a Company Commander with the 153rd Engineer Battalion and leadership positions at the state level.  Most notably, he led efforts to clean up the aftermath of the Rapid City Flood of 1972.  

During the last decade, Jim focused his efforts on serving through philanthropy, contributing to many local and statewide organizations. He was passionate about giving locally through the Wessington Springs Area Community Foundation and keeping rural healthcare accessible and affordable for all through the Horizon Health Foundation.

Jim is survived by his wife of 60 years, Bernice; children Jeff (Kim) Burg; Cory Burg; Julie (Doug) Bruckner; Casey (Beena) Burg; and Lisa (Andreas) Heiss. He is also survived by his farm family made up of his honorary children JP and Holly Heber and Scott Vaske.

He is survived by nine grandchildren, Shawn Goepfert; Sierra and Cheyenne Burg; Hailey and Will Bruckner; Kedrin, Aiden and Siri Burg; and Karl Heiss. Also considered members of his family are honorary grandchildren Haven, Harley, Herby and Harlen Heber.

Jim’s six beloved siblings are among his survivors, Lois (Don) Houwman; Andy Burg; Betty McNeil; Ginger (Tom) Koehn; Quinten (Linda) Burg; and Sylvia (Dennis) Ray.

He is also survived by many nieces and nephews and special friends.

He was preceded in death by parents Albert and Pearl (Linafelter) Burg; in-laws Herb and Ann (Goeden) Kaiser; brother-in-law, Jack McNeil and sister-in-law Diane Burg.

Memorials may be directed to: 
Horizon Health Foundation (James and Bernice Family Endowment)
PO Box 728, Howard, SD 57349
https://horizonhealthfoundation.com/donate

Wessington Springs Area Community Foundation
(Jim and Bernice Burg Endowment Fund)
P.O. Box 157, Wessington Springs, SD 57382
https://www.sdcommunityfoundation.org/local-impact/community-foundations/wessington-springs