Stanley V. Heath

Sisseton, SD

1934, 2757, Narrows, DSP-1,

Stanley was born on October 25, 1916, at Sisseton, SD, to Floyd and Pearl (Toftum) Heath. He attended grade school in Sisseton and graduated from Sisseton High School in 1934. As a young boy, he worked odd jobs such as mowing yards and cleaning basements.

He started working for J.C. Penney in 1929, cleaning store windows, sweeping the walk, and marking goods. In 1930 he was given a sales book and went to work on the sales floor. He worked there during his high school years.

After his high school graduation, he went to the Black Hills into a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp, named Camp Narrows, at Blue Bell, SD, where he worked for six months. He returned to Sisseton and worked part-time for J.C. Penney during the remainder of the 1930s and also worked at WNAX gas station. He also worked at P.L. Stavig's Clothing Store, at the cream station washing cream cans for Wes Laing, and drove the drying cleaning route for Bob Krogstad.

Stan was united in marriage to Willda Weeks on March 13, 1942, at her parent's farm home near Browns Valley. The couple then went to the east coast where Stanley was stationed until he went overseas. Willda returned to Ortonville, MN, where she worked as a nurse.

He served his country in the United States Army from April 7, 1942, until his honorable discharge on November 18, 1945. Stan served in the following battles and campaigns: Normandy, Northern France, the Ardennes, the Rhineland, and Central Europe, i.e., the Battle of the Bulge. He received the Good Conduct medal in 1943, the American Theater Service medal, the European African Middle Eastern Theater Service medal, and three overseas service bars. He was chief clerk in the personnel section where he prepared payrolls, enlisted member service records, and wrote company history. The last two weeks of his service, he worked as a clerk in General Patton's office.

Upon returning to Sisseton, he opened Woodward Store on December 12, 1947. It was a men's, ladies', and children's store with a shoe department. It was consolidated in 1955 with C.R. Anthony Company of Oklahoma City. Stanley and his wife managed the store until their retirement on December 30, 1978. They moved to Milbank in 1982.

Stanley was a member of the Central United Methodist Church in Milbank. He was a past vice-president and president of the Sisseton Kiwanis Club. He was especially proud of his fifty year plus perfect weekly attendance at Kiwanis meetings. He had been a member of the Milbank Kiwanis Club since 1982 where he was chairman of several Kiwanis committees. He enjoyed attending the weekly meetings of Kiwanis Clubs in the area. In Milbank, Stan was "Mr. Kiwanis!" During the annual calendar sale, he was always the top salesman while his health permitted. He "lived and breathed" Kiwanis.

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