Neil Ketchum, 97, of Buffalo, SD, passed away on Saturday, February 5, 2011 at the Southwest Healthcare Hospital in Bowman, ND.

Funeral Services for Neil will be held on Thursday, February 10, 2011 at the Ludlow Community Hall in Ludlow, SD beginning at 2:00 p.m. Pastor Susan Fox will officiate with burial to follow in the Bowman Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 at the Krebsbach and Kulseth Funeral Home Chapel in Bowman.

Neil was born on January 17, 1914 and raised on the family farm west of Amidon, ND, the son of Hollie and Gertrude (Ordway) Ketchum. He completed grade school at a nearby rural school in seven years. His folks raised cattle and farmed about 900 acres with mules. Neil never forgot the names of all those mules and their habits. He said, "Now all that is left of the old home is the windmill, the foundation for the mule barn and me."

He completed two years of high school in Amidon. By then, Neil decided he would rather work than go to school, so he left home at the age of 14 and began working for neighbors, mostly trailing cattle to the railroads in Medora or Bowman. He always had his own saddle horses and could handle teams so that helped him get jobs. He always said, "Miles don't mean much when you are riding a good horse, you know."

Neil went to work for Dennis Lane on the Lane Ranch, now the Ludlow Grazing Association, northeast of Buffalo, SD in 1934. While there he met Alice Chase. They were married in 1938 and made their home on the ranch. That same year, Neil became foreman for Lane and remained in that position after Lane passed away and the ranch became the Norris Ranch.

Neil and Alice had two daughters and in the spirng of 1949 the family left the Norris Ranch and moved to their own place in the north Cave Hills near Ludlow, SD. Neil loved to work and he liked everything about ranching. He saw a lot of changes during his lifetime, but he had no trouble making the transition form horses to the machine age. In 1983, Neil and Alice decided they couldn't do the ranch work anymore so they sold out and moved to Buffalo. Neil kept his saddle horse and a tractor, pickups and horse trailers, and continued to ride and help his grandsons until he was 88 years old. He never lacked for something to do. Neil also spent many hours doing carpentry work where he helped with the construction of many barns, corrals and even a few doghouses for his grandkids. He was also a member of the Cedar Branch Lodge #179 Masons in Buffalo for 65 years. Neil was a wonderful man and will be greatly missed by all those got the chance to meet him.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife; Alice, daughter; Kay, an older brother; Jerome and a sister; Mavis.

Those grateful for sharing his life are his daughter; Phyllis and Gary Gilbert, son-in-law, Mike Tibbs, grandchildren; Neilie, Shawn, and Mika Tibbs, Pine, Denver (Jenny), Matt (Carmen) Gilbert, great-grandchildren; Clay, Cassidy, Kaydee, Gracy, Gage and Molly Gilbert and Jordyn, Cayle and Riley Tibbs and a host of friends.

Krebsbach and Kulseth Funeral Home in charge of the arrangements.