Thomas Ellsworth Ginsbach, 97, passed away on November 11, 2019 at Southwest Healthcare Long Term Center, Bowman, ND. Memorial Services will be held on Sunday, November 17, 2019 at 2:00 pm at the Community Rec Center in Buffalo, SD.

Tom was born Nov. 27, 1921 to Henry and Elva (Coddington) Ginsbach, in Janesville, MN and was raised on the family farm just south of the Crow Buttes on the border of Harding and Butte Counties of SD. Tom was the fourth of seven children, Eleanor, who passed away as a teenager, Dorothy, Bud, Shep, Gerald and Jim. Tom married Dottie Johnson on Jan. 3 ^rd , 1942. They ran away to Sundance, Wyo. because Dottie wasn't yet 18 years old. They always joked about which anniversary to celebrate as Elva had made them say vows in the church also.

The stories Dad told are nothing short of amazing. Things today we wouldn't think of doing, he did. We were driving north of Newell once and he was telling about his sheep herding days. The story was great, about being alone with the sheep for a month at time, the sheep wagon, his dog, someone bringing him supplies and storms on the summer prairie. Looking at the vastness, the nothingness of the area I was awakened by what he had lived. "How old would you have been", I asked. Thinking about it a minute he said, "Oh, I don't know, must have been 12 by then." Now I was shocked, "Twelve!! Alone out here?" I asked. "Well", came his reply "Wasn't so bad the second year when I got a horse"   That says it all. Tom Ginsbach, my dad, is an unassuming man. Doesn't think what he lived is unusual at all and it wasn't for his time. Now, in 2019, we wouldn't think of sending a 12 yr old out to live by him on the South Dakota prairie.

Tom and Dottie's first year of marriage was spent in a sheep wagon on the Cather Clanton place. Tom and Dottie lived several places before settling in Buffalo. Buffalo is home and that's where he wants to be, "Ya know there's no place like home. That's just where I want to be, it's where my people are." Five children were born to Tom and Dottie: Lee Ann, Ron Jim, Zana Rae, Julie Kay and Cory. I think they got tired of the whole "two name" thing by the time Cory came around, but the rest of us are forever called by both names. Added to that are 16 grandkids, 43 great-grands and 6 great-great grandkids.

Tom broke horses (his first and best loved job), herded sheep, worked in the mines at Elko, NV, ran an earth moving business with his brothers, drilled water wells, worked on many area ranches, raised cattle and sheep, but the work he is best remember for is his sheep shearing skills, which he was still doing in his 70's and his ability to made small square bales from any grass, which he was still doing in his 80's. He always said "I'm a jack of all trades, master of none." We think he was a "Master Dad". Dad was always at whatever was happening at the time, basketball, football, or a rodeo. He would load up a car of girls and take us to dances in Reva or Camp Crook. Just stand around visiting while we had all the fun. Tom loved sports, he attended games and rodeos as long as he was able and watched NBA and NFL every Sunday and holiday, no matter how many kids were in the house the game was on. He was able to go to a few of his great grandsons football games in Kaycee, Wyo. "Not many guys get to watch their great grandkids play football" was what we heard that fall. Everyone in the Buffalo area knows he has also loved the sport of rodeo. He was a participant as a team roper and later he was everyone's favorite pickup man along with his brother Jim.

Then there were grandkids! Dad and Mom said they wouldn't keep the little ones over night until they were "house broke", but they did. He taught them about loving your dog, how to move and feed sheep. And of course he taught them to drive the old pickup in the pasture. Laughing he'd say "When Marisa gets in to drive, even the dogs jump out." When Clint was about 6 years old someone asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up "I wanna be like Grandpa and just ride around and drive around." Grandpa always has time for the kids.

Dad will be missed greatly by all of us, Leeann (Rocky) Hopson, Ronnie Jim Ginsbach, Zana (Wayne) Ruby, Julie (Tom) Lambourn, daughter in law Kim (Ray) Berberich. Grandkids: Lori(Matt) Hendrickson, Shana(Gil) Garcia, JR(Dagmar) Rea, Tomi Kay(Jim) Folkstad, Rhoni Dee(Robie) Stafford, Christy(Chris) Downey, Connie(JD) McGinley, Doug(Katrina) Ruby, Dek(Liz) Ginsbach, Tandy(Brent) Reilly, Marisa(Wes) Humbracht, Jennifer(Curt) Sarsland, Clint(Lisa) Ginsbach, Wade(Missy) Ginsbach, Kati(Blake) Gardner and all of his great and great-great grandkids.

Tom was preceded in death by parents, his siblings, Bud, Eleanor, Dorothy, Shep, Gerald and Jim, his wife of 63 years Dottie and son Cory both in 2008. He also felt the loss of grandson Jory Wendling and great granddaughter Karcynn Faith Gartner.

And about the dogs he said "They respond to me, I guess cause I talk to them so much. I talk to my horses, I talk to my dogs, I talk to the girls in the catalog"