“Tim” Harlan Ralph Stiefel, 84, of Denton, passed away Monday, June 12, 2023, at home.
“Tim” Harlan, son of Ralph Frederick and Lydia Katherine (Epke) Stiefel, was born on July 19, 1938, in a birthing home in Cherry County. He was baptized on March 21, 1943, at the United Methodist Church, Crookston. Family and friends knew Tim by his nickname given to him when at birth he was so small that he fit in a shoe box. That is when he received the nickname “Tiny Tim”.
The family lived in Littleburg, SD when Tim was born. In the spring of 1939, they moved to an Epke family rural home eight miles north of Crookston in South Dakota. In the Summer of 1939, they moved to where Tim called home three miles north of Crookston.
Tim attended grade school at the rural Rock School House, District #48, north of Crookston and seventh and eighth grade in Alliance. Tim attended Valentine High School, graduating in 1956. He then went to the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and graduated in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. Tim would drive home from Lincoln to the family ranch north of Crookston every weekend to help with the livestock and other ranch chores.
He was drafted in January 1962 by the United States Army. He did boot camp and was stationed in Colorado Springs, CO. Tim was honorably discharged on December 8, 1963.
Tim was united in marriage to Judith Thayne Tucker at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Lincoln on Sunday, June 11, 1961. Tim and Judy lived on the former Joe Hronek place in South Dakota, then purchased the Ted Epke ranch north of Crookston in South Dakota in 1971 and in the early 1980s lived south of Bassett. They moved to their current location in Denton in 1990.
Registered Angus Cattle was a big part of Tim’s life. He spent his winters calving out cows and fitting the cattle for shows and sales. Tim and his wife put on the Bull sales in the spring in Burwell for many years.
He was on the Board of Directors for many small Angus association sales. He was on the Board of Directors for the Nebraska Angus Association where he also served as President from 1973-1974. Tim was a past member of the UNL Block and Bridle Club. Tim was instrumental in securing a seat on the American Angus board for the State of Nebraska which is still held today.
Also, a big part of Tim’s life was the raising and showing of Percheron Draft horses. He and Judy had raised and owned the Reserve World Champion Mare.
Tim was very active in the dirt moving business for 35 years and in land conservation, building earthen dams, leveling land for irrigation, building terraces and waterways. Tim and Judy and friend Lucille Johnson donated 13 acres of land for a trail head in the lower Platte South. Tim would be described as a Great Steward of the Land.
Tim refurbished the IHC Farmall H that his father Ralph purchased in 1941 and participated in the RFD TV World’s Largest Parade of Classic Tractors on August 25, 2012, at the Fonner Park racetrack in Grand Island to help set a new Guinness World Record with 964 classic tractors in a parade.
Tim enjoyed Husker football; he started attending games when he was in college and continued for as long as he was able to go.
Tim is survived by his loving wife of 62 years Judy of Denton; brother and sister-in-law, Richard “Dick” (Ruth) Stiefel of Crookston; brother-in-law, Gary Vienna of Berthoud, CO and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Donna Jean Vienna. Memorials may be made to the Masonic and Eastern Star Home for Children, P.O. Box 1327, Fremont, NE 68026, www.meshc. org. The funeral service was held on Thursday, June 15, 2023 at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Valentine. The burial followed at Mount Hope Cemetery in Valentine. Sandoz Chapel of the Pines was in charge of service arrangements.
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