O.S. Sid Soma

O.S. Sid Soma, 94, Bismarck, died August 18, 2015, at the Baptist Health Care Center, Bismarck. Services will be held at 10:30 am Tuesday, August 25, at McCabe United Methodist Church, Bismarck, with Rev. Jenny Hallenbeck officiating. Burial will be held at Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, SD.Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Monday, August 24, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service.Getting to know Ole "Sid Soma:Sid was born on a hot July 14th day, 1921, in the Homestake Hospital at Deadwood, SD, to Opal Sooter Soma and O.J. Soma of Newell, SD. He grew up on the family farm, attended Horse Creek Country School and graduated in 1939 from Newell High School. Sid received a scholarship and attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD, where he played football, before enlisting in the US Navy during WWII. He served 3 ½ years abroad the light cruiser USS Brooklyn, earning the rank of EMC 1st class.Sid returned to South Dakota following his honorable discharge and entered the field of rural electrification. He married Helen Gyopyos, of Elmira, NY, nearly 72 years ago. Helen and Sid were blessed with two children, David and Crystal. He became General Manager of West River Electric in 1948, in Wall, SD. He also served in the dual role as General Manager of Golden West Telephone from 1954 until 1964. While in Wall, Sid served on the Wall School Board, served two terms as Mayor of Wall, sat on the Board of Directors of the Black Hills, Badlands, and Lakes Association., Chairman of the Pennington County Red Cross, and a lay member of the Governor's Council on Highway Safety. In 1964, Sid and his family moved to Bismarck to accept the position as General Manager of Capital Electric Cooperative, which he held until his retirement in 1983. Sid kept busy serving on numerous boards: Missouri Slope Lutheran Home, St. Alexius Lay Advisory Board, Burleigh County Red Cross, Salvation Army, North Dakota Power Use Council, ND REC Manager's Association, and as chairman of the Board of Trustees at McCabe United Methodist Church. Sid is a lifetime member of the Bismarck Elks, American Legion, and Kiwanis Club.After retirement, Sid and Helen enjoyed antiques, doing antique shows all over the country, traveling during the winters to TX, AZ, NV, and CA, and spending time at their summer home at Hisega in the Black Hills of South Dakota, where he loved to fish. He was an avid gardener and would proudly show off his dinner plate Dahlia's to everyone. He loved to refinish antique furniture and tinker with "stuff" as he would call it. One of the highlights in his later years was for him and Helen to be included in the 1st ND Roughrider Honor Flight to Washington, DC, May 2009, honoring WWII veterans.He is survived by his wife, Helen; son, David; and daughter, Crystal; two grandchildren, Travis (Danielle) Smith, Bismarck, and Jennifer (Jeremy) Meissner, Denver, CO; six great-grandchildren, Hunter, Madelyn, Zander, Brandon, Alec, and Harper; nephews, Gerald (Mary Ellen) Soma, CA, and Jon Soma, MD; niece, Patricia (Al) Wilcove, FL; numerous cousins; great-nephews, and great-nieces.Sid was preceded in death by his parents, Opal and O.J. Soma; his brothers, Don (Lilly) and Norris (Mae and Ruth) Soma; niece, Cheryl Soma; son-in-law, Howard Taylor; grandparents; and numerous cousins.