Denis Lather

Denis Dale Lather died on March 11, 2025 of congestive heart failure. He was 72.

Deny was born in Huron, South Dakota on August 24, 1952 to Betty and Ned (Ole) Lather. He graduated from Waverly High School in 1970 where he played sports under coach Gale Lundberg. He graduated from Dakota State College in 1974 where he received SDIC First Team All-state football honors and from the University of South Dakota with a masters degree where he was a graduate assistant in football under coach John Austin.

He taught junior high school math and served as assistant coach under Dale McElhany and Dave Woolsky at Watertown High School for a decade and was head coach at Redfield High School and Huron College in the fall of 1983.

Deny was co-author and promoter extraordinaire for over thirty books published by the Dave Prohl SD Coaches Against Cancer Foundation, including Tall Tales But True and South Dakota Sport Trivia with George Kiner. These books captured his many years of great enthusiasm for all things athletic in South Dakota as well as the “Latherisms” of jokes, stories and sayings for which he was well known. He promoted these books on David J. Law’s KWAT radio program, “What’s Up,” where he was a master at selling thousands of books, there and at the state tournaments and on the street and wherever he could buttonhole a likely customer, raising thousands of college scholarship dollars.

He is survived by sisters, Patti Lather (Janet, Ohio), Peggi Brown (North Carolina) and Paula Lather (Mike, Wisconsin); brothers, David (Minnesota) and Douglas (Laurel, South Dakota); several nieces and nephews as well as “almost brother,” cousin, Terry Shelsta (Kathy), and his many friends from the Watertown area.

Deny was appreciated around the state for his depth of athletic knowledge, the many athletic banquets at which he spoke, and his sense of humor, especially his Howard Cosell imitations. He spent his final years at the Avantara Nursing Home in Lake Norden and the family thanks the staff for his good care.

There will be an open house celebration of life at the Watertown Country Inn Suites, Wednesday June 4, 4-8PM. To leave a message on the memorial page, contact www. chapelhillfuneralhome.com