Chad Mechels, a Deputy for the Turner Co. Sheriff Dept., was shot and killed while he was on duty Monday, March 15, 2009.
Story Created:
Mar 16, 2009 at 2:53 PM CST
Story Updated:
Mar 16, 2009 at 5:28 PM CST
Funeral services for Chad Mechels will be held just two days before what would have been his 33rd birthday. Services will be held at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at the Dakota Prairie Playhouse in Madison.
Governor Mike Rounds will order flags to be flown at half-staff on the day of the funeral. In a statement, Rounds said his sympathies and prayers go out to Mechel's family.
His full obituary is posted below
Chad Mechels
Chad Mechels, age 32, died at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls on March 15, 2009.
Chad Lee Mechels was born on March 20, 1976 at Sioux Falls, SD to Darwin and Sandra (Nesheim) Mechels. He married Jamie Martin at Madison on March 4, 1999. He is survived by his wife - Jamie and a daughter - Avery and son - Thomas all of Madison. His parents - Darwin and Sandra of Chancellor, SD and his grandparents - Luverne and Audrey Mechels of Sioux Falls and Melvin Nesheim of Hartford, SD. Two sisters - Chastity Mechels of Sioux Falls and Candra (Adam) Calhoon of Ft Hood, TX. his in laws - Dave and Twila Martin of Madison. He was preceded in death by his grandmother - Betty Nesheim.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at the Dakota Prairie Playhouse in Madison with Rev Verlyn Hanson and Rev Ben Bryant officiating. Burial will be in Graceland Cemetery.
He grew up in Chancellor graduating from Lennox High School in 1994 where he participated in cross country, track and worked for the Pep-A-Gram student news paper. He received a Bachelors degree from Dakota State University in 2001 and completed his SD Law Enforcement Academy graduating in 2005. He worked for the SD Departments of Corrections in Plankington and as a parole officer in Brookings before becoming deputy with the Lake County Sheriff Department in 2004 until 2008 when he was a deputy with Kingsbury Sheriff from April until October 2008 when he joined the Turner County Sheriff Department. He was a member of the Fraternal Order of Police Chapter 5, DAR Officers Association and the SD Umpires Association.
The family will be present at 7:00 PM on Tuesday at the Weiland Funeral Chapel Family request memorials be directed to the Chad Mechels Memorial fund which has been established at Wells Fargo Bank.
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