Harold Thune

On Saturday August 15, 2020 Harold Thune passed away at 100 years of age. He was born on December 28, 1919 to Nick and Maude (Riley) Thune. Harold was raised in Murdo, South Dakota and became a college basketball standout, decorated naval pilot, small business owner, teacher and coach, and father to five children. 

Harold started playing basketball in fifth grade in Mitchell and continued playing every year until he finished college. During his senior year of high school in 1937 heled the Murdo team to the state tournament where Murdo advanced to the championship game against Doland. Harold was named the tournament’s most valuable player. 

Upon the advice of Doctor Murphy, the physician in Murdo, Harold enrolled at Hibbing Junior College in 1937. He worked as a bus boy at a local hotel to earn his board of three meals a day. The head basketball coach at the University of Minnesota, Dave McMillan, was in Hibbing speaking at a basketball dinner and heard of Harold’s great skills on the basketball court. McMillan recruited Harold and he joined the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers basketball team. McMillan arranged for Harold to work at the university hospital, where he could earn three meals for three hours of washing dishes. Harold became a starter on the UM basketball team during his sophomore year in 1939. He played guard for his entire time at UM and became the team MVP. 

In the fall of 1939 in Minneapolis Harold met Yvonne Patricia Bodine. Pat was born in Canada, but when she was 15 her family moved to Minneapolis. She became a clerk in Stadium Drug Store, which specialized in serving sandwiches and sodas. She met Harold while working at the drug store.  

In the spring of 1942 Harold graduated from the UM and immediately joined the U.S. Navy. He was stationed in Melbourne, Fla. for flight training. Because of the war and naval duties, Harold and Pat’s planned wedding in Minneapolis was moved to Melbourne. 

In Melbourne Harold was trained to fly the F6F Hellcat. In July of 1943 Harold reported to San Diego for assignment to his squadron. In November he headed to Pearl Harbor and assignment to Air Group 18 and was stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid. Harold flew over 60 missions off the carrier. In one engagement over Formosa in October 1944 Harold shot down four Japanese zeroes. During the battle of Leyte Gulf the USS Intrepid was hit by kamikazes and Harold’s squadron was unable to return to the carrier. Harold was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service during the war.   

Harold and Pat moved to Murdo after the war and began working in the hardware store. Their first son Bob was born in 1946. Then came Karen in 1947 and Rich in 1949. John followed in 1961 and Tim in 1964. In 1962, Harold sold the hardware store. After entering the honey business for a year, Harold began a 21-year teaching and coaching career at Murdo High School. Harold taught history, math, geometry, and international relations. At various points he coached football, basketball, and track and, served as athletic director for the school. Pat worked as a librarian at the high school in Murdo.  

In 1984, the Thunes retired from Murdo High School. They continued to live there for many years. Pat passed away at age 90 in 2012. Harold lived in Murdo until recent months, where he lived near his daughter in Central City, Neb.  Harold is a member of both the South Dakota Basketball Hall of Fame and South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame. 

Harold Thune’s story would not be complete were it not for a life changing event that occurred in the summer of 1951. At the age of 31, through the encouragement of a high school friend named John Parker, Harold and his wife, Pat, got involved in a Bible study. There they found the missing piece in their lives when they were introduced to Jesus Christ.

For the next 69 years, Harold’s faith in Christ became the cornerstone for his existence. As Harold himself would say, “old things had passed away, all things had became new.” That newness of life transformed the way he approached his marriage, his family, his work and his relationships until the day he died. His five kids, 13 grandkids and 30 great grandkids are among those who bear witness to Harold’s faithfulness to his Lord.

Harold is survived by son Bob (Ruthie), daughter Karen (Greg Senkbile), son Rich (Karen), son John (Kimberley), and son Tim (Sue); many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Funeral Services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, August 21, 2020 at the Harold Thune Auditorium in Murdo, S.D., with visitation for one hour prior to the service. Interment will follow at the Murdo Cemetery with full military honors. For those unable to attend, the service will be live streamed at www.isburgfuneralchapels.com at the top of Harold’s obituary page. For those attending the services, masks are not required but will be available.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be given to the First Fidelity Bank and Jones County Community Foundation (www.sdcommunityfoundation.org), the Community Bible Church in Murdo or the Michael J. Fitzmaurice State Veteran’s Home in Hot Springs, S.D.