Lawrence ‘Larry’ Yaroch, 68
March 11, 1957 - August 7, 2025
Lawrence “Larry” Yaroch, 68, of Waubay, SD, passed away on August 7, 2025, in Sioux Falls, SD.
He was born on March 11, 1957, in Arlington, VA, Larry was the sixth of ten children of Merlyn “Woody” and Deloris “Dee” Yaroch. His father worked for the federal government, and his mother, a trained nurse and medical secretary, dedicated herself to raising their large family. Larry spent his early years in the Washington, D.C., area, where he developed a lifelong love for the city’s sports teams and grew up in a household filled with music, theatre, and dancing, sparking his lifelong passion for creativity. In 1973, the family relocated to South Dakota, and Larry graduated from Dell Rapids St. Mary’s High School in 1975.
He attended Black Hills State University, where he was introduced to radio, a passion that would define much of his career and even landed a role as an extra in the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. At 18, he picked up his first guitar, beginning a lifelong, self-taught journey as a musician and songwriter, performing under the name Larry Yarrow.
In 1982, Larry married Kay Gollesch, and the couple made their home in Anchorage, AK, where they welcomed two children, Terah and Shane. Larry began a 20-year, award-winning career in radio journalism, first with the Alaska Public Radio Network, where he was recognized for his reporting on Native American sports culture. His work later took him to National Public Radio in Washington, D.C., and to South Dakota Public Broadcasting, where he served as News Director. Larry and Kay divorced in 1996.
In 1999, after traveling throughout Europe with a theatre troupe, often busking in subway stations across the continent for the joy of sharing his music, Larry married Marianne Feiber in Chicago. During this period, he also appeared as an extra in the film Road to Perdition. They later divorced in 2002. A devoted sports fan throughout his life, Larry adopted the Minnesota Twins after his beloved Washington Senators relocated to Minnesota, often calling his mother after a Twins win with a jubilant “Woo Hoo!” His passion for the sport also fueled much of his reporting, including award-winning stories on Native American baseball in Alaska and in Sioux Falls, he served as an announcer for the Sioux Falls Canaries. Beyond baseball, Larry was a lifelong fan of the Washington Football Team, teaching his kids the “HTTR” chant from a young age and good-naturedly traumatizing them with his celebrations during Super Bowl victories, much like his reactions to the Twins’ World Series wins.
In later years, Larry made his home in Waubay, SD, with his longtime partner, Ellen Robertson. He continued to write and perform music, work at Enemy Swim Day School, and bring joy to children through music. He especially loved his role as a school bus driver and, with Ellen’s encouragement, adapted his song Cow in the Garden into a children’s book about nutrition, published in 2017. He was deeply committed to advocating for Native American issues and continued to learn about Native American culture and traditions throughout his life.
Larry was inducted into the South Dakota Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012 for his contributions to the state’s music scene. A prolific songwriter and active member of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, he was best known for God Bless the Farmer, Cow in the Garden, Ode to Kirby Puckett, and Pictures on the Wall.
Larry is survived by his children, Terah Yaroch of Sioux Falls, SD, and Shane Yaroch of Brooklyn, NY; his siblings Tony (Kim) Yaroch of Cottage Grove, MN; Julie (Jerry) Baustian of Dell Rapids, SD; Jimi (Deb) Yaroch of Madison, SD; Mary Green, Eddie (Linda) Yaroch, and John Yaroch of San Diego, CA; and Lisa (Dan) Ward of Laurel Springs, NJ; as well as numerous beloved nieces and nephews; his Waubay family and community; and his granddogs Taiga and Kapitoshka. He was preceded in death by his father, Woody; brothers Mark and Greg; and his partner, Ellen Robertson. His mother, Dee Yaroch, passed away just two days after him.
There will be a double funeral mass for both Larry and his mother, Dee on Saturday, August 16, 2025 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Dell Rapids at 10:30 a.m. Interment for Larry will take place at a later date at St. Michael’s Cemetery in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. After the service, a luncheon will be held at St. Mary’s, followed by an informal musical gathering (bring your guitars) at the Dell Rapids City Park. Visitation will be on Friday, August 15, 2025 at Kahler-Brende Funeral Home from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. with a Catholic Daughters Rosary prayed at 7:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to East River Legal Services (ERLS) in memory of Larry Yaroch.
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