JUDGE PAUL KERN
Judge Paul James Kern, 82, of Lake Andes, was born June 9, 1936 in Platte and passed to his eternal home surrounded by his loving family on November 16, 2018. He joined his sister Mary Ann, who was born two years earlier, in 1934. Paul was a man with unbounded positive energy who loved the great outdoors and all of God’s creatures. From a young age, Paul was an avid outdoorsman who loved to hunt, fish and trap, shooting his first goose at the age of five. In his younger years, Paul worked as a lifeguard at the Lake Andes Swimming Pool, where he taught countless children to swim, thereby gifting them with a lifetime of recreation (with him) on the placid waters of beautiful Lake Andes and the mighty Missouri River.
Paul graduated from Andes Central High School as valedictorian in 1954. He attended Notre Dame and the University of South Dakota, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts and law degree. On June 14, 1960 he married the love of his life, Patricia Ann McCabe, whom he fell in love with at first sight. The couple made their home in Lake Andes and four children were born of this union: Janine, Ruth, Paul and Frank. Paul’s nephews and nieces were also a welcome and integral part of his household, including Patrick, Carissa, Peggy Ann, Michelle, Maureen, Janet, Marilyn, Mark and Jeanne.
Paul practiced law with his father, later serving as the Lake Andes city attorney and state’s attorney. He enjoyed the practice of law because it allowed him to provide assistance to the local community in numerous ways. Paul prepared many tax returns for area farmers, represented the Rural Electric Association, served on the Board of Directors for the Lake Andes Development Association, the Randall Hills Country Club, as well as countless other boards and committees too numerous to list here.
Paul was appointed district county judge in 1972 and later served as a circuit court judge from 1974-1993, when he was appointed presiding judge of the First Judicial Circuit – a role he held until his retirement in 1995. Paul was a firm but fair judge who cared deeply about the people he served and the lawyers who appeared before him.
Paul loved life, the land and his friends and family. His friends meant the world to him. Every day was an opportunity for an adventure and an occasion for fun. He was an optimist and always saw the good in others and made everyone feel as though they were his best friend –because they were. He was a scratch golfer, twice making holes-in-one on number 7 at Randall Hills Country Club. He played town team baseball, for both the Poorman’s Tavern and Andes Lakers teams until he was fifty years old. He shot pool and trap and at least once bowled a perfect 300 game. He waterskied in the river and lake, and fished every creek and shoreline within a three hundred mile radius. He was fortunate enough to witness the rise of the Missouri River reservoirs and greatly benefited from the fish and waterfowl explosions this brought. When the mood struck him, he would travel great distances for outdoor adventures. He journeyed with his friends and family to Canada for 25 years, delivering a preemptive strike to Sandhill cranes (ribeye of the sky) and Canadian geese; well before the season opened in the States. If you would like to hear another incredible (but true) story, ask Ray “Moe” Parker about the great moose hunt in Ontario which involved being abandoned by their bush pilot, rafting class 5 rapids, being charged by a bull moose and chased by packs of hungry wolves. A slightly safer but no less memorable trip involved fishing King Salmon on the Kenai River in Alaska with lifelong friend Donny Edwards dodging bear. He also caught tuna in Washington, redfish in the Florida mangroves, paddle-fish on the Missouri River and in Oklahoma. Paul was a master story teller, and he would gladly relay these experiences to anyone who wanted to listen over a glass of Seven-Seven or two. Above all other sports and activities, he loved to hunt and eat wild Canadian geese and invited many friends to hunt with him.
His family and friends joined Paul on these and countless other adventures and our lives are forever richer for it. He loved his grandchildren Madeleine Savanah Scott, Olivia Catherine Kern and Paul Terrence Kern and he was extremely proud of their accomplishments, their gifts and their beauty. He remained faithful to God and to his wife and family, and we are immeasurably grateful for having shared his life.
Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Paul Albert and Ruth Irene Kern. Paul is survived by his wife of 58 years, Patricia, his daughters, Janine (Greg Biegler) Kern of Rapid City and Ruth Kern-Scott of Beresford, his sons Paul Robert (Tracy) Kern of Brandon and Frank (Johna) Kern of Canton, special nephew Patrick (Lisa) Kraning of Lake Norden, his beloved sister Mary Ann Cad-dell and niece Peggy Oursland of Phoenix. He leaves behind a legacy of faith, fun and family to his grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends.
Funeral Mass was Monday, November 19, at St. Mark’s Catholic Church in Lake Andes. Interment was Tuesday at St. Mark’s Catholic Cemetery in Lake Andes. Rosary/Wake services were Sunday at St. Marks. Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Home in Wagner was in charge of arrangements.