Dorothy Tibbs

Funeral services for Dorothy Tibbs, 79, of Ridgeview, will be at 11:00 am (MT) on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center in Fort Pierre. Burial will follow at Scotty Phillips Cemetery in Ft. Pierre. Dorothy passed away on Saturday, October 18, 2025.

Dorothy Mae (Griffith) Tibbs, 79, passed away October 18, 2025. Dorothy was born on January 17, 1946, to Alvin and Rose (Tracy) Griffith, on the ranch south of Dupree, SD. Due to bad winter weather, her dad delivered her. As the story goes, according to Alvin, she weighed just under a sack of sugar.

Dorothy attended the rural Fairview School through 7th grade and then went to school and high school in Dupree. She was the 8th child in a family of 10 children, and had a multitude of aunts, uncles and cousins close by. Family gatherings were frequent, giving the cousins many wonderful memories of softball games, hide-n-seek, any game to keep from having to go inside. Dorothy was always in the middle of the action with her quiet smile. In her teens, Dorothy worked many hours as a waitress in the Dupree Café before and after school.

Dorothy was united in marriage to Bernie Tibbs on September 25, 1963, in Ft. Pierre, SD. To this union two sons, Pat and Delbert, were born. The couple resided at Lantry, SD until 1964 when they moved to Ft. Pierre. In 1966 they moved to Ridgeview and worked for the Grazing Association until 1968, at which time they went into partnership with Bernie's dad, Shortlog. When Shortlog retired, they took over the ranch.

In the 1960's, 70's and early '80's, Dorothy traveled with Bernie, Shortlog, Pat & Delbert to many rodeos and tie down team ropings. For several years, she timed a lot of those rodeos and ropings. She still has the first stopwatch she bought in 1965, and it still works. Dorothy was proud of her boys when they were tie down team roping at the young age of 11 and 12, because back in those days kids weren't tie down team roping. She was especially proud when Pat and Delbert went to the SDRA Finals in 1977 at the ages of 12 and 13. She was very active in her grandkids' life, traveling to many rodeos in high school and college, basketball and football games, track meets and wrestling meets. In the last few years, she has done the same with her great grandkids.

As a ranch wife, married to a Tibbs for 60 years, there wasn't anything Dorothy could not do. From calving; feeding a few hundred head of cows in the winter; opening up water; fencing; swathing, raking, baling or bucking hay, Dorothy did it all and was damn good at it. She was known for being a good cook and was famous every year for her Christmas Eve supper of fried calf nuts. She was also known for her meals at branding. How she could put together those meals and still be out before daylight, gathering cattle, vaccinating, branding and all the other work that went with it was just who she was. Dorothy said she didn't understand now days why ranchers cater their brandings.

When it came to sewing, Dorothy was a perfectionist. Everyone in the family received a quilt, usually a Star quilt. The first quilt she ever made she made a lot of mistakes on it. She gave it to her daughter-in-law because Dorothy said she knew Lona didn't sew and wouldn't know the difference.

After Bernie's passing, she traveled a little with Lila. In 2022, she and her ranch friends, whom Mike labeled "the old ladies from Ridgeview", traveled to Nashville for a week. A lot of good music, dancing and drinking was had by the "old ladies from Ridgeview". In 2024 the "old ladies from Ridgeview" fulfilled Dorothy's dream of going to Branson, Missouri for a week. Dorothy loved music and dancing to it. Her maiden name says it all when it comes to music, as the Griffiths' are known for their God given gift of singing, playing good country music and having fun.

Dorothy is survived by her two sons, Pat (Lona) Tibbs, Belle Fourche, SD and Delbert Tibbs of Prairie City, SD; Grandchildren - Jace (Kori) Tibbs, Weesatche, TX, Ketch (Alicia) Tibbs, Belle Fourche, SD, Shawna Tibbs, Las Vegas, NV, Tasha Tibbs and Colt Tibbs, Dupree, SD; Great Grandchildren - Kasen Tibbs, Kolby Tibbs, Lochlin Tibbs, Corey Cosey, Ashley Cosey, Kopyn Tibbs; Brothers - Carl Griffith, Tom (Karen) Griffith, Rollie (Connie) Griffith, all of Rapid City, SD area; Sisters - Alva Till, Ekalaka, MT; Mercedes Pritzkau, Winner, SD, Gay (Gary) Ruzicka, Belle Fourche, SD; Sister-in-law - Lila Taton, Newell, SD; Brother-in-laws- John Flahaven, Sundance, Wy., Mike Tibbs, Ft. Pierre, SD.; numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband, Bernie Tibbs; Parents, Alvin and Rose Griffith; Father and Mother-in-law - Shortlog and Bethel Tibbs; Sisters - Janet (Bill)Vermilyea, Loretta (Melvin)Shuck, Maude Flahaven; Brother-in-laws - Joe Till, Carl Pritzkau, Pat Tibbs; Sister-in-laws- Amy Miner, Kay Tibbs, Florence (Lloyd) Eliason; Nephew - Richard Griffith.

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