Richard Stanley "Flounder" Twedt

Richard Twedt, 63, of Mitchell, SD, passed away Monday, December 8, 2025, at his home under hospice care. Funeral Mass will be 10:30 AM Tuesday, December 16, at Holy Family Catholic Church in Mitchell. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in Mitchell. Visitation will be Monday from 5-7:00 PM at Bittner Funeral Chapel with a 6:30 PM prayer service.

A livestream of Richard's Funeral Mass can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/@holyfamily7063/streams

Richard Stanley Twedt was born to Francis Theodore and Jennie (VanderLugt) Twedt on September 27, 1962, in Mitchell, SD. His family lived in the country near Mitchell and Spencer. Richard graduated from Spencer High School in Spencer, SD in 1981.

After Graduation, Richard joined the Army National Guard on December 5th,1980 and was honorably discharged on December 17, 1997. He served with the Salem, SD Unit Battery B 1st Battalion 147th Field Artillery and the Alaska Unit Company B 297th Support Battalion. He attended MTI in Mitchell, SD and acquired degrees in air conditioning/refrigeration and plumbing.

Richard met Jo Ann (Olmsted) Twedt in Mitchell in 1987, where at the time he was working for Schoenfelder Construction. He proposed to Jo Ann on July 4, 1988 and after a short engagement they married December 30, 1988 at First Lutheran Church in Mitchell. They later renewed their vows at St. Mary Catholic Parish in Dell Rapids, SD, where they resided for seven years. During that time, he and his wife had two children, Theodore and Mickayla. Richard worked for Buskerud Construction and then later for John Morrell Co. in Sioux Falls. In July 1995, Richard moved his wife and two children to Anchorage, AK in a 1974 Chevy school bus that Jo Ann bought on a closed bid auction from a small-town school in SD. He secured a job with Rainmaker Carwashes. Richard and Jo Ann had their 3rd child, Gabrielle. Richard then signed on with Nordic Calista Well Servicing. He started out as a Roustabout on Rig 3 and worked his way up to management as a Tool Pusher. They lived in Anchorage for 11 years. In 2006, Richard and Jo Ann decided to move back to South Dakota in the same 1974 Chevy School Bus they had moved there in. They then resided in Woonsocket for seven years until moving to Mitchell in 2013. On their 25th Anniversary, they renewed their vows once again on the beach of Waikiki, Hawaii. Richard's wife Jo Ann bragged of marrying her soulmate three times. They were married for 36 years and 11 months.

Richard enjoyed gardening, fishing, hunting, recreating YouTube experiments, and accidentally buying guns as he would tell his wife. He loved and adored his three children and his multiple nieces and nephews. He loved to laugh, tease and tell stories. As one niece said, "Uncle Richard has a way of making Jo Ann laugh and roll her eyes at the same time". Richard seemed to bond with everyone he met. He will be fondly remembered as "Flounder" by his oil rig brothers in Alaska.

Richard is survived by his wife, Jo Ann; three children, Theodore Francis Twedt of Hutchinson, MN, Mickayla Marie Twedt of Mitchell, SD, and Gabrielle Dureen Jennie Twedt of Sioux Falls, SD; brothers, Ronald, Merle (Pat), Carroll (Sandra), and Kevin (Karen) Twedt all of South Dakota; sisters, Marlys McGee, Shirley Twedt, and Nancy (Jon) Osterloo all of South Dakota, and Barbara (Steve) Edwards of North Carolina; along with many beloved nieces, nephews, and relatives.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents; parents, Francis and Jennie; sister, Beverly and brother-in-law, Donny Hall; and nephew, Scotty McGee.