Wayne Massie

Wayne Massie was born in Spearfish, SD on October 12, 1932, to Walter and Jennie Massie. He spent his younger years growing up on the family ranch north of Hulett, Wyoming.

He started high school in Hulett before transferring to Belle Fourche High School in 1949 when his parents moved to their new ranch west of Belle Fourche and graduated in 1950.

After finishing high school, at the age of 17, Wayne joined the South Dakota Army National Guard in August of 1950 shortly after the start of the Korean War. The following month he was transferred to the US Army. He completed basic training at Camp Carson in Colorado Springs, CO, with additional training as a medical technician at Fort Sam in Houston, Texas. He was assigned to the 196th Infantry Regiment at Fort Richardson, Alaska where he completed the remainder of his military service. He highly regarded his military experience which left him with many lifelong friends. After an honorable discharge in June of 1952, he returned to Belle Fourche. Shortly thereafter, he met the love of his life, Margaret (Marge), in Spearfish, South Dakota and they were married on May 20th, 1953. They had three children: Debbie Long (Matthew) of Creston, IA; Larry (Adele) of Corrales, NM; and Curt (Jodi C) of Rapid City, SD.

The newlyweds moved to Denver for two years before returning to Belle Fourche, where he attended Black Hills State University for two years, then worked at the Sugar Beet Factory, Montana Dakota Utilities, and bartended at the Vets Club and Moose Lodge.

In 1970, they purchased land west of Belle Fourche and Wayne returned to his love of ranching. Despite the hard work involved, he always enjoyed ranching. Raising horses, sheep, chickens, and hogs but his real joy was raising cattle – particularly Herefords. While primarily focused on cow/calf pairs, he raised yearlings on leased land up by Camp Crook for a while. He also worked as a brand inspector for many years. He remained active in ranching into his late 80’s. Wayne enjoyed playing bridge and other card games, along with cribbage. He and Marge made a formidable bridge team. Wayne loved teaching his grandchildren to play various card games and how to ride horses.

Wayne passed away peacefully on December 30th, 2025, at Belle Estate with family and friends by his side.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret, of 72 years; daughter Debbie (Matthew) Long of Creston IA; 2 sons, Larry (Adele) of Corrales, NM and Curt (Jodi C) of Rapid City, SD; 6 grandchildren, Lyndsey, Dylan (Angela), Ashley (Ryan), Andrew, Nicholas and Allison; 11 great grandchildren, Colin, Quinn, Hazel, Dexter, Delaney, Stiles, Lucy, Anderson, Evelyn, Griffin, and Kirsten; 4 nieces and nephews, Pam, Jodi L, Jeff, and Wade; and Sister-in-law, Charlotte. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Clyde, and his wife, Shirley; brother Roger; sister, Virginia; niece, Penny; and nephew, Cory.

Services will be held 10am Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at Leverington Funeral Home of the Northern Hills in Belle Fourche. Visitation will take place 4 to 6pm Tuesday at the funeral home. Interment will take place 12:30pm Wednesday at Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis. Military Honors will be provided by the Belle Fourche Veterans Honor Guard.

The family would like to recognize Dr. Deborah Kullerd, Lindsey Sainsbury and the staff at Belle Estate and his long-term nurse from Heartland Healthcare, Chelsea Dighton, for the excellent and compassionate care they provided him.

Funeral Service

10:00 A.M. – Wednesday – January 7, 2026

Leverington Funeral Home

of the Northern Hills

Belle Fourche, South Dakota

Officiant

Mark Leverington

Tributes

Larry Massie Lyndsey Hansen

Music

“Amazing Grace”

“Go Rest High on that Mountain”

(Recorded)

Casketbearers

(Grandchildren)

Lyndsey Hansen                                                                        Andrew Long

Dylan Long                                                                           Nicholas Massie

Ashley Osgood                                                                      Allison Massie

Interment

Black Hills National Cemetery

Sturgis, South Dakota

Military Honors

Belle Fourche Veterans Honor Guard