COVID-19

South Dakota State Rep. Bob Glanzer died April 3 after being diagnosed with the coronavirus His son, Thomas Glanzer, announced on March 23 that the lawmaker was in the intensive care unit at Hunter Regional Medical Center after contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. He was later transferred to Avera McKennan hospital in Sioux Falls after he stopped responding to treatment. Local government officials requested that flags be flown at half-staff on the day of his funeral, which has yet to be set. “I’ve had several people tell me he’s the only legend they’d really ever met,” Thomas Glanzer told BuzzFeed News. “He was an anchor in the community, was an anchor in his church and obviously was a person many, many people have been impacted by — in his life and also in his death.” Glanzer served two terms in the South Dakota House of Representatives after a long career in the banking industry. Thomas Glanzer said his father was inspired to go into politics because of his love for the state and serving people. The governor of South Dakota released a statement upon hearing of Glanzer’s death. Bob was a man of true integrity and someone I greatly respected. He epitomized what it means to be a true statesman and worked tirelessly for the people of Beadle and Kingsbury counties as well as for our entire state,” Gov. Kristi Noem said. “Bryon and I will miss him dearly, and we extend our deepest sympathies to Penny and his entire family. The South Dakota native was born in Huron. He leaves behind his wife Penny of 52 years, Thomas his son, Sally his daughter, and five grandchildren. In his younger years, he did some rodeo, according to his son. As a retiree, he became active in the horse-drawn wagon community. He restored a hand-built wagon from the 1800s and took it and a team of horses across South Dakota with a group of friends. “He did everything,” Glanzer told BuzzFeed News. “There was nothing he wouldn’t try but he was a cowboy. He really was.”