Heartland Funeral Home and Cremation Services

11/11/2025

This Veteran's Day, we thank you for your service to our nation. You inspire us with your courage, today and every day.

A heartfelt thank you, from your Heartland family.

11/09/2025

11/07/2025

Fame and success don’t make someone immune to pain, grief, or struggle.
Underneath all the glitz and glamour, celebrities are people too — human beings who face the same heartache, loss, and challenges that we all experience.

Sometimes, being in the spotlight makes that pain even harder to carry. They may feel pressure to always appear strong, to smile for the cameras, to hide their grief or inner battles. For athletes especially, showing vulnerability can feel like showing weakness.

But the truth is — it’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to grieve. It’s okay to ask for help. No one should have to struggle in silence, no matter who they are or what they’ve accomplished.

As a community, we can help change the stigma surrounding mental health and grief. Let’s remind one another that compassion matters. A simple check-in, a kind word, or a listening ear can make all the difference.

We never know what someone might be carrying behind their smile.
Let’s look out for one another — and take care of each other. ❤️

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Call or text 988 for the Su***de and Crisis Lifeline — you are not alone.

Take a listen to what the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team's head coach, Matt Rhule, says:

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Bndiyi2iC/

11/07/2025

Timothy “Tim” Michael LaSelle-Hook
March 21, 2000 ~ November 3, 2025

Timothy “Tim” M. LaSelle-Hook, 25, Sioux Falls, passed away on November 3, 2025, at Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD surrounded by family and friends.

March 21, 2000 ~ November 3, 2025 Timothy “Tim” M. LaSelle-Hook, 25, Sioux Falls, passed away on November 3, 2025, at Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD surrounded by family and friends. A Celebration of Life Open House will be held from 5-6:30 p.m. on Monday, November 10, 2025, at Heartland

11/06/2025

What's Your Grief is offering a 12-week interactive online course on how to restore and rebuild your life after loss. It is called 'Finding Your Way.'

Finding Your Way is a 12-week grief course designed to help you rediscover your needs, identity, hopes, values, safety, community, and creativity. Each week, you’ll receive a thoughtful lesson with reflective exercises and creative prompts to help you clarify your sense of self and direction after loss. You’ll also have access to a supportive online forum and twice-monthly drop-in Zoom sessions for connection, guidance, and accountability—all at your own pace, in your own way.

You can find out more about the course and register here:

Finding Your Way is a guided 12-week grief course with lessons, reflections, and community support to help you rebuild life after loss.

11/03/2025

November's Grief Book Recommendation

This month's book recommendation is something a little different. This book talks about what happens to our brains when we are grieving.

From Amazon.com:

In The Grieving Brain, neuroscientist and psychologist Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD, gives us a fascinating new window into one of the hallmark experiences of being human. O’Connor has devoted decades to researching the effects of grief on the brain, and in this book, she makes cutting-edge neuroscience accessible through her contagious enthusiasm, and guides us through how we encode love and grief. With love, our neurons help us form attachments to others; but, with loss, our brain must come to terms with where our loved ones went, or how to imagine a future without them.

The Grieving Brain addresses:

-Why it’s so hard to understand that a loved one has died and is gone forever
-Why grief causes so many emotions—sadness, anger, blame, guilt, and yearning
-Why grieving takes so long
The distinction between grief and prolonged grief
-Why we ruminate so much after we lose a loved one
-How we go about restoring a meaningful life while grieving

11/03/2025

Jennifer Lee Wixon
May 11, 1973 – October 31, 2025

Jennifer L. Wixon passed away on Friday, October 31, 2025, at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD, surrounded by love, family, and friends who adored her.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, November 6th from 5–7pm at Heartland Funeral Home, Brandon, SD. Family and friends are invited to gather, share stories, and remember Jennifer in the way she would have loved most — with laughter, good company, and maybe just a little friendly competition. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Sioux Falls Humane Society.

May 11, 1973 – October 31, 2025 Jennifer L. Wixon passed away on Friday, October 31, 2025, at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD, surrounded by love, family, and friends who adored her. A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, November 6th from 5–7pm at Heartland Funeral Home, B

11/01/2025

Today is November 1.

The start of a month when we reflect on what we’re grateful for. But for those who are grieving, gratitude can sometimes be hard to find. It can be difficult to gather with loved ones, to share a meal and conversation, when the person we miss so deeply isn’t there to join us. It can be painful to look across the table and see an empty seat where they should be.

This year, be gentle with yourself. Be grateful for the time you shared with your loved one — for the love, the laughter, and the memories that remain. And remember, it’s okay to take a break or say no to gatherings if your heart needs rest.
As we do on the first day of each month, we invite you to speak their names out loud. Say the names of those you’re missing. The ones you are grateful for. Feel their names on your lips, hear them spoken, and hold close the reasons you’re thankful for the time you had together.

10/31/2025

Congratulations to the Brandon Valley Dance Team! SDHSAA 2025 State Dance Champions for the 5th year in a row!

Your hard work and dedication show in everything you do. You've proved once again that you can truly do anything you set your mind to!

SDHSAA 2025 State Dance Champions!!

The BVDT became 5x, consecutive STATE CHAMPIONS yesterday! Congrats to this team on an outstanding season of breaking the limits. You put your head down and never let someone outwork you.

1st place Pom
1st place Jazz
1st place GRAND CHAMPIONS

10/30/2025

Edwin “Ed” Nels Petersen
August 20, 1955 ~ October 24, 2025

Edwin “Ed” N. Petersen, Sioux Falls, SD, passed away at the age of 70, on October 24, 2025, at Ava’s House, a hospice house in Sioux Falls.

August 20, 1955 ~ October 24, 2025 Edwin “Ed” N. Petersen, Sioux Falls, SD, passed away at the age of 70, on October 24, 2025, at Ava’s House, a hospice house in Sioux Falls. There will be no funeral, further gatherings are private. Edwin “Ed” Nels Petersen was born on August 20, 1955, in

10/29/2025

Janice Rae Rubino
December 14, 1946 ~ October 26, 2025

Janice R. Rubino, 78, Aberdeen, SD, went to be with our Heavenly Father on October 26, 2025, at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls.

December 14, 1946 ~ October 26, 2025 Janice R. Rubino, 78, Aberdeen, SD, went to be with our Heavenly Father on October 26, 2025, at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls. Janice Rae Rubino was born on December 14, 1946, at 11:20 p.m., at the Volga hospital in Volga, SD, to proud parents Ralp