Steve Tachenko
Steve C. Tachenko, 92, Grassy Butte, died Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013, at St. Joseph’s Hospital & Health Center, Dickinson. Steve’s funeral service will be at 3 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013 at the Grassy Butte Seventh Day Adventist Church. Interment will follow at the Seventh Day Adventist Cemetery. Visitation will be on Friday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., at Ladbury Funeral Service, and will continue on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the church.
Steve Clint Tachenko was born November 28, 1920 at Grassy Butte, the son of Mike and Rose (Sokirka) Tkachenko. He lived on the M Lazy T Ranch in western North Dakota with his parents, where he attended the Little Knife Butte country school. He remained on the ranch into his early 20’s, ranching with his parents, where they raised cattle and horses. They were a good supplier of horses to the United States Army Remount Service.
Steve married Virginia Stroh on August 28, 1949 in Greely, Colo. They made their home in the Grassy Butte area on the UL Ranch that Steve had purchased. Here they raised Hereford cattle and always looked forward to the annual production sale held at the ranch.
He belonged to the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and the Medora Grazing Assoc. Reading, riding and racing horses, and attending rodeos were all favorite pastimes of Steve.
Steve is survived by his wife, Virginia; two daughters, Rita Smith, Louisville, Colo., and Cheryl (Bruce) Buckley, Southern Pines, N.C.; daughter-in-law, Jan Abernathy, Littleton, Colo.; six grandchildren, Adam and Margo Smith, Seth and Grant Buckley, and Luke and Chloe Abernathy; three siblings, Lonny (Estelle) Tachenko, Dickinson, Ann (Delmer) Holbrook, Colton, Calif., and Mike (Marvella) Tachenko, Avon Park, Fla.; sister-in-law, Alma Tachenko, Baker City, Ore.; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; son, Jeff Tachenko; brothers, Matt, Gus, and Joe; half brothers, Nick Tkachenko, George, Andrew, Sam, and Bill Sterling, and John Davis; and sister, Leone Quast.