Greg Rankin

The New York Yankees lost one of their most dedicated fans when Greg Rankin, age 69, of Draper, S.D., passed away on February 5, 2020, after an 11 year journey with cancer.
Visitation will be from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Monday, February 10, 2020 at Church of St. Anthony of Padua in Draper. A Prayer Service will begin at 7:00 p.m. Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 11, 2020, at the church. Burial will follow at the Draper City Cemetery. Online condolences may be written at: www. isburgfuneralchapels.com
On July 5, 1950, Greg was born to Margaret (Vik) and Harold Rankin in Murdo, S.D. He grew up with his five younger brothers and sisters on a farm north of Draper. Both sets of grandparents and most of his cousins lived in Draper so those years included lots of family gatherings for birthdays and holidays. He was a member of the Draper High School Class of 1968 and attended National College of Business in Rapid City for a short time before coming back to join his dad on the farm. He spent his whole life in Draper. After his dad died in 1990 and mom grew older, he was there to take care of her so that she was able to stay in her home until she was 85. 
Anyone who knew Greg knew he liked his sports. Watching Yankee baseball was his favorite, but Vikings football was a close second. For the last several years, he was able to travel each summer with family to Minneapolis to see the Twins and Vikings play. If they were lucky, the Twins were playing the Yankees and he would sit among the Twins fans all decked out in his Yankees gear. Last summer, his sisters were planning a sibling trip to Alaska. Greg decided he wouldn’t be able to make that long of a trip and the trip quickly turned into a five day trip to New York. Of course, he could manage that! They visited the usual tourist sites but managed to get into two Yankees games IN YANKEE STADIUM!! What a great memory for those of us he left behind.
Besides his sports, he enjoyed his early mornings with his coffee buddies and then evening cocktails with friends. He was the best brother, cousin, uncle and everyone’s friend.
He is survived by his siblings Ron (Nan) Rankin, Kris (Dick) Bradley, Karen Authier, Bob Rankin and Bill (Tess) Abernathy and their children and grandchildren. His surviving aunts and uncles are Eleanor Miller, Ray and Shirley Vik, Melva Vik and Jim and Gail Anshutz along with many cousins he considered his friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Karla Abernathy, his infant brother Joseph and his sister-in-law Susie Rankin.

The Pioneer Review

221 E. Oak Street
Philip, SD 57567
Telephone: (605) 859-2516
E Mail: ads@pioneer-review.com

Sign Up For Breaking News

Stay informed on our latest news!

Manage my subscriptions

Subscribe to Newsletter feed
Comment Here