Walter Dean Nedved, 89 of Wagner, SD

Funeral Services will be Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026 at 10:30 AM at the United Methodist Church in Wagner SD, with burial in the Wagner Cemetery. Visitation will be held the evening before at the United Methodist Church in Wagner on Monday, Sept 7th, from 5:00 to 6:30 PM, with family present. 

Walter Dean Nedved was born June 14, 1937 on the family farm south of Wagner. He was the son of Ernest & Bessie (Benda) Nedved. He passed away in peace and with family present on Tuesday morning, Sept 1, 2026 at the Wagner Good Samaritan Society Nursing Home. Walt attained the age of 89 years, 2 months and 18 days.

Walter grew up on a farm south of Wagner with 4 brothers (Ernie, Norman, Leland, and Joe) and 1 sister (Joanne). He went to the Old Tobacco country school through 8th grade. Walt didn't start learning or speaking English until about 6 or 7 years old at school; Bohemian was the primary language at home. He attended Ravina High School his Freshman and Sophomore years, living with his Aunt Rose those two years in Ravina. When his younger brother Leland started High School, they both attended Wagner High School. And there began Walt’s love for the Wagner Red Raiders.

Walt graduated from Wagner High School in 1956. He was a standout athlete in Football, Basketball, and Baseball. In fact, right out of High School he was recruited by the New York Yankees, but his mom put a stop to that. She wanted him at home on the farm. So, he attended nearby Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, SD to further his education, become a teacher, and continue his football career.

1960 was a big year for Walter. He graduated from college in May, got married in June, and started his career in August.

He was united in marriage to Janis Rae Swartz in Wagner on June 19th, 1960. Together they started their family and raised two children, Douglas & Stacy. He was a selfless and caring father, husband, and son. Although he was maybe a little less “expressive” verbally than some, he always put their needs first. They were his world and he rarely missed a day without connecting with them, even if just checking on the weather.

Walter started his 4-decade Education and Coaching Career at Wagner High School. He taught 7th & 8th grade Life Sciences and high school Biology, or “Buglogy”, as he’d say. He demanded respect and kept the students “engaged” in the classroom with his bold teaching methods. He also enjoyed his fellow teachers and coaches who shared his passion for kids. Walt’s love for athletics and competition was a constant drive in his life. He served as an Assistant Football Coach for 30 years, as Head Track Coach and Athletic Director for 27 years, and as an Assistant Basketball and Wrestling coach for a few years. He was especially proud of his students and players and the great men and women they became, so many of whom are in this room today. He treasured each and every one of you and continued to invest in those relationships throughout his entire life. You didn’t see him spending too much time with people his own age, especially later in his life. He was always with younger people – even if they were in their 60s and 70s. 😊 The coach wanted to be with his players.

Walt was an active member of the Wagner Community. His love and skill for baseball in high school continued long after with Wagner’s Town Team in the Sunshine League, and he played amateur baseball into his late 30s. He was an intimidating pitcher opposing teams nicknamed “Bush” from an unusual jersey logo they couldn’t pronounce, “Buche’s”. He was member of the United Methodist Church, the Wagner Fire Department with a few years as Fire Chief, and he volunteered on Labor Day Committees. Even after retiring in 1999, he continued to help maintain and improve the school properties, the football field and the track. He had a ton of pride in the Wagner Athletic programs that he was a big part of building for 39 years. He was proud of the men and woman leaders who had come before him in Wagner, that nurtured him and from whom he learned so much.

In retirement and through his life he enjoyed the South Dakota outdoors, hunting, fishing and most of all being a hobby farmer and caring for his garden at his beloved Cedar Grove just north of town. Walt planted hundreds of trees by hand, grew bushels of tomatoes, and all kinds pumpkins for kids in town. If you were looking for him over the last 20 years you could probably find him on his lawn mower north of town, or baking caramel rolls and delivering them to all his morning coffee spots to shoot the breeze about what happened the day before. He also loved the opening of Pheasant season. Not because he got to shoot some pheasants, but because of our family pheasant hunt in Winner SD. His family and brother Leland’s family have been getting together for the past 35 years. They maybe shoot a few birds, but telling stories, making fun of each other’s shooting abilities, and eating some good food and snacks on the tail gates of the pickups were the real highlights. Kamlin yelling at Dad to shoot while he was blocking, and him yelling back “I don’t have any shells” or “I’m peeing”. Regardless of whether we got any birds or not, we all had fun and great memories.

Walt was thankful for having shared his life with his wife Janis, daughter Stacy, son Doug and daughter in-law Kamlin.

Walt was preceded in death by his wife Janis (Swartz) Nedved, daughter Stacy Nedved, daughter in-law Marilyn Nedved, his parents, siblings: Ernie, Joanne (Nedved) Efta, Leland, and Norm; brothers-in-law Joe Efta and Dennis Swartz; and sister-in-law Margo (Sternhagen) Nedved.

Walt is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Doug and Kamlin (Hodgkiss) Nedved, brother Joe & Judy (Harnois) Nedved, sister-in-law Agnus (Wampol) Nedved, and many wonderful and loving nieces and nephews.