John Skogberg

 John Lee Skogberg was born January 1, 1941, in a little farmhouse in Sacred Heart, Minnesota. The country doctor made a trip to the Skogberg home to deliver him, a preemie but also the community’s first New Year’s baby. John always liked to say the whole world stayed up each year to celebrate his birthday.

Growing up on the Skogberg farm meant being surrounded by pigs, sheep, stock cows, milk cows and most importantly for John, horses. He and his brother Bob began riding bareback and breaking colts when only eight years old. His love of horses eventually led to a passion for rodeo, a sport in which John excelled. He would go on to become a Minnesota high school state champion bareback rider, bulldogger, and all-around cowboy. He also actively participated in high school FFA and was elected FFA president for the state of Minnesota during his first year of college. 

After one year at the University of MN, John transferred to South Dakota State University where he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science. As a student there, he continued to rodeo on the weekends. It was also at SDSU where he took his first photography class and learned to develop his own black and white film. That decision marked the beginning of a lifelong passion for rodeo photography. 

After graduating from SDSU John moved to Sawyer, ND where he managed a feedlot for one year. It was during this time that he met and rodeoed with the Nelson brothers from Towner, ND. Through his friendship with Orrin and Rodney, John met the love of his life, their older sister Genevieve. John and Genevieve married in 1964 and moved to Canton, SD where John took a job with the SDSU Extension Service. He spent a total of 33 years working as an extension agent first in Canton, then in Selby and finally Belle Fourche. As a man who always strived for excellence, John enjoyed the many ways his job allowed him to help farmers, ranchers and 4-H youth to “make their best better.”

John also had a passion for singing. He spent his childhood making music with his siblings, uncles and father, providing the foundation of a lifetime of musical involvement. He was known for saying he learned to harmonize by osmosis - through his butt - by sitting on the piano bench and listening to his Dad practice with the local barbershop quartet. John later spent many wonderful years singing in barbershop choruses and quartets himself. He also sang in the church choir all his life, and loved sharing music as a member of country gospel groups both in Sawyer, ND and more recently, with the Pickers in Belle Fourche. 

While John is well-known for all these roles, perhaps he is best known as a rodeo photographer. His family could never remember sitting with him in the rodeo grandstands because John was always in the arena with his camera, capturing the wild rides and fast action of the contestants. His wife once said, “He would rather hang out with the cow turds than the family nerds.” John’s persistence in rodeo photography paid off. At the very first professional rodeo he photographed, he caught a fantastic bull-riding buck-off shot that he submitted to the Rodeo Sports News. The magazine published the image, and he was hooked. 

If John would have had a theme song, it would likely have been “Hit Me with Your Best Shot.” Perfecting the art of catching action on film (and later digital images) was a challenge he loved, even if it meant hiding behind barrels or getting run down by wild stock. Thankfully, as John aged technology also improved, allowing him to continue capturing rodeo action even after his legs could no longer outrun wild horses and bulls. His family often said with each birthday John’s telephoto lens got just a little bit longer. 

John photographed 55 years of South Dakota rodeos, a huge chapter in the history of the state’s official sport. His “Johnny’s Photo” images can be found not only in numerous publications and promotional posters, but also in museums and businesses throughout the state, and on the walls of generations of SD rodeo families. 

Even outside the rodeo arena, John saw the world through his camera lens. He enjoyed using his skills to document events and milestones in the larger community. Over the years, John walked many miles along the sidelines, fields, courts and mats at high school competitions, shooting pictures for the local newspaper. His photos were published locally, regionally and nationally. He also photographed family reunions, school reunions, senior pictures, and weddings.

In addition to photography, John was a gifted communicator. While in Selby, he had a weekly radio show discussing ag issues. He also wrote a weekly column for the Selby and Belle Fourche newspapers for over three decades, winning national awards for his work.

Hunting and fishing were also a big part of John’s life. He loved hunting birds, antelope, deer and elk, and even made his own arrows back when few people used archery to hunt deer. Fishing was also a pastime he loved, even though more than once he and his passengers found themselves paddling the boat back to shore when it quit in the middle of the lake.

Above all, John cherished his faith and his family. His deepest joy came from supporting, photographing, and spending time with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. His most important legacy to those who knew him best is his faithfulness. John put God first - praying before every meal, rarely missing church or choir practice, tithing, and giving back without hesitation through the offering plate and the sharing of his gifts.

While John will be greatly missed by many for the way he touched their lives, his work on this side of the divide is finished and he has graduated to join a heavenly choir. Well done, good and faithful servant. Go rest high. John is survived by his wife, Genevieve of Belle Fourche;  son, Cody (LaVonna) of Belle Fourche; daughter, Cari (Scott) Eastman of Sioux Falls; 7 grandchildren, Katy, Riggin, Bridger, Dorionna, Brandon, Abigail, Mataya; “honorary” grandson, Wyatt; 2 great grandchildren, Gunnar and James. He was preceded in death by his parents; and brother, Robert.

John went home to heaven at the age of 83 on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. The funeral service will be held 10 am Saturday, November 23rd, 2024 at St. James Lutheran Church in Belle Fourche. Visitation will be held 5 to 7pm Friday at Leverington Funeral Home of the Northern Hills in Belle Fourche. Interment will be held in Pine Slope Cemetery. 

Memorials are preferred to St. James Lutheran Church, Butte County 4H Rodeo, or the SDSU Rodeo Team.

Service of Celebration

10:00 A.M. – Saturday – November 23, 2024

St. James Lutheran Church

Belle Fourche, South Dakota

Officiant

Pastor Becky Piper, Bridge Interim Pastor

Special Music

The Pickers

Lafe Nelson 

(Nephew)

Katy van der Merwe 

(Granddaughter)

Cari Eastman 

(Daughter)

Casketbearers

Jim Emary                                       Bridger Skogberg

Wyatt Lesmeister                             Riggin Skogberg

Chris Nelson                             Chris van der Merwe

Interment

Pine Slope Cemetery

Belle Fourche, South Dakota