Flags at Half-Staff at State Capitol in Honor of Mike Diedrich
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden ordered that flags be flown at half-staff at the State Capitol from sunrise until sunset on Saturday, July 26, 2025, in honor of former state legislator Michael (Mike) Diedrich. He served in the South Dakota State Senate from 1987 to 1990, from 1993 to 1994, and from 2021 to 2024. He also served in the South Dakota State House of Representatives from 2018 to 2020.
“Mike was a ray of positivity in the legislature, and he was my friend. He always focused on the opportunities in front of us,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “He was a strong advocate for his own community, but he balanced that with being a problem solver for the entire state. We will miss him, and we are praying for his family.”
A funeral service will be held at 1:00 pm MT on Saturday, July 26, 2025, at Rimrock Church in Rapid City, SD.
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Mike was an outstanding legislator and lawyer and just a great guy. One quick story about his sense of humor.
Back in my SDPTV days and his first stint in the legislature in the late 1980s early 1990s, nearly every time he saw me in the Capitol during the session, he’d give me a banana. He must have gotten one every morning from the basement cafeteria or had a bunch at his Pierre abode. He’d never take it back. I ate a lot of bananas.
I feel honored to have known such a good–and funny–South Dakotan.