RepresentativeTieszen Lived a Life to beAdmired

Representative Tieszen Lived a Life to be Admired

“A true gentleman who was respected by all who knew him. ”

“He was a kind and decent man to the very core. ”

“We are diminished by his loss. ”

“I have never met anyone so likeable, so professional and so dedicated to public service. ”

“A heavy heart this Thanksgiving. ”

“He was a good, good man. ”

The news of Craig Tieszen’s death struck Rapid City and much of South Dakota like a thunderbolt. By all measures — as the Twitter comments above indicate — he was a beloved and generous public figure who respected others and their viewpoints while working in challenging leadership positions. How far the 68-year-old state lawmaker and former police chief was willing to go to help another was evident Wednesday, the day of his daughter’s wedding in a faraway romantic setting where family members gathered for a momentous event.

Hewaskayakingwithhisbrother-in-law,BrentMoline,at Cook Islands in the South Pacific. According to local police reports, Brent got into trouble and Craig attempted torescuehim,butbothmenwereclaimedbytheocean— a catastrophic family tragedy.

Itwasthefinalmeasureofamanadmiredbyhispeersand countless others whose lives he touched in 42 years of public service where he consistently and to the very end demonstratedwhatkindofmanhewasandwillforeverbe.

Rep. Tieszen became Rapid City police officer Craig Tieszenin1975whenhiscareerinlawenforcementbegan. Before that, he was a Peace Corps volunteer where his

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legacy of caring, kindness, humor and commitment likely began to take shape.

In 2000, he was named police chief of Rapid City, a position he held for seven years before retiring from law enforcement and then taking a run at elected office. In 2009,theRepublicanwonaseatinthestateSenate,where he served for seven years. In 2016, he returned to the Legislature as a representative for District 34 on the west side of Rapid City.

In his years in law enforcement and politics, his path crossedwiththoseineverystationoflife—fromchildren to senior citizens, the affluent to the less fortunate, the powerful to the average working-class citizen. Judging by the outpouring of grief and recollections on the career and life of Craig Tieszen, many benefited from their association with him and proclaimed it to the world. Not many of us will be so honored upon our passing.

How many of us would be willing to risk our lives, especially on a child's wedding day? What type of person is willing to put another life ahead of their own? The answerhasbeenrightinfrontofallthosewhohaveknown CraigTieszen. In the end, most are remembered and judged by how they lived. It is the final and ultimate verdict. Craig Tieszen, however, also will be remembered for dying the way he lived — in service to others. On the day before Thanksgiving, he made a selfless sacrifice that cost him a life that he had worked hard to achieve.Yet for those who knew him, there can be little doubt that he was only thinking of his brother-in-law when he made what would turn out to be the last decision of his earthly life.

CraigTieszen will be missed by many and the pain of this loss won't soon pass. Death is always hard to accept, especially when we lose someone who has given so much to so many. We thank him for his public service and express our sincerest condolences to his family. Upon his return to this community, we need to celebrate his life and support his family.

Itistheleastwecandoforamanwhothroughhisactions showedothershowtoliveandhadthecouragetoputitall on the line.

Reprinted with permission from the Rapid City Journal