Obituary for Josh Trandall of Huron, Men's Slowpitch

Joshua J. Trandall, age 51, of Huron, passed away Sunday, February 12, 2023, at the Huron Regional Medical Center.

His funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM, Friday, February 17, at the First United Methodist Church. Burial will be in the Riverside Cemetery. His service will be live-streamed through our website.

Visitation will be from 4:00 to 6:00 PM, Thursday at the Kuhler Funeral Home, with his family present during that time, and a prayer service at 5:00 PM Thursday evening.

Memorials may be directed to his family for a Northern State University Track Scholarship to be established in his name or to the First United Methodist Church Radio Broadcast. Cards may be sent to the Josh Trandall Family, c/o Kuhler Funeral Home, 1360 Dakota Ave S, Huron SD 57350.

Josh was born to Jeff and Helen (Isackson) Trandall in Huron, South Dakota, on January 31, 1972. He attended Huron public schools and graduated from Huron High School in 1990. While in high school, he competed in football and track. During his senior year, he was named all-conference honorable mention in football and was a three-time state track champion. Because of his outstanding high school track performance, he will be inducted into the Huron High School Hall of Fame in September 2023.

He was recruited to run track at Northern State University (NSU) in Aberdeen, South Dakota. During his collegiate career at Northern, he was invited to participate on an international level to compete against European track athletes, he was a 16-time conference champion, and he was eventually inducted into the NSU Athletic Hall of Fame for his contributions to the track program. Josh received his undergraduate degree in physical education and Spanish and a master’s degree in physical education from NSU.

Josh went on to teach Spanish in Canton, South Dakota, shortly before meeting Marianne Palleria at the Wendelgass Relays in Huron, when they were both working the event as “pickers.” The punch line of their love story was that they both “picked” each other. They were married on July 30, 1999, in Huron. Four days later, they moved to Kwajalein, Micronesia, where Josh taught elementary P.E. and Marianne taught high school English. Two years later, they returned to Huron and welcomed their son, Jackson.

Years later, they moved to Asunción, Paraguay, to teach students abroad. There they welcomed their daughter, Abigail, and later returned home to Huron to further their teaching careers, eventually both teaching at Huron High School, where Josh taught Spanish and Marianne taught English. During their time in Huron, Josh and Marianne led five student tours to Peru, Costa Rica and Spain. Josh had a passion for opening his students minds to experiencing other cultures and exposing them to travel and adventure.

In 2018, Josh took a position with Northern State University teaching high school Spanish in a distance learning environment where he was able to reach students in smaller schools around the state.

In the summer of 2022, after experiencing some leg weakness, Josh was diagnosed with ALS. The disease progressed very quickly. After a very courageous battle, he passed away peacefully from ALS complications, surrounded by friends and family.

In the months preceding his death, Josh and family experienced an unparalleled level of support. He was humbled knowing the positive impact he had on his students, friends, family and community.

Josh was preceded in death by his grandparents, Robert and Marie Trandall and Charles and Florence Isackson; and two uncles, Charles “Stack” Isackson, Jr. and David Isackson.

Grateful for having shared his life are his wife, Marianne; his children, Jackson and Abigail; his parents. Jeff and Helen Trandall, all of Huron; his sister, Callie (Jamie) Brown of Otsego, MN; nieces and nephews, Rylan, Carter, Auden, David, Evie, and Lila; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.