HURON — LaVonne Gaspar of Sioux Falls, who has been a leader in health care and advocacy for the past 57 years, was presented the Spirit of Dakota Award Saturday night at the Huron Event Center.

She has been a source of inspiration, not only to her family, church and community, but also to countless people she has impacted. In many ways, she is the epitome of a South Dakota woman who embodies the strong spirit of the prairie.

“She’s a wise and courageous leader, yet demonstrates the heart of a servant,” said Steve Statz, senior vice president of business development at Avera Health, who was among those nominating Gaspar for the award. “A loving wife, mother and grandmother, she has contributed to the high quality of life we enjoy in South Dakota in so many realms, from home to church, education, hospital care, senior care and more.”

As a child, Gaspar learned the meaning of hard work as she helped tend to the cows and pigs on her parents’ farm near Spencer. Later she excelled at South Dakota State University and earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing.

In 1963 she married Ken and they welcomed four children into the world — Gary, Michelle, Craig and Sheila.

In 1970 her husband founded Interstate Office Products in Sioux Falls, and Gaspar and another partner’s wife dedicated their evenings and weekends to working in the showroom. The business left her with little free time, yet she remained committed to her church, the Church of St. Mary in Sioux Falls.

Over the years, through Catholic Family Services, Gaspar and her husband provided housing to over 40 expectant mothers.

She has also been an advocate for high quality senior health care at the state level, serving on task forces, including LifeCircle South Dakota, in an effort to improve end-of-life care, and the S.D. Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias work group.

In 1962 she began her career at the Presentation School of Nursing as a clinical instructor. She was instrumental in establishing the intensive care unit at McKennan and served as the head nurse of the unit. She also played a key role in starting the coronary care unit. Eventually she transitioned to cardiac teaching, a position she loved, as it allowed her to see patients successfully leave the hospital and continue their recovery at home. In the late 1990s, she became the director of nursing at Avera Prince of Peace and shortly after, the administrator, a role she held until her retirement in 2008.

Retirement did not slow Gaspar down, though. She was soon called to serve as interim administrator for Avera Gregory Hospital, a role she took on twice. She would drive to Gregory early in the morning and return a few days later.

She also served as interim administrator twice for the South Dakota Veteran’s Home in Hot Springs. When Lt. Gov. Matt Michels contacted her for assistance, she couldn’t say no. She believed that veterans deserved good care for their sacrifices, and this was her way of giving back.

Despite her family’s concerns about winter travel, they understood her dedication.

She often traveled in hazardous road conditions, driven by her belief that “those who need care don’t care what the weather is like, they still need care.”

A memorable trip came during the 2022 derecho that swept across the state. Gaspar was returning to Sioux Falls from Gregory. As the storm overtook her, she noticed a truck driver stopped on the side of I-90 outside Mitchell due to a road sign that had been blown across the road. At 81 years old, Gaspar pulled over behind the truck driver during a raging storm, hopped out of her vehicle and went to help the driver pull the sign off the road. Her childhood farm girl attitude of pitching in when needed and helping because it’s the right thing to do still shines through today.

Remarkably, she never missed a day of work due to the weather and only called in sick once, recently, when she contracted COVID-19

Gaspar has also held various short-term consulting roles with other long-term care facilities, recently returning to serve as interim administrator at Avera Prince of Peace in Sioux Falls, 16 years after her retirement. Every action she has taken as a long-term care leader has been in pursuit of better patient experiences and outcomes.

She remains dedicated to lifelong learning, regularly attending course opportunities to continue her education in healthcare, particularly in long-term care.

Her excellence in her career has been a source of inspiration for her children and grandchildren, who have continued her legacy of giving with their own time, talent and treasures.

Gaspar is a shining example of a South Dakota woman, and the passion she curated in her family will continue to impact South Dakota for generations to come.