Former Secretary of State Joyce Hazeltine has died. Hazeltine was 81 years old. She served as South Dakota’s Secretary of State from 1987 to 2003. She was first woman to serve as secretary of the state senate. Hazeltine is also the longest serving Secretary of State.
Shantel Krebs is the current Secretary of State. Krebs says she first met Hazeltine in 1991 while serving as a legislative page in Pierre.
“Joyce was always pleasant and she always greeted me. And over the course of years in times when I volunteered or attended events Joyce and her husband Dave were just precious. You know she was a leader that served long term, you know three terms, and of course that means a lot in South Dakota. When you talk about someone that’s has been well known for how many years you think of Secretary of State Joyce Hazeltine,” says Krebs.
Governor Dennis Daugaard has ordered flags at half-staff on October 8th the day of Hazeltine’s funeral.