Chuck Welke, a former basketball coach at Warner who served in the state Legislature, has died

Retired coach and former state senator Chuck Welke, Sr., has died.

From Warner, Welke was raised on a farm in Spink County. He graduated from Redfield High School and Northern State University. He was a teacher, coach and administrator for more than 35 years and continued to serve as a substitute teacher following his retirement. His basketball teams at Warner saw considerable success.

He died Tuesday evening after suffering a heart attack earlier in the week, according to a Facebook announcement from his wife. He was 67.

Welke's coaching career began in Harrold and continued in Warner where he started as head coach for football and boys track and coached seventh- and eighth-grade basketball. During his 33-year career at Warner, he also coached girls track and girls basketball. He was the head head boys basketball coach for 28 years.

In Warner, Welke's boys basketball teams qualified for the state tournament nine times, including the school's first state tourney in 1982. Warner won State B boys championships in 1993 and 1994 and was runner-up in 1992 and 1996.

Welke also served as Warner athletic director from 1988-95 and assistant athletic director until 1996. After retiring as coach in 2005, he was both athletic director and middle school/high school principal before his retirement in 2010.

Welke represented District 2 as a state senator for two years in 2013-14.

During his coaching career, he was awarded the distinguished service award from the South Dakota High School Activities Association. He was also inducted into the South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the South Dakota High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He was a member of the South Dakota Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Hall of Fame Committee. 

Welke was active with the St. John Lutheran Church Council in Warner. He and his wife, Ellen, have three adult children and seven grandchildren.