Farewell Reception honoring Jim and Jody Moritz

This article was orginally published in the Faulk County Record on  September 17, 2025

A farewell reception for Jim and Jody Moritz will be held Sunday, Sept. 21 from 3-5 p.m. at the Faulkton Meadows Assisted Living. Members of the community are invited to attend. Jim and Jody Moritz are moving to Garretson to be closer to family and Sioux Falls medical specialists.

They moved to Faulkton in 1977 to own and operate the Faulk County Record. For 38 years, they were the owner/publishers of the weekly newspaper. Under Moritz Publishing, Jim also did commercial printing with his brother, David, in Clark until retirement in 2015.

Both of the couple's sons, Garrick and Paul, were born at the old Faulk County Memorial Hospital in Faulkton. They both graduated from Faulkton High School. Jody, who had previously taught at Clark High School until they moved to Faulkton, returned to teaching in 1996 at F.H.S. until her retirement in 2015. She directed school plays, one-act plays, oral interpretation for several years and was yearbook advisor for 15 years. From 1978 to 2015, Jim and/or Jody attended every F.H.S. graduation ceremony.

As publishers of the local newspaper, the couple attended and covered thousands of community events during those 38 years. Jim, being a fourth-generation newspaper publisher, has always believed that the local newspaper was the lifeblood of a community. He worked with subscribers, advertisers and the public to provide continuity, stability and a living history for the Faulk County area. He believes that a community newspaper keeps everyone connected, informed and engaged in the community. He and Jody between them attended thousands of government and community meetings. They believed in shop local and being involved in the community. They sold the Faulk County Record to Val and Dan Ramsdell in 2015 to retire.

They joined Lakeside Country Club upon moving to Faulkton. Coming from a golfing family, Jim taught Jody to enjoy the sport with him. They served as club presidents in 1992.

Jim has belonged to the Faulkton Area Lions Club since moving to Faulkton. Jody is also a present member. He and Jody have also both been members of Our Savior Lutheran Church since 1977 and both have served on the church board. Since Jim is a Vietnam era veteran, he joined the Foncannon American Legion Post 102 when they moved to Faulkton and Jody became a member of the Legion Auxiliary and currently serves as secretary. They attended every Memorial Day program from 1978 until 2023.

The Faulkton Area Arts Council has been an important community organization for them both as well. Jim participated in several of the community theatrical productions. Jody is currently serving as president of the organization whose purpose is to provide cultural events for the community and especially to the school children. The many mural projects in the community serve as testament to that.

Both of them are also members of the Faulk County Historical Society and printed the 1982 history book. Jody has held all offices in the Society since moving to Faulkton and is currently serving as secretary. She has been a volunteer tour guide at the Pickler Mansion since it opened to the public in 1988. In addition, she wrote the grant to write the 1982 history book and has written several other grants for the Society for the Pickler project. Much of what she has learned about the Faulk County area came through working with Irene (Huss) Cordts on several history projects including: Charles T. Greener, Dr. Abby Jarvis, World War I and II veterans and several others.

The newspaper business has changed dramatically since the couple moved to Faulkton. When Jim learned the business from his father, Bert, and grandfather, Jeff Condit, the type was set by hand. The machinery to produce a newspaper has changed dramatically. Now computers are used and the pages are transmitted electronically to the printing facility in Ortonville, Minn. When the Moritz family began operating the Faulk County Record, the set-up pages that were waxed on large lay-out sheets had to be driven to the presses in Ortonville. Advertising was what kept the subscription prices low. Now, however, while there are numerous reasons for decreased advertising and increased costs, subscriptions are the lifeblood of a local newspaper.

As a member of the South Dakota Newspaper Association, Jim served as president of that group as did his father and grandfather. They made friends with local newspaper publishers throughout the state. They attended the annual conventions to keep abreast of the newest changes in the business.

Jim and Jody have watched the decline of family-owned newspapers and know first-hand how the changes affect a community. Their son, Garrick, has followed in the family footsteps and now owns and operates the Garretson Gazette. He also followed in his father's footsteps and served as president of the South Dakota Newspaper Association.

In 2011, Jim was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. After retirement in 2015, he had a subdural hematoma and required surgery. He had another one in 2021. Jody got Covid in 2022 and acquired pneumonia. Because of their medical problems they moved into the Meadows Assisted Living. They recently sold their Faulkton home that they had purchased in 1979.

Now they are moving to Garretson to be closer to Garrick and family and the Sioux Falls specialists. The Sept 21 event will be a chance to say farewell to their many friends and former customers in the Faulk County area.