Richard L. Hubble, 96, passed away at Ava's House in Sioux Falls, SD on Saturday, October 18, 2025.

Visitation will begin at 10:00 am, on Saturday, November 22, 2025. A Memorial Service will follow at 11:00 am. Visitation and Memorial Service will be held at Miller Funeral Home, South Side location, 7400 S. Minnesota Ave, Sioux Falls, SD.

Richard (Dick) LeRoy Hubble was born on September 25, 1929, in Muscatine, Iowa, to Jack and Laura (Dusenbery) Hubble. When he was a student at Muscatine High School, he had a great time at athletic events, dancing at Fun Nights, attending Hi-Y stags, and acting in a variety of school plays.

In his spare time, he enjoyed swimming at the gravel pits (which wasn't exactly legal) and spending time on his beloved Mississippi River. It was during high school that he began working at the YMCA.

After graduating in 1947, Dick moved to Sioux Falls to attend Sioux Falls College. On his first day of college, he met a young lady named Barbara Norberg. Did he ask her for a date? No—he asked her if she would arrange for him to meet her girlfriend. She evidently didn't mind the question, because after five years of dating, she married him on June 10, 1952, at Central Baptist Church in Sioux Falls.

During college, Dick began his long career with the Sioux Falls YMCA as a swimming instructor, lifeguard, and swim team coach. After graduating with a degree in Speech and Counseling, he took the position of Physical Director at the YMCA. This began a long career with the Y, where he played an integral role in developing programs such as Hi-Y Basketball, Grey-Y Basketball, Indian Guides, and the Tri-State Basketball Tournament. He organized canoeing trips to the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, led a group to the World's Fair in Seattle, helped develop the camping programs at Tepeetonka, and was involved in launching Leif Ericson Day Camp, where he became the first "Big"—known as "Big Buffalo." He continued teaching swimming in the summers while also running the Y's Canteens (the popular monthly dances during the 1960s and 1970s).

He began his teaching career at Mark Twain Elementary. Two years later, he moved to Edison Junior High for its opening in 1955, where he was the last remaining member of the original staff. Dick spent 18 years at Edison teaching Speech, English, and American History. While at Edison, he coached basketball, football, and track. Teaching history was Dick's forte. He was one of 22 history teachers nationwide chosen to develop a program to mentor new teachers and spent four weeks traveling to many Revolutionary and Civil War battle sites. Being a Civil War buff, this was the trip of a lifetime.

It was important to Dick to motivate his students to give back to the community. He organized classroom fundraisers with the goal of helping families in need. Some of these included collecting a record number of Butternut Coffee labels and filling his backyard with a maze of 2,000 cases of pop bottles. It happened to snow, so the bottles stayed until spring—making for a winter wonderland fort for the neighborhood but a nightmare mess in the spring!

After working on his master's degree in Administration during the summers, Dick became principal of Longfellow Elementary in 1972. Since being a principal was a full-time job, he gave up his position at the Y. He was principal for 18 years, serving at Longfellow, Jane Addams, and finishing his career at Robert Frost. He was beloved by both staff and students.

Early in their marriage, Dick and Barb bought a small store at 12th and Minnesota (now Urban Ink Tattoo) and called it Hubble's Dairy Store. It was a convenience store before there were convenience stores. They specialized in milk and small groceries and were open seven days a week and on holidays—which was quite the scandal at the time! They sold the store when Minnesota Avenue was widened to become a major street in Sioux Falls.

Throughout his career, Dick also served on many committees and boards, including: the Board of Directors of the South Dakota Education Association, President of the Sioux Falls Elementary Principals Association, member of the City Health Board, head of the Education Division of the United Fund, County Water Safety Chairman, as well as serving on numerous YMCA committees. He was a member of the Girl Scouts Board, the Boy Scout Committee, and the Board of Directors of the South Dakota Children's Home Society. One of his most notable honors was receiving the first award for contributions to the Association of Children with Disabilities.

Because they had dedicated their summers to working at the Y and family camping trips, Dick and Barb didn't begin their travel adventures until after retiring in 1990. This started with trips and stays in Florida that gradually increased to approximately seven months a year. Though they bought a house in Florida, Sioux Falls was always home.

Throughout their retirement, they enjoyed numerous cruises and participated in many activities at Spanish Lakes—such as the Kazoo Band. Dick also played a wicked game of ping-pong and could beat opponents much younger than himself.

Dick and Barb moved back to Sioux Falls full-time during the pandemic, first to their house and later to The Lodge at Prairie Creek. Just before he died, they had moved to assisted living at Prairie Creek.

Those who remember Dick best will recall his wonderful sense of humor and his ability to tell long, detailed stories.

Dick is survived by his wife of 73 years, Barbara; his son, Tom (Peggy) Hubble; daughters Deb (Jim) Lichty, Lori (Mark) Dahlquist, and Kathy (Dick) Lone—all of Sioux Falls; eight grandchildren: Josh, Adam, Kelsey, Danny, Laura, Erika, Sam, and Kaitlin; and 13 great-grandchildren: Luna, Zander, Mila, Conor, Kacie, Rhea, Oscar, Addie, Ella, Charlie, Monroe, Stevie, and Miles.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, Clyde; sisters, Wilma Kindler, Lorraine Kopf and Evelyn Heden; great-granddaughter, Juniper.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the YMCA Leif Ericson Day Camp or the Sioux Falls School District Backpack Program.

If you've taken the time to read this far, you obviously loved him as much as we did.