Grandpa Gary fans fill the gym in Highmore

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Grandpa Gary Haiwick, 83, is a fixture at most Highmore-Harrold basketball games but Tuesday night, there were at least 20 other Grandpa Garys in the gym.

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The student fan section of the high school dresses for a theme at home basketball games. Themes have included a whiteout or a prom theme. The girl’s basketball game on Tuesday night had a Grandpa Gary theme.

“I thought it was humbling that kids thought as much of me as they did,” Haiwick said of the Grandpa Gary theme.

Gary Haiwick with Morgan McCloud. Photo courtesy of Paula HaiwickStudents dressed as Grandpa Gary Haiwick. Photo courtesy of Paula Haiwick. Grandpa Gary Haiwick with some of the students who dressed like him. Photo courtesy of Paula Haiwick.A well-known photo of Gary Haiwick taken several years ago that shows his sense of humor. Photo courtesy of Paula Haiwick.

“He’s such a loving, caring, person to everyone,” high school senior Morgan McCloud said. Haiwick sits by the gym door and “as people walk in, everyone talks to him,” McCloud said.

Haiwick is at the games to support the teams but also his granddaughter Emma Ferens and his grandson Aidan Ferens who play on the high school teams.

Aidan Ferens said he doesn’t mind sharing his grandpa with the community.

“I think it’s good that he’s beloved in the community,” Aidan Ferens said.

He began to realize how beloved his grandpa was when he was a kid visiting the family’s ranch near Highmore. Ferens and his family lived in Washington, D.C. before moving to Highmore in 2013.

Ferens recalled talking to his dad before the family moved to South Dakota. He told him that he would not know anybody there “And grandpa knows everybody.”

“Spending time over the years, I saw how respected he was,” Ferens said.

Haiwick was a long-time rancher, his daughter Paula Haiwick said. “A couple of different times we was the science teacher,” Paula Haiwick said. “I can’t tell you how many kids call him Grandpa Gary.”

People appreciate his sense of humor, his daughter said. She laughed about a well-known photo of him in his cowboy hat, cowboy boots and white undershirt as he held a puppy.

“I like kids,” Haiwick said. “I’ve talked to a lot of kids (over the years). Even some adults call me ‘Grandpa Gary.'”

McCloud has known Haiwick since her childhood. He was a regular at the cafe where she worked as a waitress. Now, McCloud works at the local nursing home where Haiwick lives.

“I get a long good with the staff here,” Haiwick said. He will share one of his favorite sayings with staff: “Everybody is crazy except you and I. Sometimes I’m wondering about you.”

Haiwick appreciated how the students captured his signature look of a cowboy hat or baseball-style farm cap, boots, and western-style shirts with pearl snaps.

McCloud said she also made sure to use a couple of blankets to create Haiwick’s stomach.

“I kind of got a big belly,” Haiwick said. “I told her (McCloud) she never looked better.”

His daughter, grandson and McCloud all said Grandpa Gary night was a success. Haiwick agreed.