From stolen car to good Samaritan, nonprofit leader deals with a week for the ages

When it rains, it pours.

When it’s snowy, sleety and windy, it pours.

When the temperature dips below zero and stays there for days, it pours.

And then, your vehicle is stolen, and a pipe breaks in your apartment.

But then, you come across an accident where you’re able to offer warmth and comfort to a scared and shaken family of four.

And you regain the perspective you never really lost.

All that — and more! — happened to Tim Weidenbach in about a week’s time over the Christmas holiday.

While the spate of bad luck might not be over yet — almost immediately after inspecting the damage to his 2007 Dodge Durango, a rock cracked the windshield of his “good” pickup truck — Weidenbach can talk about the recent events almost with gratitude.

Visions of mounting bills, not sugarplums, filled the heads of Weidenbach and his wife, Amy. During all that stress, however, Weidenbach sent out a plea for prayers to his supporters and friends. It was just before he embarked on a trip to Lower Brule Sioux Reservation northwest of Chamberlain to deliver supplies, clothing and toys.

“Right in the middle of this stuff, I did text a few of my supporters and friends, and I said I need some prayers, I’m just not feeling like I should be feeling when I’m going to deliver gifts and donations. I’m feeling sorry for myself,” said Weidenbach, director of Higher Power Sports and an ambassador with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

The response was immediate and supportive. That put the Weidenbachs in much more positive moods. Then, on their way home to Parkston, they were the second travelers to come across the accident. That’s when they knew they were in the right place at the right time.

Let’s go further back in time to add additional perspective to the Weidenbachs’ story. Tim Weidenbach had been a coach for about 30 years on both the high school and college level, at places as diverse as Parkston High School and the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He also coached at the University of South Dakota, Sheridan College, Augsburg College and Dakota Wesleyan University.

Despite his love for the profession, Weidenbach sometimes felt limited in how much he could help others. That’s when he decided to start Higher Power Sports with the mission of serving others through the power of faith and servant leadership.

Through a program called Character Coaching, he works with area high schools and colleges. A program on distracted driving has been given more than 500 times; it honors a cousin who was killed by a distracted driver. His message on kindness and inclusion talks about the golden rule. Weidenbach doesn’t charge schools, programs or communities for his presentations, instead relying on fundraising efforts.

In addition, Higher Power raises money and collects household items, toys, coats and other clothes for people in need across South Dakota.

Sometimes, Weidenbach is accompanied on his presentations by his dog, Remi, who is training to be a therapy animal.

“Some of my talks are pretty emotional, so she is a good stress release for kids after my presentations,” he said. “She has been a big comfort to us as well during this stressful period.”

Ah, yes, the stress. Where to begin?

Maybe with a broken refrigerator. The 20-year-old appliance quit about 10 days ago, meaning all the food inside had to be discarded. The Weidenbachs intend to shop for a new one when — or if — things quiet down. In the meantime, they’re using a small dormitory-sized refrigerator and relying on the low temps to keep food cool.

First, though, the Weidenbachs’ 15-year-old Durango needed attention. The vehicle has 180,000 miles on it and needed some TLC. It had broken down about three months ago.

“We were just kind of waiting for it to make sense financially to fix it,” Weidenbach said. In the interim, they have a much newer vehicle to rely on. First Dakota Bank had given the new pickup to Higher Power Sports to celebrate the financial institution’s 150th anniversary.

The Weidenbachs needed the Durango, though, particularly for trips to deliver donations, so they fixed it. A new alternator, a new battery, other parts, a full tank of gas and licensing it for 2023 meant a bill of about $1,000.

The Durango was picked up Dec. 21 and parked in the Weidenbach driveway in Parkston. And, as he has for 15 years, Weidenbach left the keys in the cup holder.

On Dec. 23, Weidenbach made a quick trip to visit a friend. When he returned, the car was gone.

“I asked my wife, did you move the Durango to the front? She said, no, why? I said, it’s not back there. Your heart sinks and your heart rate goes up, not knowing exactly what’s going on,” Weidenbach said.

When they walked into the yard, they could see footprints in the snow, circling the car’s former parking spot.

Next up: Dec. 24. That’s when Weidenbach learned that a pipe had broken in the apartment he rents in Vermillion. He spends so much time at USD that he rents an apartment to reduce the number of 90-minute drives he needs to make. Two of the 12 apartments in the building received flood damage — Weidenbach’s was one of the two. Among the losses is a laptop he had left on the floor. Renter’s insurance will cover some of the losses, and the drying-out process has begun.

Christmas Eve is also when the Weidenbachs found themselves at the scene of the accident. Despite the recent freezing temperatures, strong wind, snow, sleet and even a brief period of rain while driving near Tabor, the couple made the rounds with donations for St. Francis House in Sioux Falls and smaller communities in their area.

They were determined to reach Lower Brule before Christmas, so they set out Dec. 24. Driving on Highway 47 meant traveling at 20 mph on ice-covered pavement. That’s when they came across a van that had left the highway, rolling into the ditch.

“It looked bad,” Weidenbach said. “The van was on its top; kids’ clothes were laying on the road.”

The van had contained a woman driving with two children and an elderly woman who was disabled. With the help of others who had stopped, Weidenbach aided in the elderly woman’s extrication through a window.

“She was very cold, shaken up, but there were no major injuries, and we were very blessed that no one was badly hurt,” Weidenbach said. While waiting about 20 minutes for emergency crews to arrive, Amy Weidenbach took the children into their car, keeping them calm and warm while the extrication took place and help arrived.

“My wife and I believe that God puts us in different places, and we try to help where we can in good times and bad,” Weidenbach said.

On Dec. 26, the Weidenbachs learned their Durango had been found abandoned in a ditch a few miles from Parkston. The gas tank was empty and the battery dead, they were told. When Weidenbach inspected it Tuesday, he found the damage was much greater. Not only was the inside trashed, but there is damage to the body and power steering. Weidenbach expects a mechanic will find more problems.

And remember, a rock cracked the family’s other vehicle on their way home.

Enough already, right?

The Weidenbachs hope so. But 33 years of marriage and a strong faith help them put the events of recent days in perspective.

“The rest of my Christmas was awesome,” Weidenbach said cheerfully. “I got to spend time with my mom and with my daughters and granddaughter. We had a great Christmas as a family.

“It really helped that my wife was very calm and supportive through it all, and she was with me through most of it. With the car, it was a sense of empathy for the people that took it. She said hopefully somebody needed to stay warm or get out of a bad situation and needed a way to get home for Christmas. As things continued to roll, yeah these are bad things, but we’re still OK. Everything that’s happening, we’ve still got each other, we’ve got our health, we’re living out our mission to help others and to serve others.”