By 
Illustrations on display gave attendees of a Thursday, Aug. 27 groundbreaking ceremony a sneak peek of two new duplexes that will be built for Aspire residents. Aberdeen Insider photo by Elisa Sand.
From fantasy to reality.
Aspire Executive Director Jennifer Gray said she’s long dreamed of being able to provide housing that meets the modern-day needs of residents the agency supports.
Now, thanks to gifts from Marian and Robert Wehde’s estate and from MaryAnn Wehde, Robert’s second wife, that dream is becoming a reality with the construction of two duplexes in Aberdeen.
A groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, Aug. 27 signified the beginning of construction.
Aspire provides support services for people with developmental disabilities. The aim is to teach clients both job and life skills with a focus on helping them live as independently as possible.
MORE: Aberdeen’s Aspire celebrates 65 years of assisting people with disabilities
Each of the duplexes will be wheelchair-accessible, four-bedroom homes featuring private bedrooms for each resident. Each will have shared living and kitchen spaces, Gray said.
Fire suppression and sprinkler systems will be installed, as will a rail system from the ceiling to help lift and move residents who are confined to a wheelchair.
The homes will have cameras for virtual support and jointly share a therapy pool.
An office for Aspire employees will connect the two homes and allow staff to check on any needs. It will also serve as a storm shelter, Gray said.
She thanked the Wehde family for the gifts, which provide $2.3 million of the $4.3 million needed for the project. The homes will be built by Lloyd Design Group of Sioux Falls.
The Aspire Foundation also kicked off a $2 million capital campaign to provide the remaining money needed for the project.
Robert Wehde died in 2015. He first married Marian, and they had a son with developmental disabilities who was eventually sent to the South Dakota Developmental Center in Redfield.
Gray said Robert was a longtime supporter of Aspire.
Following Marian’s death, Robert married MaryAnn, who had three kids of her own. The oldest, Terry Ellingson, spoke at the groundbreaking event. He attended with his sister Vicki Bierschbach.
Terry Ellingson speaks during the Thursday, Aug. 27 groundbreaking for two new duplexes Aspire is building in Aberdeen. His mother and step-father made donations to the project. Aberdeen Insider photo by Elisa Sand.
Wehdes quietly supported others
Ellingson said Robert and Marian came from humble beginnings and, though they achieved financial success, they lived modestly and donated wherever there was a need.
Gray said one of the Wehdes’ past donations included land that was used to develop Olive Grove Golf Course in Groton. In an unlikely twist, she said, the search for a suitable place to build Aspire’s duplexes led to adjoining lots on Olive Drive on the north side of Aberdeen.
“Aspire came to mind because their first son had a developmental disability,” Ellingson said. “We look forward to these buildings being an asset to the community.”
MORE: Aspire opens newest residential home as three clients move in
Following the ceremony, Bierschbach said Aspire would have been a great place for Robert and Marian’s son.
Robert had land in a trust, and that land was sold in March following MarryAnn’s death last October, Gray said during an interview before the groundbreaking.
Aspire is one of a few organizations that benefitted from that trust. Another is the Northern State University Foundation, which has created a permanent endowment to support Northern students majoring in special education and train special education teachers.
Those who attended a Thursday, Aug. 27 groundbreaking ceremony for two new duplexes being built for Aspire included, back from left, Deputy Mayor Alan Johnson, donor family representatives Terry Ellingson and Vicki Bierschbach, Aspire Board President Robyn Ewalt, Aspire Executive Director Jennifer Gray, Aspire Foundation Board President Rebecca Ronayne, Aspire Development Director Janae Hamilton and Luke Wietgrefe from Lloyd Design Group. In front are Denis Heidenreich and Melanie Stromseth, two of 135 people who receive support services from Aspire. Aberdeen Insider photo by Elisa Sand.
Modern homes are part of Aspire’s plan
Aspire Board President Robyn Ewalt said the agency started planning two years ago to reduce the number of larger group homes it uses.
Gray said the challenge with group homes is there are several people with different personalities and needs sharing one living space. Residents should be able to decide who they want to live with, she said.
One of the largest group structures was previously home to the Fischer quintuplets, who were born in Aberdeen in 1963, and has served Aspire well, she said. But the agency has slowly been reducing the number of people in that home and will phase it out when the new duplexes are finished next year.
The Fischer siblings were the first known set of quints in the U.S. to all survive birth.
MORE: 2026 Abby Awards, 4 under 40 honorees include People’s Choice winner Aspire
Ewalt said many of the homes that have been used by Aspire were built in the 1950s through 1980s. Now, though, Aspire’s vision for housing people with disabilities has changed.
The agency added three homes in 2025 through a partnership with Homes Are Possible, Inc. They are at 402 N. Lloyd St., 407 N. Penn St. and 318 S. Jackson St. Each houses three residents and includes equipment that allows virtual support.
Gray said the virtual support system connects to a command center at Aspire that is manned round-the-clock. That center launched in January and allows supplemental help to staff at the homes. If needed, it can also be used to monitor residents if they are home for a short period of time. That could happen if there’s an event some residents don’t wish to attend, she said.
The command center can also check on the Aspire properties if there’s a power outage.
