Albert Eugene Houghton

Albert Eugene Bud Houghton, age 83, Willow Lake, died early Sunday morning, May 9, 2010 with his family at his side. A Celebration of his Life service will be held on Friday, May 14, 2010 at 2PM in the Furness Funeral Home Chapel at Clark. Casketbearers will be Lynn Miller, Lisa Morgan, Scott and Melissa Houghton and PJ, Ben, Hayley and Nick Welch. All other grandchildren, great grandchildren as well as all friends and family should consider themselves as honorary casketbearers. A private burial will take place in the Collins Cemetery at Willow Lake at a later date. Visitation will be held on Thursday from 5-8PM at the Furness Funeral Home at Clark and after 9AM on Friday in the funeral home chapel until service time. He was born at Willow Lake, with Doc Fleeger at his mothers side, on March 8, 1927, the son of Charles Clifford and Mata Anna Marie (Gehrke) Houghton. Bud attended country school for 8 years in Collins Township, at the Gehrke and Telford schools. He then attended the Willow Lake High School for a year before continuing his help on the farm with his father. For a time he worked in Watertown at the Swift Packing in Watertown and also helped cut ice in the winter months. In the summer he returned to the farm to assist in that operation. In the fall of 1943, at the age of 16, he began what became a lifelong career in the elevator business, many of those years was with GTA The Coop Way Elevator. He served his country in the United States Army from 1945-1947 and then returned to Willow Lake. On February 12, 1951 he was united in marriage at Huron to Elsie Grimm. The couple lived at Willow Lake for the next 17 years where he managed the Willow Lake GTA Elevator. In 1968 he was transferred to Webster to manage the new elevator, the first of its kind in the Upper Midwest, they were a service center carrying everything from fuel to fertilizer. While in Webster, they started a housing development in 1968the Houghton Addition- a development of new homes overlooking the golf course. In 1972, Bud went on the road as a supervisor, traveling parts of South Dakota, Minnesota and North Dakota. In 1979, after over 30 years in the grain business, he retired and the couple returned to Willow Lake. He and Elsie purchased the Willow Lake Lounge, renamed it to The Chuckwagon and operated it for the next 1 years. They discovered operating a lounge was not for them and Bud returned to the grain business, returning to Webster. In 1983 they moved to Watertown where he managed an elevator there until 1988. He returned to the company GTA and was in charge of screening operations in four different facilities. In 1993 they returned to Willow Lake to live where they purchased the Birkholtz home, termed Elsies dream house and Buds nightmare! They moved it to the place where Bud and Elsie have called home since. All while the process of getting this place settled, Bud continued helping at various elevators in South Dakota, working as an interim manager. He even assisted his daughter, being the second seat, in over the road, long haul trucking, coast to coast. He thoroughly enjoyed this experience. In 2006 he moved in a barn to the home place, completely restored it and in 2008 had their 1st barn dance, people came from miles around for this joyous celebration. Even with all the work in his life, he still managed to find time for hunting, all types, and in younger years horse riding, even braking horses. He was a member of the Johnny Fonken American Legion Post #113 of Willow Lake. Bud and Elsie have enjoyed over 59 years together and have been truly blessed with so many wonderful family members and a host of friends. Grateful for having shared in his life is his wife Elsie of Willow Lake, children, Gary (Gail) Houghton of Claire City, SD, LaVonne Hagen of Webster, Lee (Sandy) Houghton of Webster, Patrick (Mary) Welch of Tea, SD, Retired Chief Master Sgt. Larry (Robin) Welch of Colorado Springs, CO and Terry (Rene) Welch of Webster; 18 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. He also leaves 10 siblings, Doris Larson of Watertown, Robert (Lola) Houghton of Colorado Springs, CO, Ed (JoAnn) Houghton of Ashland, OR, Donna (Bernard) Hamilton of Minneapolis, MN, Adele (Gordon) Reed of Alta Loma, CA, Janice (Charles) Killingsworth of Sacramento, CA, Karen Emel of Newport, WA, Linda (Don) Fleeger of Webster, SD, Carole (Doug) Kettwig and Ronald (Terri) Houghton all of Watertown, SD. A step-sister, Marlys (Keith) Larson of DeSmet, SD, a step-sister-in-law, Judy Noethlich of Doland, a brother-in-law, John Stromsness and a sister-in-law, Karen Houghton both of Minneapolis also survive. Preceding him in death were his parents, Charles and Mata Houghton, step-mother, Florence Houghton, sister, Virene Stromsness, brother, Earl William Houghton, and step-brothers, Donald & Laurel Noethlich. Memorials would be appreciated in his memory to the Prairie Lakes Hospice at Watertown or the American Cancer Society, Clark County Chapter. Arrangements are announced by the Furness Funeral Home of Clark where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com