Clayton "Neil" Hilsabeck

Clayton "Neil" Hilsabeck, age 86, Clark, died peacefully with family at his side on Monday morning, January 8, 2018 in the Prairie Lakes Hospital at Watertown following a brief illness.  He was a retired Lieutenant in the United States Navy, serving his country honorably for 23 years.

Funeral services will be on Friday, January 12, 2018 at 1:00 PM in the Furness Funeral Home Chapel with visitation 1 hour prior to services.  Pastor Mark Tracy will officiate.  Dorothy Fuller will be the pianist with Greg Furness as soloist. The Clark Cagley-Smith American Legion Post #60 and the Staff and Residents of the Wookey Assisting Living Center should consider themselves as honorary casketbearers. All of his grandchildren, Jacob & James Arthur, Emily Richardt, Megan, Kyle, and Brandon Hilsabeck, and Kate Kotzea, will be the active casketbearers. A luncheon will follow in the funeral home reception area.  Burial with full military honors will be held following in the Rose Hill Cemetery at Clark. Honors will be provided by the Cagley-Smith American Legion Post #60 and the Navy Honor Guard.

He was born Clayton Neil Hilsabeck on January 29, 1931 at Crandall, SD, the son of Max and Jeanette (Boudreau) Hilsabeck. He attended school at Clark, graduating in the class of 1949. Neil, as he became known, then attended South Dakota State University. Neil then enlisted into the United States Navy, serving his country honorably for the next 23 years and 7 months. While in the Navy, he served mainly aboard submarines, but also on tenders and ships, stationed in Guam, Spain, and the Philippine's, amongst other areas. He married Donna Olson on April 8, 1958 in Las Vegas, Nevada. They had three children, Steve, Karen and Brian. His family was with him during these international assignments. After his retirement from the Navy as a Lieutenant, he decided he was way too young to retire, so he enrolled at Lake Area in Watertown and became a diesel mechanic. He worked in Michigan for a time and then returned to Clark. While living here he worked for Arthur Farms during the fall harvest.

Some of his hobbies included woodworking, carpentry work, gardening, and taking care of his roses. Reading was a passion over the years, especially enjoying history and non-fiction. The couple spent 10 years of wintering in Tucson, AZ and another 10 years in Casa Grande, AZ. They moved in to the Wookey Center a little over 4 years ago. Neil was a member of the Cagley-Smith American Legion Post # 60, serving as Past Commander and Past baseball coordinator.

Preceding him in death were his parents, step-father Jack Stewart, and a brother in infancy, James Hilsabeck.

Survivors include his wife Donna of Clark, children, Stephen (C.J.) Hilsabeck of Sioux Falls, Karen (John) Arthur of Clark, and Brian (Kay) Hilsabeck of Salem, OR., 7 grandchildren, Megan, Kyle (Jimi), Kate (Nick), Emily (Dan), James (Steph), Jacob (Kelsey), and Brandon, 7 great-grandchildren, McKenzie, Kayla, Brady, Alayna, Grace, Erick, and Layla. He also leaves siblings, Mavis Bymers of Brandon, and Harlan "Buck" (Sandy) Hilsabeck of Missouri.

Funeral arrangements are with the Furness Funeral Home at Clark where there is an on-line registry at

www.furnessfuneralhome.com