Curtis Wardell Froke

Curtis W. Froke, age 81, Brandon, formerly of Willow Lake, died in the Royal C. Johnson, VA Medical Center at Sioux Falls early Sunday morning, September 19, 2010. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at 1PM in the Grace Lutheran Church at Willow Lake with The Reverend Dave Larson officiating. The organist will be JoAnn Eggleston with an accordion solo by his daughter, Carolyn Johansen. Honorary casketbearers will be his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Interment with take place at the Vienna Lutheran Cemetery near Vienna. Full military honors will be provided by the Johnny Fonken American Legion Post #113 of Willow Lake and the South Dakota Army National Guard Funeral Honors Detail. Visitation will be held 1 hour prior to services at the Church on Wednesday. He was born on a farm in SW Foxton Township, west of Naples, SD on October 30, 1928, the son of Charles and Wilma (Babler) Froke. He attended country school and then was a 1947 graduate of Willow Lake High School. After his schooling he helped on the family farm. On December 1, 1948 he was united in marriage to Thelma Whitted at the home of his parents, 6 miles west of Willow Lake. The couple moved a short time later to Aberdeen and then to Sioux Falls. He worked for a floor covering company and a service station. On January 31, 1952 he was drafted into the United States Army and served his country honorably until being discharged January 31 of 1954. While in the service they lived in Alaska for a short time also and then after his discharge, they returned to Sioux Falls. The couple continued living in eastern South Dakota, owning and operating a tavern in Carpenter for 5 years and then in 1987 they moved to Willow Lake. While in Willow Lake he operated Hofers Garage, a place where he loved to tinker on old cars and he also drove bus for the Willow Lake School District. In 2008, they moved to Brandon to be closer to their children. In the community Curtis was very active in the Willow Lake Fire Department, the Johnny Fonken American Legion Post #113 and since moving to Brandon, the Brandon American Legion and the Brandon VFW Posts. Some of his fondest moments were spent working on puzzles, restoring old cars, especially his 1925 Model T Truck, putting model cars together and being busy with his many wood working projects. Curtis thoroughly enjoyed being busy and will long be remembered by his grandchildren for the love of teasing them. Grateful for having shared in his life is his wife of over 61 years, Thelma of Brandon, children, Carolyn (Dwayne) Johansen of Corson, SD, Irene (Cliff) VandeWeerde of Sioux Falls, Duane Froke of Brandon, Mary (Robin) Pruitt of Harrisburg, SD, David (Lynn) Froke of Humboldt, SD and Darwin Froke of Hull, IA; 16 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. He also leaves siblings, Harold (Karleen) Froke of Madison, SD, Marlo (Adele) Froke of Willow Lake, SD, Betty Grimm of Willow Lake, Cleo Glanzer of Huron and Wanda Benson of Brandon. A sister-in-law, Phyllis Froke of Watertown also survives. Preceding him in death were his parents, a daughter, Cheryl, a brother, Melford Froke and brothers-in-law, Bill Grimm, Dick Glanzer and Wayne Benson. Arrangements are announced by the Furness Funeral Home at Clark where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com