Donald Leland Handke

Donald "Don" Leland Handke passed away June 18, 2024, in Watertown, SD. He was 89 and had been living with congestive heart failure for several years.

.A memorial service will be held Monday, July 8, 2024, at 11 am with visitation beginning at 10 am at the Furness Funeral Home of Clark.  CRE Michelle Mehlberg will be the officiant. The service will be live streamed and may be viewed at the time of service on the Furness Funeral Home Facebook page.

Don was born November 26, 1934, and – along with his younger brother, Glenn – was raised by his parents, Lee and Norma Handke, in Ash Township, South Dakota. Both brothers grew up to become business-minded farmers. Don graduated from Ash School in 1953 and attended college at South Dakota State University for one year after high school.

Don and Sally LaBay, also of Ash Township, were married in Raymond on November 16, 1963. Their daughter, Laura, was born in August of 1964 and son, Jason, in April of 1969. Don built the house they grew up in with the help of just a few other men.

Bright, inquisitive, and witty right up until the end, Don loved a good meal, a good book, and music. He walked every day. He was a skilled horseman who trained his own horses long before the days of The Horse Whisperer, and became a private pilot in 1973, flying both an Aeronca Champ and Cessna 150. Family members fondly remember the annual Christmas celebration at the Handke farm where Don would hand-churn ice cream and pull kids with their sleds and toboggans back up the hill again on his snowmobile. His children also remember snowy nights in the winter with a fire burning in the fireplace, a slide show of old family photos on the wall, and Dad's homemade hot cocoa and popcorn.

Don was a skilled guitar and accordion player and enjoyed organic gardening in his later years. His curiosity led him to learn about everything from building a wind generator from a kit to making homemade sauerkraut, root beer and mead.

Don, beloved husband and father, will be deeply missed. He is survived by his wife, Sally, children Laura (George) and Jason (Dawn), granddaughters Claire (Charlie) and Hope, and brother Glenn (Pam). He also leaves several in-laws, nieces and nephews.

Don was preceded in death by his parents.

Furness Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements and have an online registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com.