Eldor C Hollatz

Eldor Clarence Hollatz, age 84, a longtime resident of the Clark, SD community, died on Wednesday evening, December 28, 2011, at the Golden Living Center in Watertown, SD following an extended illness. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 31st, at 11:00 a.m. at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Clark. The Rev. Robin Schaunaman will officiate and burial will follow in the Rose Hill Cemetery at Clark. The organist will be Dorothy Fuller. A special recording of "Daddy's Hands" by Holly Dunn will be played. All family and friends should consider themselves as honorary casketbearers. The active casketbearers will be John Mack, Aaron Poppen, Tim Steffensen, Brandon Holler, Cole Hutchinson, Chris Bullert and Shawn Squires. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday at the Furness Funeral Home in Clark and one hour prior to the services at the church on Saturday. Mr. Hollatz was born on April 2, 1927 at Henning, MN, the son of William Ludwig and Paulena Christina (Eggert) Hollatz. He attended a country school and grew to adulthood in the Henning, MN area. He was united in marriage to LuAnn Marilyn Johnson on June 17, 1951 at Henning in the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. The couple lived in various places including North Dakota, Texas, Wyoming, Colorado and South Dakota communities over the next 14 years with Eldor working in the construction business as a self-employed contractor building stock dams and doing grading. In 1966, the couple moved to Clark from the Fort Pierre area and continued in the business as Eldor Hollatz Contractor, "The Dugout Man". He continued in the construction business until his retirement. Mrs. Hollatz preceded him in death on August 24, 1997. Eldor continued to make Clark his home until March of 2011 when he entered the Golden Living Center in Watertown. Eldor was baptized and confirmed in the North Effington Lutheran Church near Parker's Prairie, MN. He was a current member of the St. Paul Lutheran Church of Clark. He was a loving and devoted father, grandfather and great-grandfather with his family always being first. He was a conservationist and outdoorsman and enjoyed being outside. He took special pride in working on his lawn. Among his hobbies were fishing, hunting, and he held a large interest in guns and reloading ammo. He also loved playing the accordion, even playing in a band for several years. Among survivors grateful for having shared in his life are his children, Alan Hollatz and wife Beth of Clark, Debra Kuchera and husband Mike of Mitchell and Elaine Mack and husband Bob of Clark; eight grandchildren, Sheila Mack Poppen, Kristin Mack Steffensen, John Mack, Tiffany Roby Squires, Jessica Hollatz Hutchinson, Steffanie Hollatz Holler, Michelle Hollatz and Andrea Hollatz Daniels; ten great-grandchildren; many nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends. He was preceded in death by his wife; his parents; two brothers, Walter and Elmer; and a sister, Ethel Engelbretson. Funeral arrangements are with the Furness Funeral Home at Clark where there is an on-line guest book registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com