Irwin Henry Meier

Irwin H. Meier, age 82, rural Doland, died peacefully in his home near Doland on Friday afternoon, April 6, 2018 after a few months of illness.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, April 10, 2018 from 5-7 PM at the Furness Funeral Home at Clark and will continue after 9AM Wednesday in the funeral home chapel.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at 11:00 AM in the Furness Funeral Home at Clark with a luncheon to follow in the funeral home reception area.  Dorothy Fuller will be the pianist and Roger Nordhus the soloist. Casket bearers will be Garret and Justin Meier, Tony Holscher, Steve, Mark and Culley Meier. Burial will follow in the Richland Cemetery near Carpenter, SD.

Irwin Meier was born at West Point, Nebraska April 3, 1936 to Christine (Koemann) Meier and Anton "Tony" Meier. He moved with his family to a farm south of Miller, SD when he was six weeks old. Later the family moved to a farm near Tulare where he attended school through fourth grade. They then bought a farm northeast of Doland. He attended Mannie Country School through eighth grade and graduated from the SD School for the Deaf in Sioux Falls in 1953.

Irwin Meier and Joan Dudley were married August 27, 1960 at Redfield. They had three children, Robert Irwin, Jean Marie and Eric Charles. They have lived, farmed and ranched on the same place since their marriage.

First and foremost, Irwin loved farming and ranching. He custom baled 1000's of small square bales and hauled hay to farmers in SD and Minnesota while also feeding and working cattle. He liked trapping, fishing and playing cards with the guys. In later years, he gardened and was especially proud of his tomatoes and cucumbers. Irwin also kept the lawn mowers and tillers going for Joan and his daughter-in-law Christine. A highlight of the fall were when his friends from Minnesota came to hunt pheasants and swap stories.

He will be sadly missed by his wife, Joan; sons Robert (Christine Reppe) Meier and Eric Meier all of Doland; grandchildren Stephanie (Tony) Holscher of Waubay, Garret (Alex LaBrie) Meier, Justin Meier, and Haley Meier all of Clark; great grandchildren Ava and Charlie Meier and grand-puppy Sammy.   He also leaves a sister-in-law, Gail Dudley of Watertown and several other in-laws.

Irwin was preceded in death by his parents, daughter Jean Meier, sister Joyce Zeglin and brother Dennis Meier. He also was preceded in death by sisters-in-law Nona Meier, nephew James Meier, mother-in-law Blanche Dudley, brother-in-law Jerry Dudley and other in-laws.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Furness Funeral Home at Clark where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com