Marvin Joseph Deslauriers

Marvin J. Deslauriers, age 86, Watertown, formerly of Clark, died Tuesday, March 11, 2008 in the Good Samaritan Center at DeSmet where he had resided for the past 2 years. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, March 15, 2008 at 10:30 AM in the St. Michael's Catholic Church at Clark with Fr. Cathal Gallagher officiating. Military rites will follow in front of the Church with a dinner after in the Church fellowship hall. Private burial will follow the dinner in the St. Boniface Cemetery at Clark. Casketbearers will be Corey & Derek Helms, Aaron Huston, Ryan Wise, Brian Boebel and Matthew Lindeman. Music will be provided by Matthew Hinds. Ushers will be Darwin and Don Deslauriers. A public prayer service will be held on Friday at 7PM in the Church at Clark with Father John Lantsberger officiating. He was born on a farm near Turton, SD, on November 21, 1921, the son of Harvey and Mayvne (St. Peter) Deslauriers. He attended school in the Turton and Raymond area graduating from Raymond High School in 1939. In the fall of 1942 he joined the United States Navy and attended radio school in Indianapolis, IN. He then was shipped to Perth, Australia where he served as a Radio Operator on the Admirals staff during most of his term in the service during WWII. In December of 1945 he was honorably discharged at the rank of Acting Chief Petty Officer. On October 30, 1945 he was united in marriage to Wanda Beavers of Raymond. The couple lived in Raymond where Marvin became the Standard Oil Agent in July of 1946. After some 18 years in Raymond and as his Standard Oil business expanded, they decided to move house and all to Clark. After 30 years as a Standard Oil agent he retired in 1976 and bought the business which became known as Deslauriers Oil Company retiring in 1986. The couple moved to Lake Kampeksa in 1990. They wintered in Arizona 18 years and enjoyed years of traveling together, having gone to all the States except Alaska. In May of 2006 Marvin moved into the DeSmet Good Samaritan Center where he has lived until his death. While living in Raymond, he served as the President of the School Board, was Fire Chief, coached little league baseball, sponsored a bowling team for many years enjoyed gardening, hunting fishing and being a father to his three daughters. Other organizations he was proud to be a member was the Clark Rotary Club, being a Paul Harris Fellow, a member of the Clark VFW Post #4994 and the Raymond American Legion Baker Post #209. He will long be remembered for his love of sports, sitting down and watching TV for hours, as long as a sports event was on. He also enjoyed woodworking. He was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic faith, a faith that was very important to him his entire lifetime. Grateful for having shared in his life is his wife of over 62 years, Wanda of Watertown, Starr (Michael) ONeil of Bloomington, MN, Roxene (Dennis) Helms of DeSmet and DeAnna (Terry) Helms of Aberdeen; grandchildren, Heather ONeil, Courtney (Aaron) Huston, Darby Helms, Sacha (Ryan) Wise, Derek (Tasha) Helms, Corey (Kelli) Helms, Erika (Brian) Boebel and Lana (Matthew) Lindeman and 12 great-grandchildren; siblings, Jerry (Verla) Deslauriers, Patricia Danforth and Arlene Sutton. He also leaves a sister-in-law, Erlene Deslauriers and a brother-in-law, John Solheim. Preceding him in death were his parents, 3 brothers, Robert, Glen and Richard (Dick) Deslauriers, a sister Vanetta Solheim and brothers-in-law, Donald Danforth and Robert Sutton. Furness Funeral Home at Clark is serving the family where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com