Paul E Lobitz

Paul E. Lobitz, age 92, Watertown, died in the Jenkins Living Center at Watertown on Monday evening, September 21, 2009. Memorial Services will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 10:30 AM in the Furness Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow in the Rose Hill Cemetery at Clark. The Reverend Warren Rhodes will officiate. Dorothy Fuller will be the organist. The soloist will be Wendy Christman. Military honors at the cemetery will be privided by the Smith-Cagley American Legion Post of Clark. There will be no visitation. He was born at Montrose, MN on September 7, 1917, the son of Edward and Elsie (Behr) Lobitz. The family moved when he was a child to Codington County and settled in the Grover/Hazel area where he attended school and graduated from Hazel High School. He then attended college in Huron until entering the United States Army in February of 1941. He obtained the rank of Staff Sergeant and was stationed in Iran for 3 years during WWII. In September of 1945 he was discharged. While serving in the Army, at home on leave, he and his sweetheart, Ivy Buskrud, eloped to Webster and were married on October 17, 1941. To this union two children were born, Mary and Roger. Following his discharge from the Army, they lived in various South Dakota communities where they taught. Paul began his teaching career at the Thorp School in Clark County. He also taught at Garden City, Raymond, Doland and Clark. The also owned and operated the Lobitz Store at Raymond with his mother from the late 1940s until selling the store in 1964. A fond memory of the Lobitz Store was at Christmas time when Paul would set up a Lionel train set and have displayed in the window of the store. Paul went back to college and obtained his degree in 1958. After nearly 67 years of marriage, Ivy died on May 25, 2008. During those many years, Paul and Ivy enjoyed many years of traveling, many times to see family, taking several Amtrak trips. They retired from teaching and have lived at Lake Kampeska since the late 1970s. In recent years due to declining health they have lived in various assisted living centers and at the Jenkins Living Center until their deaths. Paul had many hobbies including fishing, gardening, hunting and playing cards. He also enjoyed his time outside bicycling. He was a member of the United Methodist Church. Grateful for having shared in his life are his children, Mary (Norm) Stahl of Watertown and Roger (Karen) Lobitz of Eden Prairie, MN, 4 grandchildren, Erin, Nicholle, Paul D. and Kelann and a great-grand son, Seth. He also leaves a sister-in-law, Jung "Kim" Lobitz of Olympia, WA. Preceding him in death were his parents and a brother, Don Lobitz. Arrangements are with the Furness Funeral Home at Clark where there is an on-line registery at www.furnessfuneralhome.com