Roger "Butch" Allen Claussen

Roger A. "Butch" Claussen, age 67, Clark, died peacefully in the Prairie Lakes Hospital at Watertown early Sunday morning, September 15, 2013. A memorial visitation will be held on Wednesday, September 18, 2013 from 5-7PM at the Furness Funeral Home in Clark. Memorial services will be held on Thursday, September 19, 2013 at 10:30 AM in the Bethlehem Lutheran Church (WELS) in Raymond with The Reverend Mark Guthmiller officiating. Burial with full military rites provided by the American Legion Baker Post #209 of Raymond and the South Dakota Air/Army National Honor Guard will be in the Prairie Valley Cemetery at Raymond. Barb Wegman will be the organist. Casketbearers will be Don Bowers, Jim Olverson, John Hermoe, Kim Aamodt, Dwight & Mark Noethlich. He was born Roger Allen Claussen on August 8, 1946 at Clark, the son of and youngest child of eight born to Hans and Hazel (Alter) Claussen. He attended Clark schools graduating in 1964. Butch as he became known then attended the Watertown Business University for the next year. On December 4, 1965 he was united in marriage to Jeanne Roberts at Raymond. A short time later he was drafted in September of 1966 into the United States Air Force and served his country honorably until March of 1970. While in the Air Force he lived in Texas and Tennessee. After his military service, he worked for a short time at Osco Drug in Watertown and then owned and operated the Double R Bar in Raymond. In 1974 he began farming near Raymond. Butch also served as a rural mail carrier beginning in 1993 retiring in 2011. He was a member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church (WELS) and the American Legion Baker Post #209 at Raymond. In his free time Butch could be found hunting, fishing, and spending time at the river and thoroughly loved spending time with his family, especially the grandchildren. Preceding him in death were his parents, his father-in-law, Russell Roberts, siblings, Helen (Reamer) Bowers, Donna (Harold "Corky") Clausen, Alice (Frank) Walsh, Richard "Bud" (Fran) Claussen and a brother in infancy, Philip George Claussen. Grateful for having shared in his life is his wife Jeanne of Clark, children, Russell (Nicole) Claussen of Devils Lake, ND, Robin (Dave) Woodring of Raymond and Ryan (Karla) Claussen of Clark, his mother-in-law, Margaret Roberts of Clark, 4 grandchildren, Jessica Claussen and fiancé, Sheldon Foster, Garrett Woodring and friend Carly Mehlberg, and Macenzie and Madison Walford. He also leaves siblings, Myra "Mike" (Gerald) Hartley of Clark and Betty (Don) Harper of Watertown and many nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends. Furness Funeral Home at Clark is serving the family where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com