Virgil Hamann

Virgil D. Hamann, age 84, Clark, died in the Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls on Friday evening, November 12, 2010 after a brief illness. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at 10:30 AM in the St. Michaels Catholic Church at Clark with The Reverend Bill Hamak officiating. Burial will follow in the St. Boniface Cemetery at Clark. The organist will be Eileen Heilman and Bonnie Graves will be the song leader. Casketbearers will be his grandsons, Casey Benson, Jay Ryan, Mike Maas, R.J., Justin, Travis, Chris, Tyler and Jordan Hamann. All of Virgils granddaughters and the great-grandchildren will be honorary casketbearers. Visitation will be held on Monday from 5-7PM with a Liturgical Wake service beginning at 7PM all in the Furness Funeral Home Chapel at Clark. The casket will also be open at the Church on Tuesday morning after 9AM. He was born Virgil Dale Hamann on August 16, 1926 at Clear Lake, SD, the son of Theodore and Margaret (Broksieck) Hamann. He was schooled near Clear Lake through the 8th grade. Following his schooling he assisted on the family farm as well as area farmers hauling hay and other farm chores. He entered the United States Army and served his country in the early 1950s during the Korean Conflict. Following his honorable discharge, he returned to the area and then worked for a custom combining crew. On February 4, 1953 he was united in marriage to Marie Lenards at Kranzburg, SD. They lived in Watertown for a brief time and then in other communities in Eastern South Dakota. Virgil worked as a truck driver in the area for a time before moving to a farm near Raymond where he worked for Russ Roberts. Later he worked for Phil Grigg near Clark and then began employment with the Clark County Highway Department and then later became employed by the State of South Dakota, Department of Transportation, from which he later retired. Virgil also operated the Jimco Redi-Mix plant in Clark for a few years and helped at McCain Foods during harvest. Virgil never was afraid of work, having worked hard for many years and then after his retirement, could not sit idle and worked for various farmers around Clark. He was a longtime member of St. Michaels Catholic Church at Clark. Virgil thoroughly enjoyed being outdoors, farming and working in his own garden, a garden he was very proud of. He loved to cook, especially chicken and dumplings, and was also known around the area as being a specialist in small engine repair. There was hardly a lawn mower or snow blower in Clark and the surrounding area he did not know! In earlier years he enjoyed pheasant hunting and taking his children our fishing. Grateful for having shared his life is his wife of over 57 years, Marie of Clark, 7 children, Marlys (Bob) Benson of Clark, Karyl (John) Maas of Crocker, Randy (Brenda) Hamann of Roslyn, Charlene Chubbs (Loren Stanley) Hamann of Clark, Gary (Dawn) Hamann of South Shore, Lori Mehlberg of Rapid City and David (Peggy) Hamann of Watertown. He also leaves 18 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren, a sister, Treva Jean (Bob) Ries of Watertown and a sister-in-law, Dorothy Hamann of Circle Pines, MN. Preceding him in death were his parents, a brother Daryl Lee Hamann and a granddaughter Amber Mehlberg in 1985. Arrangements are announced by the Furness Funeral Home at Clark where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com