Orville Fuoss

DRAPER - Orville Fuoss, 87, Draper, died Monday, May 16, 2011, at Rapid City Regional Hospital.

Orville James Fuoss was born Nov. 7, 1923, at the family farm in Kolls Township, north of Draper, the oldest of five children born to Henry and Olga (Liffengren) Fuoss.

Orville was baptized, confirmed and married at St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Draper. He knew his Bible well and attended Wednesday morning Bible class. He attended elementary school at Spears school in Virgil Township and North Kolls in Kolls Township and graduated from Draper High School in 1941.

He married Darline Valburg on Jan. 11, 1948, and to their union four children were born; Sonja, Carol, Dave and Bob.

He served on many local boards and was a director in several businesses. His profession was farming and raising cattle. He made the transition from farming with horses to tractors to tractors with satellite guidance steering. He easily adapted to Reduced Tillage and then No-Till conservation farming beginning in 1986. He truly loved the harvest season. His farm held conservation awards. He was proud to have been chosen for "Chamber Yard of the Week" last Aug. 12, at his Draper home. 

Survivors include his wife Darline of Draper; two sons, Dave Fuoss and his wife, Kathy, of Draper, and Bob Fuoss and his wife, Diane, of Draper; two daughters, Sonja Booth and her husband, LeRoy, of Draper, and Carol Shepherd and her husband, Tom, of Gillette, Wyo.; 10 grandchildren, Corina, Brent, Mike, Sara, Todd, Kyle, Lori, Andrew, Jennifer and Brad; eight great-grandchildren, Ty, Dylan, Saylor, Rachel, Emily, Madelyn, Aspen and Ryan; a brother, Floyd Fuoss, and his wife, Sylvia, of Sioux Falls; two sisters, Viola Lightfield of Brookings, and Mary Ann Johnson of Loveland, Colo.; and a host of other relatives and friends.

Orville was preceded in death by his sister, Barbra, in 1932; his dad, Henry, in 1949; his mom, Olga, in 1967; a son-in-law, Ray Besler, in 1976; and two brother-in-laws, Dale Johnson and Ernie Lightfield.

Funeral services will be at 11:30 a.m. (CDT) Saturday, May 21, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Draper, with Pastor Ray Greenseth officiating. Private family interment will be at the Draper Cemetery.

A memorial has been established.

Arrangements are with the Rush Funeral Home of Philip. His online guestbook is available at www.rushfuneralhome.com.