George L. Dewey

RAPID CITY - George L. Dewey, 95, Rapid City, passed away Wednesday, May 11, 2011, at the Fort Meade Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

George was born Dec. 23, 1915, in Centralia, Okla., the fourth of eight children to Theron and Minnie (Snider) Dewey. He was raised and educated in Oklahoma and Texas. He was united in marriage to Leota Laing on June 24, 1937, in Kingman, Kan. George served in the U.S. Navy during WWII.

George was a certified welder and did contract welding in Borger, Texas, for 10 years. He moved to South Dakota in November 1949, where he owned and operated a Grade A dairy, milking over 100 cows and later raised registered angus cattle. George also helped to build Titan and Minuteman missile sites in S.D., Wyo., and N.D. He did testing on Titan Missiles in Washington and was a superintendent for Natkin Mechanical Contractors in Ill. George was the business manager of the Plumbers and Pipefitters over the western half of South Dakota for nine years and retired in December 1979.

George was a member of many organizations. He was a 52-year member of both the Blue Lodge Masonic Order and Scottish Rite in Texas and a 25+ year member of the Shrine in Deadwood and vice president and president of the Naja Cowboys Shrine Unit.

He was a Buckaroo Trail Ride member since 1969 and a 38-year member of Elks 1187 of Rapid City. He was on the Elks Board of Trustees from 1980-1983 and honored to be chosen Elk of the Year 1983-1984. He was an avid golfer and played in the National Elks Tournament at Southern Pines, N.C., in 1981. He experienced two hole-in-ones in his golf career.

Survivors include a son, Gerald L. Dewey, Rapid City; a daughter, Carla Jean Johnson, Hot Springs; six grandchildren; a step-grandson, Todd Dathe; 14 great-grandchildren; and a brother, James Dewey, Borger, Texas.

Preceding him in death were his wife, Leota in 2006; a son, Darrell in 2007; his parents; four brothers; and two sisters.

Visitation will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 15, at Kirk Funeral Home.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Monday, May 16, at the First United Methodist Church with Pastor Doug Diehl officiating. Interment, with military honors by VFW Post 1273, will follow at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis with a "final ride" from the Western South Dakota Buckaroo's.

His online guestbook is available at www.kirkfuneralhome.com.

A memorial has been established.