George O. Kaubisch

George O. Kaubisch

George O. Kaubisch, 95, of Sioux Falls, SD passed away peacefully on January 9, 2017 under the compassionate care of the Hospice team at the VA Medical Center Sioux Falls.

Visitation with the family present to greet friends will be 5:00 - 7:00 pm Thursday, January 12, at Miller Funeral Home-Downtown, 507 S. Main Ave.

Funeral Service will be 1:30 pm Friday, January 13, at First United Methodist Church, 401 S. Spring Ave. with burial to be at Black Hills National Cemetery, Sturgis, SD in May of 2017.

George Orland Kaubisch, son of Henry and Mabel (Wilcox) Kaubisch, was born June 4, 1921 in Whitewood, SD. He grew up with 8 brothers and sisters on the prairie of western South Dakota. George attended country school through the 8th grade. He then returned to the Black Hills where he worked as a ranch hand and in the saw mill industry. He married Virginia French in Sturgis on March 21, 1942. George then served in the Army as a Private in the Military Police Escort Guard Company. Following his honorable discharge on August 15, 1943, George attended training for a short time at the SD School of Mines while working as a fireman at Ellsworth Airforce Base. George and Virginia started a family and he loved them dearly. He traveled with his wife and children to work as a "lay-up" man on road construction projects in the western United States. He was trained to read blue prints and leveraged that training to work in the construction of many roads, bridges, and buildings. For a few years, George raised sheep near Newell, before moving with his family to Canton, SD in 1963. After years of working on construction projects, George settled in as a machinist for Bidwell Corporation in Canton until 1985. George was active in the Canton Methodist Church and kept busy maintaining a large home with multiple apartments until September of 1998. After selling their home, George and Virginia lived in a mobile home in Sioux Falls until her death on May 1, 2000. Even in his 80's, he enjoyed maintaining his home, building furniture, and tinkering in his garage. After a heart attack, he moved to an apartment, frequenting the library for books-on-tape, growing a garden on the complex property and wheeling about on his electric scooter. Prior to his death, George lived at Helping Hands Assisted Living in Brandon then for four years at the Inn on Westport in Sioux Falls. He listened to country music, and although legally blind, he was an avid reader using a magnifier to read the daily newspaper, Readers Digest, and 1 or more books each week. He enjoyed listening to and playing musical instruments. But most of all, he loved spending time with his wife and family. For his 95th birthday, relatives and friends gathered at The Inn on Westport to enjoy an old-style live musical performance. George was a member of the American Legion. He never missed voting in a Presidential election and kept informed of contemporary issues through the Argus Leader, AARP, and Legionnaire journals. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, several infant children, 2 sons (Delbert and Gregory), 5 brothers (Fred, August, Herman, Chris, Henry) and 3 sisters (Mary Petit, Freda Cowels, and Ellen Anderson).

Survivors include his children, Phyllis (Jack Akins) Burdette, Plymouth, MN, Darrell (Agnes) Kaubisch, San Antonio, TX, Doris Kaubisch, Mathis, TX, Gary (Ardell) Kaubisch, Marion, SD, Betty Winter, Oakdale, MN, Sally (Ron) Tilstra, Sioux Falls, SD, Wendy Kaubisch, Stacy, MN; 14 grandchildren, Chad, Scott, Brian, Angela, Doug, Denise, Jen, Jeff, Tim, Curt, Chris, Kara, Quincey, Jared; 22 great grandchildren; Lane, Luke, Brian Jr, Jonah, Nicholas, Elliott, Billy Bob, Tyler, Courtney, Zach, Taylor, Jeffrey, Tate, Carter, Peder, Kiley, Ethan, Matt, Sam, Adrianna, Savannah, Bane; three great great grandchildren.

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