David Erfman

David J. Erfman, 72, of St. Lawrence, passed away Friday, March 27, 2026, at home following a courageous battle of recently diagnosed Epithelioid Angiosarcoma, a very rare form of cancer.

Visitation with family present will be held Friday, April 10 beginning at 9:00 AM immediately followed by a memorial service at 10:30 AM at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Wolsey with the Rev. Scott Spiehs officiating. Burial will follow at St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery, Wolsey.

David John Erfman was born July 13, 1953, at Hand County Memorial Hospital in Miller, the son of John Louis and Lillian Viola (Lorenz) Erfman. He joined two older sisters to complete their family. He lived his entire life on the family farmstead in York Township, Hand County, South Dakota.

David began his education at Kelly School, a one-room country school located a couple miles from their home. When the country school closed following his fourth grade year, he transferred to the St. Lawrence School which he attended through the eighth grade until its closure. He then completed his education at Miller High School, graduating with the Class of 1971.

Following graduation, he joined his parents on the farm and took over the operation in 1979, upon the death of his father. He also worked for several area farmers. In the later years, he sold insurance and advertising until he was diagnosed with cancer the first time in 2010, and his health prevented him from traveling.

He was baptized and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Miller. He served as Sunday School Superintendent there for many years. He was active in the Miller Jaycees where he served as president as well as other local and district offices and helped with many community service projects.

David was united in marriage to Janice Kay Stegeman on May 28, 1983, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Wolsey with the Rev. Hyle Anderson officiating. To this union were born their pride and joy, Joshua David in 1985 and Sarah Elizabeth in 1990.

In his spare time, David enjoyed pitching horseshoes in local leagues and state tournaments where he came away with many trophies. In 1981, he placed first in his division at the National Horseshoe Pitching Association World Tournament held at the Preimesberger Arena in Genola, Minnesota. It was through his love for the sport of horseshoe pitching that he met his future wife. He was active in local volleyball and bowling leagues and was an avid Duke and Vikings fan.

He served on the Hand County Republican Committee for many years and was able to see two U.S. Presidents in person. He found pleasure in hunting, especially pheasant and deer, as well as collecting cards and coins. One of David’s favorite pastimes was mowing. He looked forward to the beauty and peacefulness of the outdoors. He taught his children the importance of good work ethics by helping them mow lawns for various customers as their first jobs.

He enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and sharing all of his pets with them. Grandpa always had buckets full of water balloons waiting for them, no matter the season. He had a great sense of humor and enjoyed making people laugh. Over the years he rescued various animals and gave them all the attention they needed. For the past 13 years, he looked forward to gathering for the annual family vacation at various locations throughout the state. Time spent with family was very important to him especially with his health struggles.

Left to cherish his memories are his wife of almost 43 years, Janice Erfman of St. Lawrence; a son, Joshua (Juliana) Erfman and their children, Jordan, Jayden and Jemma, of Highmore; a daughter, Sarah (Aaron) Schneider and their children, Cameron and Carter, of Aberdeen; a sister, Carolyn (Jim) LaMont of Willow Lake; and a brother-in-law, Claire Thomas of Huron. He was also a fun-loving uncle to many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his father in 1979 and his mother in 1982; his parents-in-law, Gerhardt and Margaret Stegeman; and a sister, Beverly Thomas.