Earl Ray Tech

Earl Ray Tech was born to Edgar and Dora (Frerichs) Tech December 9, 1938, in Burke, South Dakota. He was the second youngest of seven children. He grew up on the family farm, first attending Pleasant Valley Country School and then Naper High School through his junior year. He graduated with the class of 1956 from Bonesteel High School because his family moved to St. Charles, SD to open the Tech Standard Station.
After high school Earl joined the U.S. Navy and served for four years on the U.S.S. Northhampton CLC-1 Flagship touring the Atlantic. As part of his service, he was granted early discharge to attend college at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion where he studied mathematics and physics. With his bachelor's degree he secured a job with the University of California at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and later transferred to the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico where he worked as a group leader, managing classified projects and physicists with PhDs until his retirement.
Always an avid fisherman and hunter, Earl spent many hours in the out of doors, passing along his love for outdoor adventure to his children and grandchildren. He always wanted to get back to farming and ranching the way he grew up. He became a weekend farmer and rancher in Ocate, New Mexico raising a 100 head of cows and calves, putting up oats, baling alfalfa hay, and going on cattle drives to the Ten High for mountain meadow summer grazing and round up. After his Uncle Harold retired from farming Earl came into the Frerichs family homestead in Gregory County, SD and was able to realize his dream of returning to the farming roots of his childhood. He moved from his home in Santa Fe, NM to the homestead, and spent the remainder of his life running, renovating, and expanding the property until his death on June 9, 2025, at the Avera Gregory Hospital.
Earl is survived by his children Carol (Ken) Litherland, Yulia Sergveena (Matt) Manokina-Gallegos, and Sophia Tech; his grandchildren Linda Wegner, Christina Litherland, Nicky (Thomas) Litherland, Katyanna, Geovanni and Zaillah Manokina-Gallegos, and Ricky and Anastazia O'Leary; his sister-in-law Judy Tech, and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Judy Shelby Tech, with whom he shared a special bond. They both loved living on the farm in South Dakota and traveling the world. He became a widower in 2015. Other relatives who predeceased him, include his parents, Edgar and Dora, his daughter, Cindy Wegner, his brothers Darrell Tech and LaVerne Tech, and his sisters Phyllis Tech, Betty Martin, Iola Frank, and Janet Speidel.
Earl was not eager to leave this life. He had a fishing trip planned this weekend with his nephews and wanted to go out for some green chile enchiladas with friends at El Pinto on his next trip to New Mexico whenever he would fit that in. And he surely wanted to see how much the corn crop brought in with the tiling he put in to expand the homestead's farmable land. He will miss this life and we will all miss him.
Funeral services for Earl Tech, age 86, of Burke, SD were held at 10:30 am on Friday, June 13, 2025, at Prairie View Gospel Barn, Gregory, SD, with Pastor Keith Cline officiating.
Recorded music was "Amazing Grace" and "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" by Alan Jackson.
Deb Bartling and Diane Boska were in charge of registration.
Casket Bearers were Thomas Litherland, Daniel Tech, David Tech, Doug Roggow, Justin Bartling, and John Frank.
Military Honors were by the Gregory American Legion and the National Navy Honors Team.
Burial was in the Tech Family Cemetery of rural Burke, SD.