Michael "Mick" Thon

Michael “Mick” Thon, age 74, of Yankton, SD, died on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Yankton with Reverend Jeff Otterman officiating. Military honors provided by the Ernest-Bowyer VFW Post No. 791 and US Navy Funeral Honors will follow the service. The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, July 12, at the Wintz & Ray Funeral Home in Yankton with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. The burial will take place at Beaver Creek Cemetery in rural Hatton, ND, at a later date. 

Mick was born August 31, 1949, in Langdon, ND to Julius and Katie (Koehn) Thon. He grew up in Langdon where he graduated from St. Alphonsus Catholic High School. After high school, Mick attended the University of North Dakota for one year and had a little fun. Rather than being drafted, Mick choose to serve his country and enlisted in United States Navy. He was stationed on the USS Robison as a radar man and served during the Vietnam War for four years. He valued the relationships he made with the other radar men he served alongside, and they continued to gather for reunions over the years.

After being honorably discharged, Mick returned to the University of North Dakota and graduated with a degree in business and public administration. Mick married Vickie Ness on June 26, 1976, at Beaver Creek Lutheran Church in rural Hatton. He began a career as an agronomist for Cargill in Langdon, which later took him to Yankton and Bingham Lake, MN. In 2010, Mick and Vickie returned to Yankton and in January 2016 he “retired.” During retirement, he enjoyed working with a good family friend helping out on his farm. Throughout the years, Mick made lifelong friends who enjoyed telling stories, laughing, and reliving the good times.

Mick was the proud father of three children and two grandchildren: Kelly (Yankton), Jennifer (Mankato, MN), Elizabeth (Mankato), Nicholas (Philip, SD), and Katrina (Emery, SD). In addition to his family, Mick’s passion was hunting and fishing. He was a sharpshooter who treasured all the hunting and fishing trips with his friends and family, especially teaching his children and grandchildren how to hunt. He taught hunter safety classes and attended with all three children and his grandson. He loved reloading shells and sharpening the many knives in his collection. Mick also loved supporting and watching his children and grandchildren in their sports and other activities. He often spent hours talking on the phone with his children. Mick was deeply loved and will be greatly missed. He was a devoted and loving husband and father. The life lessons he imparted will stay with us forever.

Mick is survived by his wife, Vickie Thon; three children: Kelly, Jennifer, and Elizabeth Thon; two grandchildren, Nicholas and Katrina Thon; his brother, Patrick Thon; sister-in-law, Ellen Thon; sister-in-law, Verna Thon; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Lyle and Karen Ness; and several nieces and nephews. 

Mick was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Robert and Thomas Thon.