Randall James Amerson

Randall James Amerson
August 31, 1947 - September 15, 2025
Randall James Amerson, 78, was born and raised in Hayti, South Dakota where he spent his
early years on his family farm and later moved into town, attending Hayti High School as a
Redbird participating in multiple sports, having especially fond memories of a state level
basketball championship and playing trumpet with the band.
Randy went on to attend South Dakota State University in Brookings, serving in ROTC and
earning his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Employed by Honeywell in
Minneapolis, MN after graduation, he soon transferred to Chicago where he would meet and
work with his future brother-in-law, then with Landys and Gear, and finally retiring with Siemens.
He liked telling the story of when he and a team from Honeywell worked on designs for air
controls for the Sears Tower and got to ride up in a construction elevator. On June 3rd, 1972
Randy married his loving wife of 53 years, Susan Worth. They had two children, Kirsten and
Brian, and moved to Johnsburg in 1978 where they would raise their family for 20 years before
building their current home in Spring Grove. Randy earned the name of Papa in 2003 when his
first granddaughter Sidney was born, and again with Mackenzie in 2009 and he loved those girls
with his whole heart and spoiled them every chance he could!
Randy had a passion for classic cars, particularly Chevys and Pontiacs, history, music,
especially the Beach Boys and Eagles, singing in his church choir, attending his
granddaughters' orchestra performances and supporting his family. He enjoyed golfing with his
son, sport shooting, getting in a few laughs from Bob Newhart, George Carlin and Johnny
Carson to name a few, and indulging in a fresh batch of lefse every now and then. (A
Scandinavian treat passed down from his grandmothers) Even after retirement, Randy loved
spending time having lunches at Culver's with his engineering friends, sharing stories and
remembering fun times together. Randy was a quiet fighter, living with heart health challenges,
cancer and the sudden loss of their son in 2004 yet he still graced those he met or loved with
his signature smile and genuine kindness. He is preceded in death by his parents Nona
(Opdahl) and James Amerson, son Brian Amerson, and dear cousin Cherry Beck. Survived by
his wife, Susan (Worth) Amerson, daughter and son-in-law Kirsten and William Green,
granddaughters Sidney and Mackenzie, sister Kay (Scott) Shelsta, 10 nieces and nephews,
and 16 great nieces and nephews, along with many more adoring family members. His
presence in their lives will be greatly missed and always treasured.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention by
visiting afsp.org or to Woodstock D200 Music Boosters at d200musicboosters.org Click on
donors in the menu, and please choose any school of your choice. Randy's granddaughters
both played with Westwood, Creekside, and Woodstock High School orchestras.
For information, please call the Justen Funeral Home, 815-385-2400, or visit www.justenfh.com, where friends and loved ones may share memories of Randall on his tribute wall.