Ralph Lloyd Greslin

1943 - 2021

Ralph Lloyd Greslin

PIEDMONT | Ralph Lloyd Greslin, 78, of Piedmont, SD, passed away on December 7, 2021, in Rapid City, SD. Ralph was born on April 4, 1943, in Deadwood, SD to Fred and Diana (Faye) Greslin. He was the second of six children with two brothers and three sisters. He attended grade school at St. Patrick's in Lead through sixth grade, moving then to Deadwood High School from grades 7-12. He graduated from Deadwood High School in 1961.

Growing up in the Maitland area, Ralph loved spending time with his siblings exploring the abandoned mine sites and gaining a love for being outdoors, a passion he held throughout the rest of his life. During his high school years, he spent much of his time as an attendant at his father's service stations in Lead and Central City, a time that ignited a lifelong love of automobiles, mechanics, and machinery of any kind. After high school, he got a job for the US Forest Service. One experience he was particularly proud of part of the Missoula Smoke Jumpers in Montana as a parachuting firefighter to wildland fires in the Northwest. When he returned to Deadwood, he worked in logging operations in the Black Hills National Forest and joined the South Dakota National Guard in 1965 where he served for six years.

Ralph married Carleen Kittelman on August 11, 1967, after which the couple moved to Watertown where he attended Lake Area Vocational School in 1968 to study architectural drafting. This led him into a career in construction, beginning with a position as a draftsman for Knecht Lumber Company in Rapid City and then on to start his own construction business in 1973. He remained in the field as a general contractor until his retirement in 2012.

Ralph is survived by his wife of 54 years, Carleen Greslin of Piedmont, SD; son Eric (Erika) of Deerwood, MN; daughter Connie (Jeremy) Anderson of Sturgis, SD; son Lonnie (Cecilia) of Vicenza, Italy; son Michael (Jenny) of Spearfish, SD; brother Ken (Della) of Broadus, Montana; sister Julie (Bill) Wilson of Sturgis, SD; brother Don (Judy) of Sturgis, SD; sister Rita of Sturgis, SD; sister Tina (Keith) Lavender of Sturgis, SD; twelve grandchildren and two great grandchildren as well as several nieces, nephews, and cousins. Ralph was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Diana Greslin.

A Celebration of Life in memory of Ralph will be held on January 8, 2022, at 1:00 pm at LifeSpring Wesleyan Church (2105 W Lazelle St, Sturgis, SD 57785). A lunch reception will follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations made in Ralph's honor go towards continued work at LifeSpring Wesleyan Church of Sturgis or to furthering values-based education at Prism North America where two of his grandkids attend school (2855 E Joyce Blvd, Fayetteville, AR, 72703).