Ervin Orth, age 90, of Watertown, SD, passed away on Sunday, July 9, 2017, at his residence in Watertown, SD, with the love and support of his family. Visitation will be at the Crawford-Osthus Funeral Chapel in Watertown on Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. with a 7:00 p.m. prayer service. Pastor Carl VanVoorst will officiate. Burial will take place at 10:00 a.m. (MST) on Friday, July 14, 2017, at the Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, SD. VA Chaplain Micah Covington will officiate. Military graveside honors will be by the Funeral Honors Team of the SD National Guard and the Sturgis Honor Guard.
Ervin was born to Friedrich "Fred" and Martha (Fried) Orth on February 2, 1927, in rural Artas, near Eureka, SD, where he was raised and attended school.
He was a kind and gentle soul who had great faith. Ervin was a veteran of the Korean War, where he served during the years of 1951 to 1952. Following an honorable discharge from the military, he married Berniece Bauer on November 27, 1952, at Eureka, SD.
To this union one daughter, Barbara, was born.
Ervin and Berniece lived and worked on his family's farm for eight years before moving to Fargo, ND, where he attended Barber School.
Upon receiving his degree, they moved to Rapid City, SD, where they lived for 49 years.
Ervin was a barber for most of those years, working at the Air Force base, Baken Park Barber Shop, Oscar's Barber Shop, East Boulevard Barber Shop and eventually purchasing his own business, Erv's Barber Shop.
He accumulated a wealth of jokes during those years and had one to share for most situations. After retiring, Ervin and Berniece became "snow birds" in Arizona. They moved to Watertown in 2011 to be closer to Barb.
In his active years, Ervin was a talented handyman, working on cars and home projects and always enjoyed a good dance.
Grateful for having shared Ervin's life was his wife of 62 years, Berniece, who passed away in 2015; one daughter and son-in-law, Barb and Jeff Dunn, of Watertown; two grandchildren, Kyle (Nicole) Dunn of Sioux Falls, SD, and Kristin (George) Strompolos of West Hollywood, CA; one great-grandson, Braylon Dunn; two sisters, Bertha Turnquist of Aberdeen, SD, and Linda Kirschenman of Eureka, SD; one sister-in-law, Helena Bauer; and many nieces, nephew and in-laws.
He is preceded in death by his wife; his parents; four brothers; and two sisters.
Committal
Friday July 14, 2017 10:00 AM
Service Details.
Visitation
When: July 12, 2017 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Location: Crawford-Osthus Funeral Chapel
Address: 208 3rd St SW De Smet SD SD 57231
Service
When: July 12, 2017 7:00pm
Location: Crawford-Osthus Funeral Chapel
Address: 208 3rd St SW De Smet SD SD 57231
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