Earl Althoff

Earl Althoff, 98, of Waubay, passed away, Friday, December 6, 2024, at his home near Waubay.

Funeral services will be 11:00 am Friday, December 13, 2024, at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Waubay and will be livestreamed via our Facebook page. Interment will be at Lakewood Cemetery.

Visitation will be Thursday, December 12, 2024, 5-7 pm with a 6 pm prayer service at the funeral home.

Memorials may be directed to Our Savior’s Lutheran Church (26 East 4th AVE, Waubay, SD 57273).

Earl Simon Althoff was born on April 1, 1926, to Simon and Ella (Gramberg) Althoff. When his four older sisters went to tell their dad that they had a baby brother, he said “April Fools!” At least that’s the story we were told. He had eleven siblings: six sisters and five brothers. He married Serine Adeline Holland on April 11, 1948. They celebrated 70 years of marriage before her death in September 2018.

They were blessed with nine children: Earlene (Harlan) Wickre, Dennis (Nancy) Althoff, Sheryl (Terry) Town, Dwight (Becky) Althoff, Rita (David) Buck, Ryan (Traci) Althoff, Gary Althoff, Gordon Althoff, and Lisa (Robert) Ryan. The family grew over the years to include 110 descendants. He was very proud of his nine children, 27 grandchildren, 62 great grandchildren, and 12 great-great grandchildren. There wasn’t anything that made him happier than to have a new baby to hold and family gatherings, when he would say, “Every day a party!”

Earl was baptized and confirmed at Our Savior’s Lutheran church in Waubay, and married at Tabor Lutheran Church, north of Webster. Earl was a hard worker all his life, growing up on a farm northeast of Waubay and starting his own farm just a quarter mile east of his parents after marrying Serine. He was a dairy farmer for most of his career, but also raised cash crops and did much custom work for neighbors and friends. The farm continued to be operated by sons Dwight and Gordon, and then grandson Gregory, but Earl always stayed involved one way or the other. He was always anxious for an update of farm activities when son Gordon got home. Gordon has lived with his dad for about eight years, caring for his mom for a couple years before she passed in 2018 and then staying on to care for his dad since then.

Earl enjoyed hunting as a younger man with a major hunting trip to Alaska with his brother Virgil where he bagged a trophy moose that hung in the family living room thereafter. He was also a trapper and reminded us often that he would have to trap a mink in order to afford gas for his car and a couple extra dollars to take Serine on a date. He also trapped scores of muskrats and raccoons and taught many of his sons and grandchildren the art of trapping. But, in his later years he was best known as a collector…of almost everything! This started as a boy, as he would often show us arrow heads he had found along Owen Creek or Indian hammers that were found while picking rock in the fields.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Simon and Ella Althoff, and he was greeted at the gates of heaven by his beloved wife Serine on her birthday, December 6, 2024. Also preceding him in death were sisters Evelyn Pies, Irene Pies, and Myrtle Burkhart; brothers Harold, Clarence, Virgil, Duane and Eugene; two sons-in-law (David Buck and Terry Town); one grandchild (Sarah Town) and one great grandchild (Lillian Stroup). He is survived by three sisters Verna Knapp, Dorothy Pies, and Marie Lippen-Graves; five sisters-in-law (Barbara Althoff, Gaila Althoff, Selma Evenson, Helen Nelson, and Elaine Holland); his nine children, two sons-in-law, three daughters-in-law, 26 grandchildren, 57 great grandchildren, and 11 great-great grandchildren, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.