John Eugene Sargent, 92, of Wessington Springs, SD, passed away Dec. 22, 2009 at Sunquest Healthcare Center, Huron, SD.

His funeral will be at the Foothills Bible Fellowship Church (Formerly Free Methodist Church) in Wessington Springs, SD, at 2:00 pm Tuesday Dec 29, 2009. Interment will be in Prospect Hill Cemetery.

John was born on May 31, 1917, to John M. and Laura (Orr) Sargent in a log cabin near Murdo, SD. He attended country schools around Murdo and graduated from Murdo High School in 1935. After working as a hired farm hand for a couple of years he enrolled at the Business College in Mitchell, SD, where he met Florence Morehead. They were united in marriage on Feb. 6th, 1939.

He worked in grocery stores in Mitchell, Gregory, Winner, Wessington, and Miller until 1945 when he and Florence started farming north of Wessington, SD. He also worked as an assessor in Hand County for several years. While living north of Wessington, the family attended an American Sunday Union church held in the Tipton School House. John was active as a Sunday School Teacher and Superintendent.

In 1955 the family bought a farm southwest of Wessington Springs, SD, where they lived until the present. John loved to farm and put in long hours. He especially enjoyed raising cattle, and riding his horse “Daisy”. He served on the Crow Lake Township Board, from 1959 to the present. He also occasionally worked for the USDA Crop Reporting Service, the U.S. Census Bureau, and for Orlin Shefner hauling gravel and grading gravel roads.

John was a devout member of the Wessington Springs Free Methodist Church. He taught a Sunday School Class for over 45 years and served as the Church Treasurer for more than 30 years. It broke his heart when he could no longer participate in the functions of the church he loved so much.

John is survived by his wife, Florence (90); one son, Billie (Eva), of Huron, SD; two daughters, Virginia (Donald) Grimm, of Azusa, CA; Beverly (Robert) Larsen, of Hudson, WI; one sister, Elaine (Francis) Martens, of Huron, SD; and one sister-in-law, Dorothy (Kenneth) Sargent, of Huron, SD; nine grandchildren and nineteen great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Kenneth, Roger, and Burton; three brothers-in-law, Francis Martens, Merwin Morehead and Harold Morehead; and five sisters-in-law, Edna (Roger) Sargent, Helen (Burton) Sargent, Helen and Anne (Merwin) Morehead and Ione (Harold) Morehead.

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