Clinton Lewis Fuerst, 91, Tripp, SD, died Sunday, January 21, 2018, under hospice care at the Tripp Good Samaritan Center.  The funeral service will be at 11:00 a.m.  on Friday, January 26, 2018, at First American Lutheran Church, Tripp.  Burial with Military rites will be in Gracehill Cemetery, Tripp.  Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. at the First American Lutheran Church in Tripp.  Arrangements are under the direction of Will Funeral Chapel of Mitchell, SD.

Clinton Lewis Fuerst was born on November 28, 1926, on the farm 11 miles northeast of Tripp, SD, to Emil and Dorathea (Schlenker) Fuerst.  He was baptized on Dec. 19, 1926 by Rev. J. Koeppel at the Kulm Lutheran Church, a rural church near their farm.  He was confirmed on April 6, 1941 by Rev. Schmitt at Dennewitz Lutheran Church of rural Tripp, SD.  He attended Schlenker Country School for all eight grades and then went to Tripp High School, graduating in 1945.

Clinton lived his entire life in the Tripp area except for his two years of military service during the Korean War, from Feb. 28, 1951 to Feb. 27, 1953. Clinton was a radio operator in the Army 505th Signal Corp. He started his training at Camp Gordon in Georgia. During his two years in the Army he was also stationed at Fort Hood in Texas, Camp Cooke (which is now Vandenberg Air Force Base) in California, and Camp San Luis Obispo in California. He was honorably discharged as a Corporal.

Clinton met the love of his life, Olinda Schultz, at Hinks Café in Tripp, SD in August of 1952 and married her on April 24, 1955 at Friedens Reformed Church in Tripp.  Clinton and Olinda worked side-by-side on the farm while raising their 6 children.  They stayed on the farm until their retirement in 1990.  At this time, they moved to Tripp, SD.  Clinton lived there until March of 2015 when he entered the Tripp Good Samaritan Center.

Clinton was active in various organizations throughout the years. He was quite young when he started the Lakeview 4-H club in 1950 and was the club's leader until he was drafted.  Clinton was an active supporter of 4-H even after his retirement.  For several years in the 1990's you could find him working as a volunteer at the SD State Fair.  He was named SD Master Pork Producer in 1976.  Clinton was on the Board of Directors for Tripp Farmers Union Oil "Cenex" for several years.  He also served as a supervisor for the Hutchinson County Soil Conservation District for 32 years.  Conservation was always a top priority of Clinton's, a principle which he passed on to his children.  Clinton was an active member of the American Legion in Tripp for over 60 years. He was commander of the Jelkin-Harms Post 142 from 1992-1995 and served as adjutant for several years after that.  Over the years, Clinton served several terms on the First American Lutheran Church Council.

After retiring to Tripp, Clinton was well known for having a showplace yard with many beautiful flowers and for having three vegetable gardens.  He was a volunteer caretaker of trees and shrubbery at his church and the Tripp Fair Grounds. He was also an avid stamp collector.

Grateful for having shared his life are his 6 children: Carol (Doug) Adams of Ethan, SD, Dennis (Jodi) Fuerst of Tripp, SD, Joyce (Kevin) Callies of Sioux Falls, SD, Douglas (Lisa) Fuerst of Mitchell, SD, Robert (Tammy) Fuerst of Mitchell, SD, Rachel (Matt Bolster) Fuerst of Ames, IA; 15 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Olinda, in 2016; one brother, Arthur Fuerst; and one sister, Lora Streyle.