Obituary for Eldon John Ickes Eldon John Ickes, 83, passed away peacefully of natural causes Saturday, September 1, 2018 at Legacy House Assisted Living in South Ogden, UT. Eldon was a very loving father, grandfather, and friend. He will be greatly missed.
Eldon was born on November 5, 1934 to Enoch and Bernita (Bick) Ickes in his grandmother’s farm house in Hanson County, South Dakota. He attended country schools in Hanson County through the eighth grade, then moved to Mitchell for his high school education. After graduating from Mitchell Senior High in 1952, he honorably served in the United States Army during the Korean War era from 1953 to 1956.
Following his discharge he moved to Idaho, where he completed two years of the Civil Engineering curriculum at Idaho State University. He then transferred to South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering in 1963. He met his wife, Julie Howes, in Pocatello, ID and they were married in 1966.
They had two daughters, Hallie and Diana. They later divorced. Eldon had many opportunities to experience life in several cities throughout the west while advancing his career.
His first engineering position was with the U.S. Forest Service in Challis, ID. He then worked in the city engineer’s office in Pocatello for several years before accepting the City Engineer position at Baker City, OR, and later, at Laramie, WY. Following the Laramie assignment he joined the engineering staff of the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs at Poplar, MT, and later spent twelve years as Assistant City Engineer in Billings, MT.
He settled back in Mitchell, SD for 30 years before moving to South Ogden, UT where he spent his final 3 years. Eldon loved the outdoors, camping, hunting, working on cars, and the wild west. He was an avid musician, who loved to sing, play trumpet and guitar.
He loved spending time with his family and friends, who were most important to him. Eldon was a strong man of integrity, and will be remembered most by his sense of humor, sweet smile, love of storytelling, and patriotism. Surviving are his daughter, her spouse, and three grandchildren: Diana (Josh) Nuss, Maddie, Natalie, and Sierra.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his daughter, Hallie Ickes. Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, September 24, 2018 at Will Funeral Chapel, 210 Green Drive, Mitchell, SD. Friends are invited to visit with the family at the viewing starting an hour before the services.
Interment with military honors, Graceland Cemetery, Mitchell, SD.
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