Sylvester R. Thomas September 08, 1926 – September 10, 2018 Share this obituary Send Flowers Sign Guestbook| View Guest Book Entries| Send Sympathy Card Sylvester “Vessy” R. Thomas, 92, Rosholt, SD, passed away Monday, September 10, 2018, at the Countryside Inn Assisted Living in Rosholt. Funeral Mass will be Thursday, September 13, at 10:30 a.m. at St. John’s Catholic Church in Rosholt with Father Stanley Wieser officiating. Music will be provided by organist Lana Sand.
Burial will be in the St. Nicholas Cemetery, rural Rosholt. Military honors will be provided by the Read Veflin American Legion Post 180 of New Effington, SD. Pallbearers will be Vessy’s godsons, Melvin Braun, Myron Foltz, Kenny Zach, and Tim Thomas; and grandsons, Shane Thomas and Jason Thomas.
Visitation will be Wednesday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. followed by a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. at the Eggers Funeral Home in Rosholt. Visitation will continue Thursday one hour prior to the service at the church. Sylvester (Vessy) Raymond Thomas was born September 8, 1926, in White Rock Township, SD, to Helmuth and Elizabeth (Brockhaus) Thomas.
He was baptized and confirmed at St. John’s Catholic Church in Rosholt, SD. Vessy worked with his father on the family farm until his father’s passing in 1946. He then continued farming on his own until 1953.
On September 3, 1953, Vessy enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed at Fort Benning, GA. On August 24, 1954, Vessy was united in marriage to Regina June Keller in Tintah, MN. They had 63 wonderful years together.
After their marriage, Gina joined Vessy in Fort Benning. On September 2, 1955, Vessy was honorably discharged and they moved back to the family farm. They lived there for 60 years raising their family and farming, raising chickens and pigs and milking cows.
Gina passed away March 3, 2018. Vessy served on the Valley Creamery board and the White Rock Township board. He was a devoted member of St. John’s Catholic Church and was a trusted member of the church council.
After he retired from farming, you could always find Vessy tinkering in his shop. He enjoyed building bird houses and model airplanes for anyone who wanted one. If he wasn’t in his shop, he could probably be found having coffee or making a trip to the casino.
He had a passion for guns and fireworks; the 4th of July was his favorite holiday. Any time the grandkids or great-grandkids would come to visit, he would always have some firecrackers to shoot off or have a gun ready to shoot for fun. For the last year, Vessy lived at Countryside Inn Assisted Living in Rosholt where he enjoyed playing “whist” and a new-found hobby of coloring.
Vessy is survived by his five children, Larry Thomas of Rosholt, Vicky (Jeff) Braaten of Hankinson, ND, Billy (Cindy) Thomas of Rosemount, MN, Lenny (Carol) Thomas of Rosholt, and Brian (Angie) Thomas of San Antonio, TX; 18 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; and his sister, Evelyn Gaulrapp of Altoona, WI. Vessy was preceded in death by his parents; his beloved wife, Regina Thomas; his children, Jeanne and Wayne Thomas; sisters, Josephine Hahn, Lauretta Braun, Rosella Foltz, Eleanor Zach, and Alice Stueve; and brothers, Arnold Thomas, Elmer Thomas, and Emmanuel Thomas.
If you found any mistakes, or you would like to add/remove to this obituary, please contact us by email: info@obituary.memorial. We never ask money for this.
