Howard Schwenn

Howard Schwenn, 87, of Gettysburg, passed away on Friday, July 3, 2015 at the Avera Gettysburg Hospital. 

Funeral services were held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, July 9, 2015, at the United Methodist Church, Gettysburg with Pastor Jeff Adel presiding. Burial was held at Black Hills National Cemetery, Sturgis with full military honors. Visitation was held from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 8, 2015 with a 7:00 p.m. prayer service, all at the church. 

Howard William Schwenn was born on July 12, 1927 in Redfield, SD to Hattie (Haessig) and Ruben Schwenn.  He attended school in Spink County near Athol, in Orient, and also at the Reppert School of Auctioneering in Decatur, Indiana in 1946.  He was confirmed in the Orient Lutheran Church, which was very important to him.  Howard entered the US Army in 1951 and flew from Adak, Alaska to Yokohama, Japan where he was stationed at Camp McGill during the Korean War.  He met the love of his life, Edith (Stanley) Schwenn, at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, CO; they married on July 8, 1967 at the First Methodist Church in Sterling, CO. 

Howard had various jobs throughout the years.  He worked as an auctioneer, sold cattle oil, oilers, and auxiliary tanks for tractors.  He did custom stack moving, windrowing, and farming in many counties. Howard worked at the Faulkton Livestock Market, the Gettysburg Livestock Market, the Magness Livestock Market in Huron, and for Dale Dockendorff at the Corsica Livestock Market.  He was Ringman at many bull and horse sales throughout South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Canada.  Howard loved to farm with his John Deere tractors and spent much time picking rocks to clean up his fields. 

Howard enjoyed attending auction sales, parades, ag. banquets, auctioneer contests, and family reunions.  He also enjoyed spending time with family and friends and driving around looking at crops and machinery in implement lots.  He was an avid reader of the green sheet, newspapers, and farm magazines. 

Howard was a member of the Gettysburg American Legion.  He was a charter member of the South Dakota Auctioneers Association which he helped organize in 1962; he was secretary-treasurer for the organization from 1970-1973.  Howard was the Vice President of the Athol Cemetery Association for many years

Howard’s life will be cherished by his wife of 48 years, Edith Schwenn; his sisters:  Hazel Anderson, Alvina Stearns, and Carolyn Nystrom; his sisters-in-law:  LaVern Ellwanger, Joan Stanley, Roberta Stanley, Mildred Fisher, Mary Allred, Carolyn Hughes, Judy Kummer; his brothers-in-law:  Marion, Bernard, Daniel, Clayton, and Marvin Stanley, Rex Allred, David Hughes, and Fred Kummer; cousins:  Mary Jeanne Butgereit and Bill (Foresta) Pullman; and many nieces and nephews. 

Howard is preceded in death by his parents; his sisters, Helen Schwenn and Joyce Brown; brother, Clair “Shorty” Schwenn; nieces: Bonnie Dewell and Marvella Maxwell; his nephews:  Jerry Sporer and David Stanley; his great-nephew, Jake Wiley; his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Velma and Brooks Stanley; and brothers-in-law, Gilbert Stanley and Howard Fisher. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed to the Methodist Church Building Fund, the Lutheran Church Building Fund, or the Gettysburg Fire Department. 

Luce Funeral Home of Gettysburg has been entrusted with Howard’s arrangements.