David Lanz

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David Stanley Lanz, 92, of St. Lawrence, passed away Sunday, February 11, 2024, at the Good Samaritan Society in Miller.

Visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m., followed by a 10:00 a.m. prayer service, Friday, February 16, 2024, at the First Presbyterian Church in Miller. Private burial will be at the St. Lawrence Cemetery.

David Lanz was born on May 12, 1931, in Miller, Hand County to Louie W. and Myrtle LaVelle (Jackson) Lanz. He joined an older sister, LaVelle Rae, and an older brother, Louie CC Lanz, north of St. Lawrence. David attended country school north of St. Lawrence and graduated from Miller in 1949. 

David married Eleanor Van Den Berg on January 1, 1950, in Miller, SD in the middle of a blizzard. Together they raised three daughters: Leanna, Vicky, and Brenda on the family farm north of St. Lawrence. Through all their years together, you would often see Dave and Eleanor holding hands around town. Dave and Eleanor belonged to a square dance club, traveling to neighboring towns and rarely missing a dance. At home, they would push the table out from the middle of the floor and dance in the kitchen. They loved having coffee with friends, inviting them into their home daily. 

David was an avid hunter and fisherman. David and his brother, Louie, would travel to Montana to pack on horses in the mountains to hunt elk. He spent a lot of time throughout his years hunting with his lifelong friend, Jack Henninger. He loved to hunt for the trophy bucks and go fishing at the Missouri River with his dad, Louie, and father-in-law, Herman. 

David loved sports. He played football and basketball in high school. He also played softball during the summer. He and Eleanor followed all of their grandkids' sporting events and school events. 

David worked in construction driving an earth mover for Wescott Construction in Holabird, building roads and dams. His greatest love was his family, his farm, and Hereford cattle, which he worked at his whole life.

David is survived by his daughters: Leanna (Dale) Resel of St. Lawrence, Vicky Russell of St. Lawrence, and Brenda (Daryl) Dedman of Gillette, Wyoming; 9 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; 6 great-great grandchildren; siblings-in-law: Gwen Campbell, Lowell (Nona) Van Den Berg, and Marjorie Van Den Berg; and a host of nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Eleanor; parents, Louie and LaVelle (Jackson) Lanz; step-mother, Eva (Fritts) Lanz; parents-in-law, Herman and Lena Van Den Berg; sister, LaVelle Rae (Bill) Chalcraft; brother, Louie CC (Vi) Lanz; son-in-law, Gary Russell; grandson, David John Engel; infant great grandsons: Preston Allen Engel and Dillon James Black; infant great-great grandson, Asher William Burgess; grandson-in-law, Scott Teason; and brothers-in-law, Max Van Den Berg and Dean Campbell.

Reck Funeral Home of Miller has been entrusted with David's arrangements.