Forrest Dalton, Sr.

Forrest H. Dalton, Sr., 96, of Eureka, passed away Sunday, October 31, 2021, at the Avera Eureka Health Care Center, Eureka.

Funeral service will be 11:00 a.m., Monday, November 8, 2021, at Reck Funeral Home, Miller, Roger Day, officiating.  Burial will follow at St. Ann's Catholic Cemetery, Miller.  Visitation will be 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Sunday, November 7, 2021, at the funeral home. 

Forrest was born at home in Hyde County, South Dakota on April 16, 1925, to Sam Bob Dalton and Dolphy Ada (Parlin) Dalton. He was raised on the family farm in Hyde County and attended country school through the eighth grade.

Forrest served his country in the armed forces for over 20 years, starting with the United States Navy during WWII and ultimately with the National Guard. At the age of 16, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he hitchhiked from Highmore, SD to what is now Naval Station in Great Lakes, Illinois. Once he arrived, he was handed a waiver form to sign and was sent home. He hitchhiked all the way back to South Dakota, eventually getting the signature he needed and finally made it back to Great Lakes, ultimately becoming a gunner’s mate in the US Navy. He was awarded a world-wide campaign bar for seeing action in the Pacific and Atlantic ocean as well as the Mediterranean Sea, two stars for the European theatre landing at Casablanca and a third for action in Bizerte. He was with the fleet that broke the German submarine menace in the Atlantic.

Forrest used to tell all kinds of stories about his service during WWII from his time in the Pacific Theatre, South Europe, and North Africa, to the day he nearly lost his thumb during a Japanese attack on Guadalcanal.

A very proud moment in his military career is captured in a photo of him and his shipmates in the Pacific on the day the Japanese officially surrendered to General MacArthur.

Forrest met the love of his life, Elizabeth (Betty) Martinmaas, on a bus when he was home on leave from the Navy. They exchanged correspondence and eventually married on September 6, 1944. Forrest and Betty were the married for 73 wonderful years until her passing in 2017. To this union, eight children were born. Forrest and Betty loved to dance, especially polkas, and would travel all over the Midwest to attend polka festivals. They also cherished get togethers with family and friends. They never met a stranger. Anyone that showed up on their doorstep was invited in for coffee or a beer and conversation. We will all miss the annual Christmas gift of imported brandy infused German chocolates. Forrest continued this tradition even after moving into the nursing home. That is, until they called and requested that they be taken away from him because some of the recipients should not have them! He really enjoyed boxing and coached his sons, Frosty and Tim, and the boxing program in Milbank. After he retired, Forrest ran the weight room at the high school in Eureka, SD and further influenced many young athletes.

Always a hard worker, after returning to South Dakota from the Navy, he began a lifelong career in construction and heavy equipment operation. Forrest built everything from roads to the Oahe and Big Bend dams in South Dakota until their completion to coal fired power plants in North and South Dakota until his retirement from construction in 1988. Not one to relax too much, he then started a yard care business and looked after out of state hunter’s houses in Eureka and did this until he was 90 years old!

Forrest is survived by his children: Patricia (Charles) Thell of Freeport, MN, Char (Larry) Morton of Laurel, MT, Lynette (Ron) Bousquet of Broken Arrow, OK, Forrest Jr. of Tulsa, OK, Cindy (Lawayne) Egeberg of Hazen, ND, Anita (Jim) Dornbusch of Pierre, SD and Tim of Eureka, SD; 16 grandchildren; 36 ½ great grandchildren; and 21 great-great grandchildren; brothers: Jay of Highmore, SD, and Jim of Hot Springs, SD.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Betty; parents: Sam and Dolphy Dalton; brother, Ralph; sister, Vicki; son, Terry; two infant sons; great granddaughter, Rachel Morton; great-great granddaughter, Elizabeth VanCleave; and son in laws: Ron Bosquet and Larry Morton.

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