Art's and Marilyn's ashes will be buried at the Black Hills National Cemetery on Friday, July 30, 2021 at 10:00 a.m.  Military Honors will be afforded by the Sturgis Veterans Honor Guard.  Following the services, a luncheon will be held at the Elk Horn Golf Course/Miller Creek Pub near Spearfish, SD.

Arthur H. Christman, age 97, longtime Meadow, SD, area farmer and rancher passed away on Sunday morning, December 27, 2020, at the Five Counties Nursing Home in Lemmon, SD.

Art was born on September 8, 1923, in Dakota Township, Adams County, ND, to Henry and Caroline (Kessler) Christman. His parents were born near Odessa, Russia: his mother came to South Dakota with her parents when she was six months old and his father immigrated in his early twenties and homesteaded in Adams County. They were part of the great influx of "Germans from Russia" into the Dakotas in the early 1900s. Art was the ninth of fifteen children and the last sibling to pass. They were all raised with a strong German heritage and work ethic.

Art grew up on the homestead. He attended grade school at the Paranto School across the road from the Davisons – riding horse to and from school. He and his siblings' days were filled with work – the usual farm activities of milking cows, haying, planting, threshing, and raising everything a family of 17 needed, including watermelon and cucumbers for pickles; but also the strenuous and dangerous work of mining coal. There was coal on the property which the family used on the farm or sold in town for extra money or traded for flour or other staples. Despite the difficulty of the work, Art said that was his favorite job – the underground mine was cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Because his help was needed on the farm full-time, Art left school after completing one year of high school.

Art and his siblings had to work hard, but also had fun. There were enough of them to field a baseball team – often playing with and against their cousins from the large Bill and John Christman families. Listening to their stories was a highlight of the many Christman gatherings those of us in the next generation remember with such fondness. Art may not have been the most mischievous – the competition was tough - but he was in the running. They pulled pranks with dynamite ( see coal mine, above); they would sneak out of the house, push the car down the hill until they were out of sight and sound of the house, and head to town; and instead of putting their Sunday School money in the offering plate, they would buy candy and eat it on the way home from church. When they told the stories, even they weren't sure which of them pulled which prank – it was a shared family history of good times on the farm.

As many in his generation did, Art answered the call to duty during World War II. After induction and training in Farragut, Idaho, Art spent his military service in the eastern Philippines region of the Pacific Theater as a Navy Signalman. His final rank was Signalman 2nd Class. He was discharged from the Navy on May 16, 1946.

When Art returned from WWII, he and Chris farmed the home place for a couple of years. Art then met and married Marilyn Starr and they started their family and life together. They first lived on Marilyn's parents' farm by Meadow. They moved to Rapid City for a brief time, then returned to Meadow to work with Jim Starr out on the farm. When Jim passed away in 1964, Art and Marilyn purchased and moved out to the farm.

For over 70 years Art and Marilyn worked tirelessly raising wheat, oats, barley, and flax (John Deere tractors only); baling, hauling and feeding hay; raising cattle; and driving a rural mail route. Because he was required to leave school early Art was intent on ensuring his five children got a good education, and he and Marilyn put all of them through college.

In his younger years, Art bowled with Smoky Sebastian on the Smoky's bowling team and played baseball on the Lemmon team and later the Meadow team where they faced off against  teams from Usta, Faith, and Summerville. Like other farmers and ranchers, vacations were rare; but once the kids were grown and gone, Art and Marilyn would often take a trip in the fall – after the hay was hauled in and before winter arrived – which usually consisted of a hurried visit to one of the kids, but once involved travelling to London to see Jim and Gary and attend Gary's wedding. Sometimes Marilyn was able to talk him into an additional trip on Thanksgiving or Christmas but he was happiest when his children and grandchildren visited the farm and he could work and enjoy family at the same time. His grandchildren were the joy of his life and they loved their Papa, knowing to travel a wide berth around him lest they were within nose-pinching or toe-pulling range. They loved riding in the tractor with him, driving the pick-ups and trucks with his guidance, and covertly driving the four-wheeler in direct violation of Grandma's orders but with Papa's permission. In recent years he enjoyed visits with his great-grandchildren who weren't quite nimble enough to avoid the occasional nose-pinch or ear-tweak.

Art continued to farm, with much-appreciated help from his brother-in-law Jens Hansen, until five years ago when he finally decided to let someone else do the work. He lived on the farm until October when it was time to move him to the nursing home in Lemmon. He died on December 27, 2020, with family near and much love surrounding him. He is now reunited with his wife and is again playing second base on the all-Christman team.

Art was preceded in death by his wife of 69 years, Marilyn. He was also preceded in death by his parents and his brothers and sisters - John, Albert, Edwin, Alvina Peterson, Hank, Monte, Martha Oberlander, Chris, Ray, Elmer, Ruth Hansen, Walter, Lillian Nelson, and Marvin – as well as numerous Christman and Starr relatives.

Survivors include Art's five children and their families: Jim and Susie Christman of Fontana CA, and Cherie and Callan; Gary and Cymbre Christman of Spearfish SD, and Tiffany Fetchko, Kyle (Katie), and Evan; Judy and Chuck Lewis of Sturgis SD, and Amy (Trevor Lane and children Charlie and Robbie), Sarah (Jesse Rhoden and children Ladd, Sully Jane, and Gus), and Ben (Katie and son Graham); Jane Christman and Walter Kingsbery of Boulder CO; Julie and Ron Scott of Glendale AZ, and Amanda Whitman (Lance) and Amelia.

Cards may be sent to Judy Lewis, 20722 76 Loop, Sturgis, SD 57785.