Mass of Christian Burial for Donald "Butch" Pazie, age 68, of Morristown, SD, will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 8, 2018 at  St. Mary's Catholic Church in Lemmon, SD.  Fr. Tony Grossenburg will officiate.  Burial with military honors will be at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday at the Morristown Cemetery.

Donald V. (Butch) Pazie was born to Saliah and Irene (Holmes) Pazie on September 8, 1949 in Aberdeen, SD. He grew up south of Morristown on his father's homestead. He lost his father at the age of 9 and was raised with his three sisters by his mother on the homestead.  He went to school at Riverside country school through the 8 ^th grade and then went to Lemmon High School and graduated with the Class of 1967.  He was drafted into the army as a medic in 1969 and was honorably discharged in 1971 after serving in Korea during the Vietnam War.  He worked for Thee George Burns as a young boy through high school and after returning home from Korea.  He joined the American Legion Thunder Hawk Post #279 shortly after returning home thanks to George.  He continued to work for George until he leased a local ranch.

Butch and Sharon A. (Shari) Tidball were married September 12, 1975 in Morristown. Their daughter, Julie Lynn, was born the following September. They lived on the Grand River the first year until his Uncle Vern Holmes offered to sell him his maternal grandparents homestead near Morristown. They moved there shortly after Julie was born in 1976.  Michael Roy was born the following November. They expanded their ranch through the years raising wheat, corn and hay. He was proud of the fact that the family hosted a farm centennial celebration in 2010. They ran their own cattle but also calved out as many as 140 heifers in the spring for area ranchers.  He loved sorting cattle and was very good at it.  Butch held many other jobs including school bus driver and working for neighbors, township board, worked at the local sale barn, and was a volunteer fireman.

One of his proudest moments was becoming a father but becoming a Grandfather was beyond joy for him. He cherished each moment he had with each of them and their parents, always praising God for family and friends.

He was currently on the Corson County 4-H Board, a Corson County Commissioner since 2003, a member and officer in the American Legion Post 279, a Lifetime Member of the Veteran's of Foreign Wars, a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Morristown, NAP Crop Adjuster for FSA; substitute driver for local mail routes, and a substitute in card club.

Butch was always ready to help a neighbor and always tried to be fair in business and friendship.  He was a generous man and would buy or give anyone the shirt off his back but didn't spend much on himself. "I'll go anywhere you want as long as I can be home by dark" was a favorite saying to his wife. He always had time to visit with a friend or stranger and was thankful for having so many friends. He enjoyed playing cards and having coffee with friends in the area.  He truly enjoyed his class reunions, dancing, picking wild fruit, gardening fishing at every opportunity and teaching his grandchildren how to drive. He was a fix it man and loved making things out of wood or metal. As many of you know, he had a wonderful sense of humor and was prone to pull pranks.

He loved the land and never understood why not everyone wanted to be a farmer or rancher.  He encouraged young people to stay in agriculture and to be active in their communities. He was a lifelong learner and was more than willing to share his knowledge and experience.

Butch passed away on Tuesday morning, September 4, 2018 at his home south of Morristown.

Thankful for having shared his life are his wife Sharon (Shari) Pazie, Morristown, SD, son Michael (Sara) Lemmon, SD, grandchildren William, Heidi and Abbigail Pazie.  Son-in-law Michael Donner, Yankton, SD and grandchildren Maggie, Lance and Mia Donner.  Sisters Ida Bowker, Evergreen CO, Doris Dyvig, Powell, WY, Dorothy (Robert) Schuh, Isabel, SD, Donna Christenson, Benson, MN, Sally(Dave)Norby, Brookings, SD. Brothers and sisters-in-law Bill and Sue Tidball and Kevin and Mary Maher as well as numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents Saliah and Irene (Holmes) Pazie, daughter Julie Donner, brother Roy, brothers-in-law Bob Christenson, Gene Bowker, Phil Damm, and Watt Tidball.