Elmo V. Cain, age 92 of Lemmon, passed away early Saturday morning, May 21, 2011 at Five Counties Nursing Home in Lemmon.


The Funeral Service for Elmo will be held at 10:30am Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at Spencer Memorial Presbyterian Church in Lemmon with Chaplin David Peterson, Pastor Harold Delbridge, and Pastor Florence Hoff, officiating. Burial will be in Greenhill Cemetery with full military honors afforded by the Smith-Lyman American Legion Post #279 of Thunder Hawk.


Special music will be provided by Marilyn Willey.


Honorary Bearers are Myron White, Bob Wheeler, Maurice Ham, Larry Moser, Harold Flatmoe, Norman Miles, Jim Spenny, Jerry Heier, and all of Elmo's friends.


Serving as Casketbearers are Terry Dauwen, Bob Christman, Owen Haas, Rudy Sackmann, Kenny Lillehaug, Joe Warfield, Dave Lensegrav, Rollie Peterson, and Raymond Corcoran.


Elmo V. Cain was born August 20, 1918 on a farm five miles south of Lemmon, SD to Wesley and Laura (Terrell) Cain. He attended Carpenter School in Lincoln Township and graduated from Lemmon High School in 1936 and worked at several occupations including driving truck in a coal mine, Braught's Super Value, a bartender, the old Reliabe Sale Barn, and picking apples in Washington State. He began working for the Farmers Cooperative Association at Thunder Hawk and entered the U.S. Army on April 8, 1942. He served in Co "B" 808th Tank Destroyer Battalion, 3rd Army in the European Theatre of Operation and was discharged on October 29, 1945. He returned to Thunder Hawk where he became their general manager in 1946. Elmo then began working at the Lemmon Equity Exchange as general manager until retiring after 30 years. In addition to managing the equity, he operated a small farm in Adams County with a cow-calf and hog operation.


Elmo was elected President of the Western Dakota Cooperative Grain Manager's Association in 1976, was active in the VFW, Perkins County Fair Board, Lemmon Volunteer Fire Dept, Junior Livestock Board, Charter Member of Lemmon Federal Credit Union, Charter Member of the Smith-Lyman American Legion Post in Thunder Hawk, President of Lemmon Riding Club, Director of Lemmon Livestock Sales barn, Agri-Business Man of the year in 1977. He also helped with Lemmon's Boss Cowman Celebration with the parades and rodeo's.


He was a longtime member of Spencer Memorial Presbyterian Church, where he occasionally filled the pulpit. One of his highlights after filling the pulpit was when he went to shake hands with the members. A longtime elderly member came up to him to shake his hand and said, "Elmo, you did a good job this morning, your mother would have been proud of you. You know, there's only one thing wrong with you, you're a Democrat.


He worked with young people, chaperoning FFA and 4-H groups to FFA and GTA Convention's, the Denver Livestock Show, and other events. He sincerely believed his time spent with the youth was time well spent. Following his retirement he travelled with People to People to China.


Survivors include his family, Chuck and Betty Cain and family, Ann Cain and family, Louise Cain and family, Gary and Karen Burdick, Jessica, Michael, Ross and Becky Burdick and Ashley, and Connie Dills.


He was preceded in death by his parents, his lifelong friend and companion, Viola Burdick in 1987 and her son Dean in 1988, brothers, John, W.B., Jim, and Milo, sisters, Austie Case, Grace Creighton, Vergie Berens, and Hazel Nelson, nephews, Jack Cain, Bud Berens, Ted Berens, and Enoch Nelson, and nieces, Betty Creighton Toole and Charmeon Case.


A memorial has been established to benefit children in the Lemmon area.

Visitation will be held 1:00 to 9:00pm on Tuesday at the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home and one hour prior to services at Spencer Memorial Presbyterian Church.