The Funeral Service for Gary Skjoldal, age 61 of Lemmon will be held at 2:00pm Saturday, November 23, 2019 at the New Hope Worship Center in Lemmon.  Pastor David Skjoldal will officiate with burial in Greenhill Cemetery at Lemmon.

A Family Service will be held at 7:00pm Friday evening November 22, at the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon.

Honorary Casketbearers include Kenny Erlenbusch, Mike Riedy, Mark Peterson, The Seim Family, Doug Butler, and all of Gary's friends and relatives.  Active Casketbearers are Jim Traversie, Doug Ham, Russ Nelson, Tom Powers, Loren Lensegrav, Nathan and Paul Skjoldal.

Gary Lane Skjoldal was born on Sept 19, 1958 in Elgin, ND to Haakon "Henry" and Vera Nelson Skjoldal.  Gary attended grade school at North Lemmon School and went to Lemmon High School.  He had very special memories of friends made in and out of school that he carried with him for a lifetime.  He had a special love for making music with his friends, nature and ranch life.  Gary started trucking with his dad at an early age which lead to driving truck by himself in his early teenage years.  Over the years he worked for numerous trucking and ranching operations. He was known to be a very good self-taught mechanic and helped work on many people's trucks and machinery over the years.

In 2002, Gary married his best friend Deanna (Lorius) which made him a forever dad to Emily Lorius who was age 5 at the time. Their bond was unbreakable and adored each other. Side by side they entertained every one with their crazy sense of humor and their silly antics.

Gary's happiest times were spent with his family and friends and loved to gather with his friends to play guitars and sing. He had an amazing ability to remember words to songs and impersonate cartoon characters and old tv commercials; marked by his distinctive laugh and striking blue eyes. He was very sensitive, thoughtful, kind and hardworking and even though he was known for his humor, he had a very private and sensitive side.

In 2011, Gary was diagnosed with cancer, changing the family's life forever.  His goal was to make sure his family was provided for and he worked as much as he could.  Deanna was forever by his side taking him to all appointments and spending sleepless nights helping him.  In December 2018 they decided to move into Lemmon to make life a bit easier.

Gary is survived by his wife Deanna, daughter Emily, both of Lemmon, SD; brothers Baruch "Bruce" Solomon (Dina), Israel; Bryan, Fargo, ND; Todd (Amy), Moorehead, MN; sisters Nancy Nelson, Fargo, ND; Lisa (Sam) Patterson, De Moines, IA; his mother and father-in-law, Neale and Dorothy Lorius,  Lemmon, SD; in-laws, Tim (Audrey) Lorius, Meadow, SD; Charleen (Ross) Larson, Reeder, ND; Charlotte (Warren) Hintz, Lemmon, SD; Roberta (John) Abott, Wright, WY; Tammy Lorius, Lemmon, SD; Tom (Laurie) Lorius, Sturgis, SD; and numerous Aunts, Uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and special kitty friend Festus.

Waiting to welcome him with open arms (and paws) are his parents, grandparents, 5 siblings in infancy, special friends and pets, and his beloved faithful buddy and companion Rusty.

Visitation will be on Friday from 1:00 to 7:00pm at the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon.

In lieu of flowers a memorial has been established.