Funeral services for Van Boynton, age 90, lifelong Lemmon area farmer and rancher, will be at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, January 2, 2010 at the Spencer Memorial Presbyterian Church. Pastor Webster P. Brower will officiate with burial at the Greenhill Cemetery.


Van Boynton was born on August 19, 1919 to Chester and Cora (Van Buskirk) Boynton on the family homestead, in Lincoln Township, Perkins County, South Dakota. He attended grade school in Lemmon and graduated from Lemmon High School in 1937. Van was active in Band, Choir, and Track during High school. He was an accomplished long distance runner, and would often run from his farm southeast of Lemmon to town.


Following his graduation, Van, attended Ag College at Brookings, SD but returned to the family farm to help his parents with the farming operation. Van took pride in breaking his own horses to use in the daily farming and ranching duties. He was united in marriage to Rose Marie Hess on January 8, 1946 at Lemmon. They made their home south east of Lemmon and began raising a family of six children. Rose passed away on November 14, 1997 and Van continued to operate the farm with his son, Mark.


Van loved sports, both watching and playing, and attended the High School wrestling matches, and basketball games to watch his grandkids participate. He was a member of the Lemmon Pool League, having his own team, "The Sinkers". He was also a member of the Lemmon Horseshoe and Bowling Leagues winning many trophies and money. He even participated in bowling tournaments that were televised.


Van was an avid fan of the Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota Twins, and loved watching their games on his big screen T.V. He was blessed to be able to participate in his favorite sports throughout his entire life and took great pleasure in his accomplishments in them. Van most of all enjoyed spending time with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and would do anything he could to help them.


He was a member of the Spencer Memorial Presbyterian Church in Lemmon and graduated from Sunday school there in 1928.


Van passed away on Sunday, December 27, 2009 at the West River Regional Medical Center in Hettinger, ND at the age of 90 years, 4 months, and 8 days.


Grateful for having shared in his life are his daughter, Donna (Dennis) Newman, Glenwood, IA; sons, David (Alice) Boynton, Mosier, OR, Larry Boynton, Medford, OR, Rick (Juanita) Boynton, Jefferson City, MT, Mark (Kathy) Boynton, Lemmon, SD and Lynn (Darla) Boynton, Williston, ND; 14 grandchildren, Robbie Tennant, Jason Boynton, Nicole Boynton, Matthew Boynton, Megan Boynton, Leslie Boynton, Jeff Boynton, Jennifer Boynton, Corey Boynton, Courtney Boynton, Brady Newman, Shawn Newman, Bryan Newman, and Kimberley Hayes; nine great-grandchildren, Hope Tennant, Ashley Tennant, Beth Tennant, Riley Tennant, Gracie Tennant, Caden Newman, Averi Newman, Autumn Newman, and Alex Boynton; one brother-in-law, Joseph (Jenny Lee) Hess, Gering, NE; and three sisters-in-law, Irene Scoular and Katherine Hess both of Lemmon, SD, and Bernice Hess, Belle Fourche, SD.


Van was preceded in death by his parents and his wife Rose Marie Boynton on November 14, 1997.


Visitation will be on Friday, January 1, 2010 from 3:00 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon and one hour prior to the services at the church on Saturday.


A memorial has been established.