Funeral services for Virgil L. Edgar, age 95 of Prairie City, will be held at 10:30am Wednesday, April 16, at the First Presbyterian Church in Bison. Pastor Florence Hoff will officiate with burial in the Prairie City Cemetery.


Special music will be provided by Joyce Aukland.


Serving as casketbearers are John Peck, John Green, Pat Dinkins, Rodney Carr, Robert Carr and Kim Coe.


VIRGIL LOUIS EDGAR was born on October 21, 1912 in Cowden, Illinois to Bertha Peiffer. He and his mother came by train to Faith, SD from Illinois so she could work for the local farmers and ranchers as a cook and housekeeper.


He was later to acquire a step-father Charles Sigman and several step and half brothers and sisters. As a young boy of grade school age, he went to live with his uncle and aunt Orie and Bessie Peiffer at Imogene, SD.


The years at Imogene "down on the Moreau River" as he so often referred to them, were some of his fondest memories. Each year or two there would have to be a drive "down to the river" to bring back some memories that were never forgotten. As he grew to manhood, he worked around the countryside herding sheep on horseback and living in a sheep wagon. He also went to Washington state and worked in the apple orchards for a short time.


When it came time to put down roots, he bought a farmstead near Strool, SD where he and his first wife Ruth (Tobias) lived and had one son, Cecil.


In 1949, he married Cora (Leach) from Chicago and acquired a five year old step-daughter, Alberta. He and Cora continued to live there until 2003. He then lived with grandson Doug and wife Karla Lewton in Bison until he went to live at Hillcrest in November of 2006.


Farming and animals were his life. Even though he never finished grade school, possibly through the fifth grade, he did all of his math problems involving crop plantings, etc. by Algebra.


In his younger days, he was known around the area as a very handsome young man never missing a rodeo. Some select few had the privilege to hear him sing and yodel. He was also acclaimed to be the "one-arm wrestler" second to none. Virgil lost his left arm due to a hunting accident at the age of 18, but over the years he never knew the word "handicap".


Virgil passed away on Saturday, April 12, 2008 at the Western Horizon's Care Center in Hettinger.


Sharing his life until death are his step-daughter, Alberta and husband Dennis Lewton; grandson, Douglas Lewton and wife Karla; great granddaughter, Amy and great great grandson Camden Louis; grandson, Robert Lewton and wife Rita; great grandsons, Christopher, Preston, Chris, and granddaughter, Kayla; and several step and half brothers and sisters and brothers-in-law.


Preceding him in death were his wife Cora in 2003, and son Cecil in 2005.