Visitation: A brief visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at Canton Lutheran Church.
Service: A memorial service will be held Saturday, August 20, 11:00 a.m. at Canton Lutheran Church in Canton, South Dakota.
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Larry Dean Sweeter, 77, formerly of Canton, SD passed away on August 12, 2022 in Lawrence, KS after a brief battle with cancer. Larry was born July 14, 1945 to Gerhard and Esther Sweeter. He graduated from Canton High School and South Dakota State University in Brookings. He married Dorothy Jensen in 1967 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 1968, Larry enlisted to serve in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War.
After returning from his service with the Navy, Larry started his career in the meat packing industry with John Morrell & Co. and in 2012 retired as International Pork Product Manager at JBS. His 47-year career took him to Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Fergus Falls, Minnesota; Memphis, Tennessee; Estherville, Sioux City and Marshalltown, Iowa.
Larry loved hunting, fishing, gardening, and time with family. He always enjoyed a good game of cards or a family board game. He could recite poems from grade school, was an amazing storyteller and loved a good joke – especially a prank. He enjoyed watching and playing sports – participating in adult league softball and coaching youth softball for several years.
Larry is survived by his wife of 55 years, Dorothy, sister Carole Curtis (Jerry Johnston), sister Linda (Ron Aten), daughter Lori French (Todd Ummach), and daughter Julie (Paul) Popiel. Larry is survived by five grandchildren: Stephanie Nitzschke (Steven), Kelsey Derochie (Cory), Cole French, Nick and Keith Popiel. He is survived by four great-grandchildren: Owen, Faye, Hayes, and Asher and a host of relatives.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, August 20, 11:00 a.m. at Canton Lutheran Church in Canton, South Dakota. A brief visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at Canton Lutheran Church.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be directed to Lincoln County 4-H for the Gerhard and Larry Sweeter Beef and Swine Livestock Loan program to assist 4-H members in purchasing show livestock: P.O. Box 655, Lennox, South Dakota.
Lawrence Chapel Oaks Cremation and Funeral Service www.chapeloaksne.com and Anderson Funeral Home, Canton, SD are assisting the family with arrangements.
So sorry to hear the news. Thoughts and prayers to Dorothy and his family. I worked with Larry for about 16 years when he was in Marshalltown and made a few trips to Japan together. He was a good friend and I enjoyed his company. I will miss Larry.
Thank you for coming to the funeral. Larry really enjoyed his work family. He did miss those relationships when he retired. It has been a hard adjustment to make. I still think I should tell him something or that we should go someplace. Take care and thanks for being a friend.
Our hearts go out to you, Dorothy, and all of your extended family. Larry was a wonderful person and I’m sure he will be sorely missed by all.
Thanks for the kind words. We all do miss him a lot. Take care and stay in touch.
May God Bless Larry and he Rest In Peace.
Larry missed his work family after retirement. He didn’t miss the grind, but he did miss the relationships. We had a lot of laughs over the antics the Sioux City crew managed to pull off. We miss him and his sense of humor that would brighten our days.
On behalf of my family and myself, We send you our condolences, and prayers to Dorothy and the entire family. Larry and I go back when he worked at JBS Marshalltown. If there was someone that can push you and get the best out of you, that would be Larry S. Many hard times, good time, and successful times. Rest in Peace- Marco Herrera & Herrera Family.
Thanks for your message. Larry saw your potential and I hope that it has worked out for you. He wanted the best for you. But he could be a task master! Wishing you good times ahead.
My husband James Holloway and Larry used to sometimes fish together. We work for Larry at John Morrell and he was a wonderful person. He will be missed.
I hope all is well with you two. We have had many laughs about the fishing exploits of Jim and Larry. They seemed to have had a knack for turning the ordinary into the comical! Jim, indeed, was one of his very best fishing buddies. They had good times. We all miss him a lot. We have a lot of fishermen in the family now, so hopefully we will continue to have funny fishing stories.
We have so many memories of all of the good times we’ve shared together. We’ve enjoyed every visit together, from San Diego to Memphis, before and after, and just wish there could have been more. Our hearts are with the family.
It was good to see you again. I am so glad our first trip after retirement was to San Antonio. I am happy we managed to make another trip there. But I certainly would have liked to have made more. We did have good times together…course there was that bat in Marshalltown!