Vernon Abraham

Vernon “Abe” Abraham, age 80 of Belle Fourche, died Tuesday, October 25, 2016 at the Belle Fourche Healthcare Center. The funeral service will be held 10 am Monday, October 31, 2016 at Leverington Funeral Home of the Northern Hills in Belle Fourche. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service. Interment will be held in Black Hills National Cemetery, with Military Honors provided by the Belle Fourche Veterans Honor Guard. Vernon Eugene Abraham was born in Alpena, SD, on September 10, 1936. He was the son of Vernon (Cy) and Mildred (Harmdierks) Abraham. He grew up in Wessington Springs, SD. In 1955, Abe began serving his country in the U.S. Army. He was honorably discharged and returned home to Wessington Springs in 1957. On March 17, 1962, Abe was married to Della Grabin. To this union, four children were born: Kelly, Shelly, Jody, and Roxy. Abe and Della enjoyed pheasant hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, and car races. Abe began working at Dave Gustafson Construction in 1958 and worked his way up to be a foreman. During this time, he built highways in all corners of this state. Abe moved to Belle Fourche in 1979 and lived with his long-time love Doris until the time of her passing in 2002. He worked for the City of Belle Fourche until his retirement. He was a member of the Moose Lodge and VFW. He enjoyed going to local rodeos, fishing, walking, and meeting his friends for coffee every morning. On any given day you could find him working in the yard in which he took great pride. If you were one of the lucky ones to stop in, he always had a cold Miller Lite to share. After retirement, he and Doris spent winters in St. George Utah where he enjoyed being outdoors and 4-wheeling. For the last nine years, he has been a resident of the Belle Fourche Nursing home. Vernon is survived by his four children; Kelly Abraham of Black Hawk, SD, Shelly Steichen of Valdez, AK, Jody (Chris) Abraham of Lakeville, MN, and Roxy Abraham of Lakeville, MN; and grandchildren Jude and Novella Haneman and Braxton, Aivry, and Cady Abraham; two brothers Henry Abraham of Denver, CO and Donnie (Norma) Abraham of Pueblo, CO. Vernon is also survived by Doris’s children and their children: Jeff (Mila) Newton of Spearfish, SD, Joyce (Jim) Burba of Tacoma, WA, Jim Newton of Tacoma, WA, and Judy Newton, of Ft. Smith, AR. He was preceded in death by his parents and his long-time partner Doris Newton. Funeral Service 10:00 A.M. – Monday – October 31, 2016 Leverington Funeral Home of the Northern Hills Belle Fourche, South Dakota   Officiant -Pastor Tim Smith   Casketbearers Kelly Abraham                                    Braxton Abraham Jody Abraham                                        Jude Haneman   Music “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes”, “When I Get Where I’m Going”   Interment Black Hills National Cemetery Sturgis, South Dakota   Military Honors Belle Fourche Veterans Honor Guard