Elmer Ruben Koth

CLERGY
Rev. Greg Way
MUSIC
Organist ~ Ruby Dewald
Soloist ~ Lennis Mehlhaff
Elmer Ruben Koth was born Friday, December 5, 1924 on the family farm northwest of Tripp. He was the fourth of seven children born to Solomon and Anna (Goehring) Koth. He attended a rural Hutchinson County school, Pearly Mound Elementary, and graduated from Tripp High School in 1942.
Following high school, Elmer worked on the family farm until he was drafted into the Army in 1950. He served his country in Korea as a member of Company K, 21st Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, from 1950 to 1952. He rose through the ranks to Sergeant First Class and became a squad leader in late 1951. He was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious achievement. Upon his return to the area in 1953, he was an active member of Jelkin-Harms American Legion Post #142 in Tripp in 1953, where he served as a rifleman on the firing squad for 57 years.
Elmer returned to help his parents with the family farm. He also worked as a builder for Hanson Silo Company. He retired from farming in 1997 and moved to a home in town. He was a member of the Pilgrim Congregational Church of Tripp, where he served as a deacon for many years. When it was closed, he became a member of Freiden’s Reformed Church of Tripp.  Elmer passed away on Tuesday, December 18, 2012 at Avera St. Benedict Health Center in Parkston at the age of 88 years, 13 days.
Elmer is survived by two sisters: Ruby Hicks and Arvilla Perkinson, both of Tripp; and many nieces and nephews who remember him with love and affection.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers: Milton Koth and Hubert Koth; and two sisters: LaVerne Bastone and Norma Tatman.