Larry Wheeting

The funeral service for Larry L. Wheeting, 81, of Groton, SD will be 10:30 a.m., Monday, November 22, at Groton United Methodist Church, Groton.  Pastor Brandon Dunham will officiate. Burial will be at Bath Memorial Cemetery, Bath SD under the direction of Paetznick-Garness Funeral Chapel, Groton.  Larry died Wednesday, November 17, at Avantara Nursing Home in Groton, following a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia.

Visitation will be from 5:00-6:30 p.m., Sunday, followed by a prayer service at 6:30 p.m. at Paetznick-Garness Funeral Chapel. 

Larry Lee Wheeting was born February 8, 1940 to John and Doris (Jones) Wheeting in Aberdeen, SD.  Larry spent most of his childhood on the family farm north of Bath and attended Bath School.  He graduated with the class of 1958 and attended Northern State College for a short period. 

Larry was united in marriage to Sharon Hofer on November 21, 1958.  They lived the early years of marriage mainly at Bath, SD.  They had three children while living at Bath: Teresa, Cheryl and John.  Larry and Sharon moved to Fargo in May of 1980 and later moved to Yankton, SD.  They moved back to Aberdeen/Groton area in 1990.  Weekends when kids were at home were spent with friends and family showing horses throughout North and South Dakota. Later in life, he enjoyed owning race horses and following their training and watching them race.  Larry cherished these memories.

Larry and his father started Wheeting Farm Service in 1960, specializing in liquid fertilizer sales and application.  In 1963, Wheeting Farm Service sold to South Dakota Wheat Growers, where Larry served as Feed and Seed Division Manager until 1979.  Larry then went to work for Interstate Seed in Fargo, ND.  This opportunity allowed him to travel throughout North America, Europe, and Japan.  Larry became General Manager at Yankton Farmers Cooperative in 1986 and moved to Yankton, SD.  In 1990 they moved back to Groton area where he ran his own seed business, most recently LW Sales, Inc.  He specialized in small grains for cover crop and the bird food industry.  He was proud that his son, John, and granddaughter Meagan continued the business upon his retirement in 2018.  Larry had many long-term friendships made throughout his years of working in agriculture.

Larry was a past president of the Brown County Fair Board and the South Dakota Seed Trade Association.  He served on the South Dakota Board for the Blind and Visually Impaired. He enjoyed serving the Groton Community on the Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, and Lions. He served for many years as a 4-H leader in Brown County.

Grateful for having shared Larry’s life are his wife Sharon Wheeting, of Groton, his children: Teresa Kaye Sharp, deceased, Cheryl (Randy) Walker of Wall, SD, John (Chris) Wheeting of Groton.  Additional surviving family includes his sisters, Gayle Aamold of Hartford, SD and Karna (Frank) Smith of Dallas, TX, his in-laws, Ed (Margaret) Hofer of Bath, SD and Patricia (Ted) Corley of Payson, AZ, cousins, Dennis, Ron, and Lucian Jones and Marion Miller of Colorado Springs, CO.

Larry and Sharon had 10 grandchildren:  Riley (Lacey) Walker of Clarksville, TN, Tyler (Angela) Walker of Caputa, SD, Kirstin (Ben) Sweet of Bridger, MT, Meagan (Dylan) Stearns of Oakes, ND, Karri (Clay) Sweet of Billings, MT, Todd (Jaci) Sharp of Billings, MT, Amanda (Ryan) Kjerstad of Wall, SD, Lauren Wheeting of Groton, Abbie (Dustin) Robinson of Sioux Falls, Carly Wheeting of Aberdeen.  They had 21 great–grandchildren.

Larry was preceded in death by his parents John and Doris, daughter Teresa, in-laws, Everett and Marjorie Hofer and niece Lisa Hofer.

Memorials will be forwarded to Groton Area School Backpack Program and Lions Club Global Vision Program.

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