John Louis Greer was born on May 13, 1922 to John and Jennie (Orr) Greer. He was the eighth of nine children born to this union. John grew up and attended Ryan school west of Lucas, SD, eventually graduating from Lucas High School where he was involved in the Lucas school choir . He attended the Lucas Baptist Church where he was baptized.
Following high school, John operated a small farm in the Lucas area before marrying his high school sweet heart, Lora “Ellen” Nelson on April 10th , 1944. John and Ellen continued to live on this farm for a few years where they eventually had three children – Cheryl, Rodney and Roger. John and Ellen moved numerous times around the Dallas, Dixon area, operating small farms before settling in Gregory, SD in 1962. After arriving in Gregory, John opened two gas station/auto repair shops.
In his free time, John was very active in the Methodist Church of Gregory, participating in numerous bible study and men’s groups. John was elected United Methodist Layman of the Year in 1987 for his work in fellowship and evangelism within the Methodist Church.
After “retiring” John remained active in the church and Gregory Communities by mowing lawns (including the Methodist Church) and assisting his longtime friend Emmett Kotrba. John and Ellen were sextants At the IOOF Cemetery for Twenty five Years. On his “days off” he could be found watching old westerns and eating homemade popcorn. He also enjoyed spending time with Ellen making road trips to visit grandkids and occasionally fishing for catfish and largemouth bass.
When Ellen entered the Gregory nursing home John would lovingly be there three times a day for her. On one of these visits he fell while leaving and as a result of immobility he spent his remaining years in the Avera Rosebud Country Care Center, passing away on October 9th 2015 at 93 years of age.
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