Edwin Goethals, age 88, of Seattle, Wash., formerly of Letcher, died Friday, April 3, 2015, at Firesteel Health Care Center.
Graveside services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 10, at Serviceman’s Memorial Cemetery.
Edwin Goethals was born Dec. 13, 1926, to Edward and Germaine (VanLaecken) Goethals in Sanborn County. Edwin worked on the family farm until enlisting in the Army during World War II. He served in the Special Vehicle Operation in Japan and achieved the rank of corporal.
After the war he returned to South Dakota and went to work for the Sanborn County Highway Dept. as a road grader operator. Edwin married Leona (Jean) Estabrook in 1949 and their son, Timothy, was born in September of 1951. Edwin moved with his wife and son to Seattle, Wash. in 1953, where their daughter Penny was born.
Edwin worked in trucking for Boeing in Seattle, Wash., followed by Select Transportation and Horizon Transportation in Tacoma, Wash. He retired at age 65 as a member of the Western Conference of Teamsters.
He lived in Fife, Wash. until September 2014, when he moved to Mitchell to be near family. He resided at Countryside Manor until his move to Firesteel two weeks prior to his death.
Edwin is survived by his daughter, Penny Royals of Mitchell; son, Timothy (Linda) Christensen of Mitchell; two grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; sisters, Anna Dobson of Wellington, Colo., Janette Anton of Salt Lake City, Utah and Margaret (Duane) Amundson of Bishop, Calif.; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Cameil (Jack) Goethals.