Charles J. Shafranek, 89, of Letcher, died Saturday, April 2, 2016, at Avera Queen of Peace Hospital, Mitchell
Funeral services were 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 6, at Letcher Community Church in Letcher. Visitation was from 9 a.m. until the time of the service. Burial with military rites was in Butler Cemetery in rural Letcher.
Charlie was born on Dec. 7, 1926, to Edna (Parsons) and Charles Shafranek, Sr., at the family farm northeast of Letcher. He grew up in the Letcher area and graduated from Letcher High School in 1945.
After high school, he joined the Army and served in Korea. Following his discharge from the military, he returned to work on the family farm. In the early 1960s, he became a partner in ABC Tractor Salvage with AC and Olen “Bus” Ettswold until a fire destroyed the business and forced his retirement in 2009.
Charlie was a member of the Tormey-Stach American Legion. In his spare time, Charlie enjoyed fishing and helping Andy and Bus with their race cars and spending time with his extended family, Bus and Melanie Ettswold, Angie and Matt Meier, Ellie and Maggie, Andy and Melissa Ettswold, Parker and Wyatt, Jerome Evans, Clara Wise and many other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Dale in 2015, and Gerald in 2010.