Orville Barringer

Orville Faye Barringer, age 83, of rural Canova, passed away on Friday, July 16, 2021, at
Edgewood Memory Care in Mitchell. He was with family as he made his peaceful journey to his
heavenly home. Funeral services will be 10:30 AM, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, at the Church of
the Epiphany in Epiphany. Burial will follow at the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Howard.
Visitation will be 5:30-7:00 PM, Monday in Epiphany with a prayer service at 7.
Orville, son of Faye and Clara (Rankin) Barringer was born on August 29, 1937, on the family
farm in Esmond Township. He grew up attending country school in Esmond, Manchester,
DeSmet, Fedora, and graduated from St. Agatha in 1957.
As a child, he enjoyed training his dog, Pup, and riding his Shetland pony, Cricket. During his
school years he enjoyed track, football, and basketball. He was on the State Champion
Basketball Team in 1956. He was also active in 4-H, mainly showing sheep. He was the state
champion sheep shearer and competed at Nationals in Chicago. He enjoyed spending time
with Paul Bickett, roller skating and water skiing.
Orville farmed with his parents until he purchased the Henry Oswald farm southwest of
Canova. He worked for Homan Construction, Western Chevrolet, and Kippling Blue Grass
helping seed I-90’s grassways.
On March 3, 1962, he married his love, Judith Esser, at St. Agatha Church in Howard.
Together they enjoyed attending dances and playing cards. His love for Judy was apparent,
including his recent habit of carrying her photo in his pocket. The comfort she brought him was
evident to every observer and friend.
To this union six children were born. Orville always had a love for animals and this spread on
through his children and grandchildren. Family time was often spent working on the farm,
participating in 4-H, and traveling to rodeos. The hard work and dedication that they learned
was evident through numerous awards and successes, including more plaques, ribbons, and
belt buckles. Many lifelong lessons and people were met along the way.
Orville was an avid hunter and guide and really enjoyed the outdoors. Each fall for 35 years, a
special family of hunters from Tennessee would travel across the states to enjoy pheasant
hunting on his land. His grandchildren still remember the days of forming an “assembly line” to
clean birds. His love for hunting sent him throughout South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and
Minnesota for deer, elk, and antelope and to Canada black bear hunting.
Orville’s dedication to his farm and animals was always apparent. His family will never forget
about how his infamous “list” was always ready. This often meant working cattle, fixing fences,
picking rock, spading thistles, riding horses, and driving lessons across the pasture. During
holidays, he never forgot to remind his little helpers that the “cattle did not know it was
Christmas” and we have a feeling his cattle were grateful for that.
When he wasn’t on the farm working on the “list”, you would find him playing on the farm,
making amazing welding inventions (including a calf roping machine) and attending his
grandchildren’s events (including basketball, football, baseball, volleyball, track, wrestling, and
rodeo). You would even catch him playing volleyball himself.
Orville will be remembered for the dirt under his fingernails, discipline in his heart, and oneliners in his back pocket (“wooden nickels”). His friends and family will certainly be excited to
see him again one day, and when they do they will be sure to bring their own water bottle,
because even for a guy who was constantly surrounded by the dirt of a farm, sharing a water
was, of course, off-limits.
Family dear to Orville include his wife of 59 years, Judy; Daughter Dory (Kurt) Gassman of
Henry, SD, grandchildren Natasha (Justin), Shantel (special friend Abe), Kendra (special friend
Aydan), and Payton; Daughter Deb (Troy) Loudenburg of Canova, grandchildren Levi (Roxy),
and Luke; Son Chad (Jamie) Barringer of Ipswich, grandchildren Amanda (Jesse), McKenzie
(special friend Nate), Piper, Preston, Alyssa, and Emily; Daughter Dee (special friend Bill)
Zens of Canova, grandchildren Donita (Ryan), and Dave; Son Duane (Laura) Barringer of
Winterset, IA, grandchildren Brady, Ty, Jackson, and Garrett; And great-grandchildren Wesley,
Molly, Clint, Trinity, Ellie, and Ayla; sister Delores Wallum of Iroquois; brother-in- law John
(Lynn) Esser of Howard; sister-in-law Cheryl Esser of Sioux Falls; and numerous cousins,
nieces, and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his infant daughter, parents Faye and Clara Barringer, in-laws
Joe and Julia Esser, Sister Ruth Marie Lee and husband Gilbert, Sister Veryl Dershied and
husband Harry, Brother Vern Barringer, brother-in-law Joy Wallum, and nephew Bradley
Wallum.