Raymond "Ray" Burkard

Larchwood, Iowa        Raymond Burkard, age 89 of Larchwood, IA died Friday, December 23, 2016 at Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD.        Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM, Tuesday, December 27th at The Church of St. Mary in Larchwood, IA, with Father Bruce Lawler officiating.        Burial with military honors will follow at Larchwood Cemetery.        Visitation will be Monday, December 26th from 3:00 to 8:00 PM, with the family present from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at The Church of St. Mary in Larchwood.  There will be a 7:00 PM Vigil service with a Rosary to follow at the church Monday night.         Raymond (Ray) Louis Burkard was born June 16, 1927 near Dell Rapids, South Dakota, to George and Mathilda (Weinacht) Burkard. He attended St. Mary Grade School in Dell Rapids.  Ray served in both the US Army and the US Navy. Upon returning home he began farming with his father, and later farming on his own.       On February 10, 1953 Ray was united in marriage to Anna Scholten of Larchwood, IA.  The date was special as both of their parents were married on February 10, 1925.  Ray and Anna farmed together in the Dell Rapids and Colman, SD areas before purchasing the family farm from Anna’s parents in 1962.  Together they raised five children.  In 1993 Ray and Anna moved to their present home in Larchwood where Ray continued to live after Anna’s passing on March 16, 2013.      Ray is survived by daughter, Virginia and husband Bill Scannell, son, Richard Burkard and special friend, Elaine Snyders, all of Larchwood, IA, daughter, Helen Burkard of Sioux Falls, SD, son, Mark and wife Rhonda Burkard, and their children Brett and Courtney, all of Omaha, NE, son, Bill and wife Tracy Burkard, and their sons River and Canyon, all of Oacoma, SD; sisters, Rose and husband Harlan Prokop of Sioux Falls, SD, and Shirley and husband John Schmidt of Emmetsburg, IA, and many other extended family.     He was preceded in death by his wife, Anna, parents, George and Mathilda Burkard, his grandchildren, Anne, John, and Mary Ranschau, his sister, Mildred Sampson, his brothers, Robert Burkard, James Burkard, Charles Burkard, and infant brothers, Frank Burkard, Vern Burkard, and Max Burkard.