Funeral service for James "Tractor" Byington age 91 of Mobridge will be 10:00 AM Wednesday, October 5, 2016 at Trinity Lutheran Church. Interment will be in the Greenwood Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge. Visitation will be Tuesday, October 4, 2016 starting at 3:00 PM with a prayer service at 7:00 PM at Kesling Funeral Home. James "Tractor" passed away Friday, September 30, 2016 at Mobridge Regional Hospital.

James (Tractor) Byington passed away at his home on September 30, 2016 at the age of 91 years and 10 ½ months. He was born November 15, 1924 to Paul Byington and Clara (Shields) Byington in Marmath, North Dakota.

Because Paul was a locomotive engineer for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad they moved to Mobridge, South Dakota in 1925. Jim's mother, Clara passed away when Jim was quite young and his father later married Mertie Gipson. Jim had four sisters, Doris
Byington (passed away as an infant), Jean (James) Kinley, Gloria (Jim) Allumbaugh, and Kaye (Laurie) Jones and three brothers Dick (Helen) Byington, Paul Leland (died of meningitis as a child), Garth (Virginia) Byington.

Jim attended Beadle Elementary School and Mobridge High School. Jim often told stories of taking car trips to Bassett and Ainsworth, Nebraska to visit family when he was very young and the only section of paved road was a few blocks through Pierre. In 1942, Jim and his brother Garth enlisted in the United States Navy to join the fight of World War 2. Jim served in Morocco, North Africa and returned to Sanford, Florida (Jacksonville Naval Air Station) until his honorable discharge in 1946.

Jim promptly headed back to Mobridge knowing a job working with his dad on the railroad awaited him. Jim rose from firing steam engines to being an engineer in 1953.
As railroad work would have its highs and lows there were times he was off duty for several months at a time. During those times, Jim would work jobs like United States Geological Survey and at Boeing Aircraft in Seattle as an aviation machinist building B-52s and KC-135 refueling aircraft. As he gained seniority, Jim worked consistently for the railroad for the next 40 years until he took early retirement, to help care for his wife Ramona, who had early onset Alzheimer's.

Jim married Ramona (Shillingstad) Keller on April 16th, 1964 in Pierre, South Dakota. Ramona was a widow so Jim was instantaneously dad to five children Steve, Susan, Stewart, Shelley, and Sheila. The couple added one more baby to the family welcoming James Paul in February of 1965. The family made their home at 518 2nd Street East where Jim lived for the next 50 plus years. Jim had always been a traveler and the family made many road trips to Washington, Idaho, California and Florida. The family also spent many summers camping near the river.

James W. Byington was a hardworking, devoted husband, loving father,
grandfather and friend. Many people knew Jim by his nickname Tractor given to him back in high school. It was said that he was "big as a tractor and strong as one too."

Jim was preceded in death by his father Paul, his mother Clara, his brothers Paul Leland and Garth, his step-mother Mertie, his wife Ramona, his sisters Doris, Gloria and Jean.
He was also preceded in death by his beloved basset hound Baxter, who was nearly as well known as Jim.

He is survived by one sister Kaye Jones of Sioux Falls, SD; six
children - Steve (Arlawayne) Keller of Mobridge; Susan (Kevin) McDaniel of Lenexa, KS;
Stewart Keller of Mobridge; Shelly Keller of Springfield, MO; Sheila (David) Lipp of Mobridge; and James (Melissa) Byington of Elkhorn, NE. He is also survived by thirteen grandchildren Brett (Bobbie) Keller, Todd (Jill) Keller, Ashley Wientjes, Crystal (Andrew) Tait, Jeffery Lipp, Justin (Ashley) Lipp, Shayne (Jessica) Lipp, Nicole Lipp, Nick Wood, Shelby Byington, Alex Byington, Ian Byington and several great-grandchildren.

Jim always had a quick wit and many colorful stories he liked to share. He had an
amazingly detailed memory right up to the day he left us. Jim Byington was known and loved by many people. He loved to catch up with old friends and railroaders over a beer or a drink. James Westley Byington will be greatly missed and remembered fondly.