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Funeral services for Norman Pfitzer, 89, of Mobridge will be at 10:30 AM, Tuesday, July 6, 2021 at the Zion Lutheran Church in Mobridge. Burial will be at Greenwood Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge. Visitation will be from 5-7 PM Monday at the funeral home. Norman passed away Monday, June 28, 2021 at the Miller Good Samaritan Center in Miller.

Norman John Pfitzer was born on a farm south of Glenham to John and Louise (Litz) Pfitzer on August 25, 1931. He started school in a rural school southeast of Glenham. He felt so lucky that his teacher could speak German as he could not speak English. He said first grade was hard as he had to learn English and his first grade subjects. He went on to complete the seventh grade. He then quit school to help his dad on the farm. He had little education but went on to provide a very good life for his family. He was baptized on April 6, 1935 and was confirmed on May 20, 1945 in the German language.

On November 18, 1951, Norman and Rena Lou Lippelt were married at Zion Lutheran Church at Mobridge. They remained on the farm with Norman's parents until the fall of 1952. They moved to Spokane, WA for a short time. It was fall and the jobs were pretty scarce so they returned to Mobridge. They again lived at the farm until later when they moved west, first to Henderson, NV. When there was no more work at the plant, they moved to Richmond, CA. He and his brother-in-law started at a company, worked two more weeks and got layed off again. Norman said that's when he returned to South Dakota and never even left Mobridge again until moving to the Miller Good Samaritan Center in 2019. In 1953 Norm went to work for Glader Brothers Construction. He did whatever there was to be done. He laid concrete basements, built homes and did the sheet rocking and taping inside. He helped do all the houses in Bel Aire addition. When they no longer had work for him, he went to work for the Mobil Station at the end of Main Street. He said afterwards that he would freeze to death in the winter starting cars and sweat to death in the summer. In 1968 Norm went to work for the Mobridge School District as a custodian for the next twenty-five years. All but the last two years he worked, he drove school bus. He cleaned school in the daytime and drove bus at night, putting in some really long days. He worked from 1968-1978 at the high school. From 1978-1993 he worked at Freeman Davis School. He enjoyed the little kids and was always coming home saying what they would do or say. He was liked all. Years later when the teachers would see him they would always say he did a good job.

Norman is survived by children, Randy Ray (LaVonne) Pfitzer of Phoenix, AZ, Cynthia Ann (Steve) Ford of Miller, SD, Jimmy Dean Pfitzer of Mobridge, grandchildren, Shon Steven (Jessie) Ford, Nathan Kelly (Val) Ford, Elias Todd (Angela) Ford, Jessica Jo (David) Hardy, Robin Rae (John) Walkner, great grandchildren, Kaliopie Ford, Cynthia Ford, Noah Ford, Jameson Ford, Remmington Ford, Canyon Ford, Ryan Walkner, and Ethan Walkner.

He is preceded in death by his parents, wife, Rena Lou, brother, Emil (Elenora) Pfitzer, sisters, Violet (Gerhard) Landis and Ella (Adam) Landis.