Alton Quam, 88 of the Sinai area died Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, at the Brookings hospital.
Funeral services are at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Sinai Lutheran Church. Burial will be in the West Sinai Cemetery at Sinai. Visitation is from 5-7 p.m. Wednesdayat the Johnson-Henry Funeral Home in Arlington and preceding services in the church on Thursday.
Alton Raymond Henry Quam was born on July 27, 1928, to Henry and Bernice (Thoreson) Quam. He was educated in the Sinai school system thru the eighth grade.
He met Marjorie Jorenby in 1949 and they were married at the Sinai Lutheran Parsonage on Feb. 24, 1950. They were married for 64 years. They had three children – Arden, Marilyn and Marlys.
The couple farmed and ranched for a few years before moving back to the Sinai community where he worked for Brookings County for 34 years running a road grader.
Failing health had him living at Dakota Sun Assisted Living in Volga and then due to esophagus & swallowing problems he was moved to the Neighbors at Brookview Manor.
His passions in life were: Marjorie, family and community, horses, trees, getting rid of weeds, doing anything outdoors, tractors, chain saws or anything with a two-cycle engine and maintaining the Sinai cemetery.
He loved hard work and only sat down to eat, visit, watch the weather or get a cat nap. He had many stories to tell about the history of the Sinai community. He took care of Margie 24-7 for almost three years after her brain surgery. He will be greatly missed by many family & friends. He was the last of his kind and they don't make them like that anymore.
Surviving members are: daughter, Marlys (Kermit) Micheel of Worland, Wyo.; brother, Charles (Barb) Quam of Baltic; sisters Delores Shefte of Dell Rapids and Barb Hillestad of Sioux Falls; two granddaughters; a grandson; two great-granddaughters; a sister in law, Garnet Jorenby; brother in law Cliff (Deloris) Jorenby and brother in law Jim Watt and also many nieces and nephews and special friends who came to visit him these last few years.
Preceding him in death are, his loving wife Marjorie, one infant daughter and son Arden Quam, brother Laverne Quam.
