Lawrence “Larry” Helwig, age 96, passed away on Saturday, March 1, 2025. His Memorial Mass will be Celebrated at 10:30 A.M. on Thursday, May 22, 2025, at St. Thomas More Catholic Parish in Brookings with burial to follow in the church cemetery. Eidsness Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Lawrence L. Helwig was born on May 3, 1928, the son of Casper and Agnes (Lesnar) Helwig in Grenville, South Dakota. Larry was the eldest of six children. He was raised on a farm, graduated from Waubay High School in 1947, and enlisted in the US Navy. He married Ramona Manska in 1954, and they had four children between 1956 and 1965. Larry graduated from the University of Montana with a bachelor’s degree in forestry and a master’s degree in wildlife management. He began his career as a Timber Management Forester in Custer State Park and initiated a more aggressive forest management program similar to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) program of the 1930s. Larry was also the manager of the pulpwood chip plant in Custer. In 1965, Larry accepted a position at South Dakota State University in Brookings as the Extension Forester of the state to provide education and information to the state’s residents and field professionals, a position he retained for 24 years. During his tenure, Larry managed the state’s Dutch Elm Disease problem which established tree banks for larger trees to replace the diseased elm population. Larry was instrumental in multiple organizations, including the SD Nurseryman’s Association, the Arborist Association, and the Christmas Tree Growers Association. Larry developed and operated the state’s first “choose-and-cut” Christmas Tree production with more than ten thousand trees. Following his retirement in 1989, Larry and Ramona traveled for pleasure all around the continental U.S., including Alaska, and international travel to Australia and New Zealand. They frequently visited their children and grandchildren in Iowa, Oregon, and Texas. In 2021, Larry and Ramona relocated to Des Moines, IA. Larry was a survivor of prostate cancer.
Larry is survived by his wife, Ramona; his daughter and son-in-law, Val and John of Des Moines Iowa; his son and daughter-in-law, Lance and Heidi of Portland Oregon; his son and daughter-in-law, Blaine and Betty of Austin, Texas; and his son and daughter-in-law, Todd and Karen of Austin, Texas. Larry is also survived by seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and his sister, Doris Town of Watertown, SD.
Larry was preceded in death by his siblings Julian, Chester, Arthur, and Marie.
