Floyd Scholten
Dates
September 7, 1937 - March 15, 2023Obituary
Floyd Scholten, 85, of Spencer, SD, passed away Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at his home under hospice care. There will be a small memorial service at a time not yet chosen by Floyd’s family. Arrangements by Bittner Funeral Chapel.
Floyd Scholten was born September 7, 1937, in Corsica, South Dakota, to William Karel Scholten and Jennie Scholten (née Van Den Hoek). Floyd grew up in Corsica and graduated from Corsica High School in 1955 at the age of 17. As a student, Floyd excelled in math, geography, and history. As an athlete, he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball.
Floyd served in the United States Army as a helicopter mechanic in South Korea from 1957 to 1958. Following his military service, Floyd returned to Corsica.
Floyd met his future life partner, Shirley Lea De Waard, while working at Freddie’s Market. Floyd and Shirley married on February 3, 1961, at the Christian Reformed Church in Harrison, South Dakota. Early in the marriage, Floyd worked to install electric wiring in Minuteman missile silos in western South Dakota. He also worked in North Dakota and California to erect towers that carry electricity transmission cables.
Floyd went into community banking and insurance sales in Babbitt, Minn., and Grand Junction, Iowa.
More than anything, Floyd was a builder. He applied his construction skills and fastidious building standards to everything he made, from small projects to entire houses. Floyd built his first house for himself and Shirley when they lived in Mitchell in 1967. He built their second house in Babbitt while working at the local branch of First State Bank. Floyd and Shirley moved the family to Grand Junction, where he and Shirley built their third house while working for locally-owned People’s Trust and Savings Bank. After Floyd and Shirley retired, they moved back to South Dakota. Floyd and Shirley built their fourth house on a scenic acreage south of Montrose. They built their fifth and final house in Spencer.
Floyd is survived by his wife, Shirley; daughter, Stephanie; son, Scott; grandchildren, Luke, Mattea, and Sarah; and great-grandson, Ryder.
As a child, Floyd was preceded in death by his father. Floyd was also preceded in death by his infant son, Bryan Lynn; mother, Jennie; three older brothers, Gerald, Tony, and Marvin; and his older sister Kathleen.