Richard J. "Rick" LaFleur

Richard J. "Rick" LaFleur, 72 of Jefferson, SD passed away Sunday, October 22 surrounded by his family following a courageous battle with cancer.

Visitation will be at the church on Monday, October 30 from 5-7 PM with a prayer service to follow. The funeral mass will be Tuesday, October 31 at 10:30 AM at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Jefferson, SD.  Rev. Joe Vogel and Rev. Kevin Doyle will officiate. The family invites all to the parish hall for food and fellowship following both the wake and funeral.

Rick was born September 15, 1951, in Sioux City, IA. He was the oldest son of Russell and Lois (Landers) LaFleur. Rick attended St. Peters Grade School and was part of an amazing legacy at Jefferson High School, graduating in 1969. He attended South Dakota State University from 1969 to 1970 and then graduated from Morningside College in 1973.

On January 5, 1973, Rick married Kathy Cronin in Sioux City, IA. Together they created a wonderful family of which Rick was extremely proud. He cherished spending time with his boys and grandkids and was always their number one fan. Rick was fiercely competitive and whether it was in business or playing cards, Rick played to win. If you were trying to buy a load of cattle or win a game of pitch, you wanted Rick on your side. This was a quality that was very important for him to pass on.

Rick played an integral role in the family business, LaFleur Brothers Company from 1967 to the present. He lived to trade cattle and was always looking for the next trade. He most enjoyed buying country cattle in Oklahoma and Kansas and cherished the relationships he made with his customers everywhere.

He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed family pheasant and deer hunts at “the lake bed”.  Rick loved to camp and fish and spent many weekends at the camper or fishing for walleyes. The family took some special vacations to places like Disney World and most recently to Nest Lake in Spicer, MN. “Grandpa Rick” was always up for some type of stunt or adventure, usually letting everyone else know at the last minute.

He was a sports fan and could be found any weekend watching college football with his printed list of games just waiting for that big upset. He also loved to watch his favorite “losers” the Chicago Cubs finally win a World Series.

Rick was a lifetime member of St. Peter's Catholic Church and is survived by his wife Kathy of Jefferson; 3 sons: Matt LaFleur (Kris) of South Sioux City, NE, Jesse LaFleur (Nicole) of Jefferson, SD, and Ben LaFleur (Elizabeth) of West Des Moines, IA; his mother Lois LaFleur of Jefferson, SD; 7 grandchildren: Kody, Tyler, Caden, Lucas, Jacob, Lincoln, and Bella; brothers: Dan LaFleur (Deb) of Jefferson, SD  and Ernie LaFleur (Mary) of Jefferson, SD along with several nieces and nephews.

Rick was preceded in death by his father, Russ.

A memorial will be established at a later date.