Burton E. Lawrensen

Burton "Burt" Lawrensen, 98, of Vermillion, SD, Passed away peacefully at Sanford Vermillion Care center on Friday, November 24, 2023. Funeral service will be held Friday, December 1, 2023, at Dalesburg Lutheran Church beginning at 11:00AM. Visitation will be held one hour prior.

Burton was born on April 3, 1925, to Arthur and Myrtle (Peterson) Lawrensen in Burbank, SD. He was the oldest of one other sibling.

He attended elementary school at Rockfield school of rural Burbank, SD and graduated from Vermillion High school. After graduating from high school, Burton enlisted in the United States Navy, serving two years from 1946-1948 as a pharmacist mate, 3^rd class during World War II era.
Burton was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1948. He continued to SDSU to obtain and Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy. He went on to work as an Agronomist/ Farmer in 1969 with Southeast South Dakota Experiment Farm as well as Farming the Lawrensen home place until retiring in 1993. Burton remained involved with the family farm through share cropping up until his passing.   

In July of 1953, Burton was united in marriage to Jeanette Meier in Woonsocket, SD at the Woonsocket Methodist Church and from this union came two children, Bruce, and Terri.  The family resided in several areas of rural Burbank, their final home in the rural area was the renovated Greenfield Store in Greenfield until moving to Vermillion in 1993.  

Burton had many hobbies that he enjoyed in his free time. Growing up, he played baseball for numerous Hub City baseball teams. Other times you could find him enjoying a game of Horseshoes or Bowling which he did even in his later years. He would hunt pheasants during the fall with friends and family and liked to play cards any chance he could. He became especially fond of Cribbage in his later years of retirement.

He is Survived by his loving wife, Jeanette Lawrensen, son Bruce Lawrensen of Noble, OK; daughter Terri (Leroy) Johnson of Tea, SD; Grandson, Bradley Johnson of Tea, SD, and great-granddaughter, Makaylah.   

Preceding him in death were his brother, Milton Lawrensen, his parents Arthur and Myrtle and Daughter-in-law, Cynthia Lawrensen.