Florence Virginia Sargent, age 97, of Huron, died Wednesday, September 21, 2016, at SunQuest Health Care Center. Her funeral service was held at 3:00 PM, Saturday, September 24th, at the Kuhler Funeral Home. A private family burial was in the Prospect Hill Cemetery at Wessington Springs. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials for Twin Lakes Bible Camp, Manson, Iowa or Living Hope Alliance Church, Huron.
Florence was born March 22, 1919, to Burton and Ruby (Holcomb) Morehead on a farm south of Wessington Springs, South Dakota. She attended grade school in the country and graduated from Wessington Springs High School in 1937. After high school, she attended Business College at Mitchell, South Dakota, and completed a Senior Business Degree program in 1938.
On February 6, 1939, Florence was united in marriage to John Eugene Sargent at Mitchell. During their early years, John worked in grocery stores and they lived in several South Dakota towns including Mitchell, Gregory, Winner, Wessington and Miller. In 1945, they started farming 10 miles north of Wessington. They attended an American Sunday School Union Church held in the Tipton township school house where Florence taught children's Sunday school classes. While living north of Wessington, Florence was also an active member of the Good Neighbor Extension Club and the Turtle Creek Ladies Aid.
In February 1955, John and Florence bought and moved to a farm 11 miles southwest of Wessington Springs. To supplement the farming income and help with the expense of sending their three children to high school, Florence began working at the Wessington Springs Independent (now True Dakotan) newspaper office in 1956. After working there three and a half years, she began working for the Jerauld County Office of the Federal Agricultural, Stabilization and Conservation Service located in Wessington Springs. She retired from the ASCS with 21 years of service in 1981.
Soon after moving to the Wessington Springs community, John and Florence joined and became actively involved in the Free Methodist Church in Wessington Springs. Over the years, Florence held offices as Sunday school secretary and treasurer, secretary of the church board, taught children's Sunday school classes, typed the church bulletin and occasionally substituted as church pianist.
Besides working in town and supporting her church, Florence held up her end on the farm: cooking, baking, sewing, cleaning, milking cows (by hand) and helping with farming and haying operations when needed.
Florence had several hobbies. Her favorite was cutting, sewing and tying quilt blocks, giving quilts to her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and many friends. She also planted, cultivated and harvested a garden year after year well into her 90's. Other hobbies included playing the piano, riding her bicycle, raising house plants and embroidering pillow cases and dish towels which she gave away as special gifts.
Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband, John in 2009; two brothers, Merwin and both of his wives, Helen and Anne Morehead and Harold and his wife, Ione Morehead; a four year-old sister, Elsie; and her in-laws, Francis Martens, Kenneth Sargent, Roger and his wife, Edna Sargent and Burton and his wife, Helen Sargent.
Survivors include one son and his wife, Billie and Eva Sargent of Huron; two daughters and their husbands, Virginia and Don Grimm of Azusa, California and Beverly and Bob Larsen of Hudson, Wisconsin; nine grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; two sisters-in-law, Dorothy Sargent of Miller and Elaine Martens of Huron; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.