James "Jim" Leonard Loftus, 87, of Box Elder, SD, died Friday, April 21, 2023, at Department of Affairs Fort Meade Veteran's Hospital at Fort Meade, SD.

How to sum up 87 years, 7 months, in 550 words or less?  You know the stuff that makes up the dash between September 21, 1935, and April 21, 2023?

James Leonard Loftus was born in Montrose, SD, but in the mid-40s his folks decided to uproot their clan. Les, Hazel, Phyllis, Jimmy, and little Carol became West-River transplants, eventually setting down roots between Box Elder and New Underwood.

Jim graduated from New Underwood High School in '53 and married sweetheart / classmate, Joye Schiefelbein, in '57.  Uncle Sam sent the two of them to Arizona in '59, returning to New Underwood in '61, a family of three. Rick was just 15 months old when Deb showed up bumping to four the number of mouths, he was responsible to feed. A few years later, Les and Hazel heard the call of Southbound, sun-seeking snowbirds and joined the annual migration, leaving Jim and family to 'mind the place'. With the I-90 and base housing construction projects winding down, Jim was soon going to be out of work and needed more than a freezer full of chickens to get them through till harvest or the next cattle sale. What could provide a steady, agriculture-based paycheck?  Milk cows of course.

A few tons of concrete, some corrugated sheet metal, and Surge milking equipment and the Loftus Dairy was born. Followed a couple years later, in '67, with the birth of Ken. His farm and family had come together nicely.

Jim's next 50 years are filled with milking, farming, ranching, equipment breakdowns and ten thousand trips to town, vacations, holidays with family, coffee and cards with friends and neighbors, Patron Co-op board meetings, weddings, and church on Sundays. The dash is filling up.

To date, the dash connecting 1935 and 2023 includes son and daughters-in-law: Mike Moken, Brenda (Johnson) Loftus, and Shelley (Mercy) Loftus. All contributing to the wealth of Jim's life's dash. Before he knew it there was Chris and Ashley (Robinson) Moken, and son, Major; Jen and Cody Loftin, with sons, Kian, Wyatt, and Alex; Rachel and Keegan Weyrich; Austin and April (Magnuson) Loftus, and daughter, Lena Rose; Cody and Colby (Smith) Loftus, and daughter, Elliot Joye; Rebekah Loftus; Kyle Loftus; Kelsey and Bailey Ruff, and daughter, Natalie.

No life dash can escape heartbreak and goodbyes. In Jim's case those include his parents and wife, Joye, who, for the first time in their 60-year-marriage, finds herself waiting for him.

The final words of advice Jim would leave anyone who touched his heart was "you behave yourself!" And the one word he'd likely use to describe the t ail-end of his dash would be "uff-da".

A sincere thank-you, from his grateful family to all the gracious people who worked the last few years to lessen the uff-da.

Looking forward to seeing you again when we get there.

Memorial services will be 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at Believers Fellowship, 180 Old Stone Rd. in Sturgis, SD.

A memorial has been established.

Click on the link to view service folder

://drive.google.com/file/d/1WaKz-y https YOg58VqGGezaIXQIHOkZllXY8-/view?usp=share_link