John Henry Ervin, 91 of Spearfish passed away on Sunday, December 12, 2010 at his home.



John Ervin was born in Parker, SD on November 13, 1919, to parents Earl and Estella (McKillip) Ervin. He had one older sister, Ardeth. John was always a good student, and had a good voice, singing solos at church and other events, including his high school graduation in Canton, SD. In 1938 he attended SDSU, majoring in business, and was a member of its first hockey team.



After college he met Lillian (Lee) Overseth of Sioux Falls, courted and took her dancing at the Arkota Ballroom, and married her- twice. The couple eloped on August 10, 1941, then married again at the First Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls on August 14 with family present. They moved to Glendale, CA, where John worked for the telephone company, installing the phone system at the new Burbank Airport. Their first daughter Nita was born.

When WWII began, John joined the Navy and was a radio man on the destroyer USS Zellars in the South Pacific. When the Zellars was attacked by a Kamakaze plane, John was lucky to be on the end that was spared. The ship was towed into New York Harbor.



The Ervins settled in Sioux Falls after the war, where John began a career in the men's clothing business and daughters Jeanette and Patricia were born. He began a long association with the Manhattan Shirt Company, first as salesman, then regional sales manager, with territories in Chicago, Indianapolis and San Francisco.



With a love of sailing, John and Lee brought a sailboat with them wherever they went. John rose to National Sales Director in the New York City office, and the family moved to Greenwich, CT. Preferring travel to an office job, the Ervins returned to the San Francisco area, then to Minneapolis, where John and Lee decided on an early retirement from the company and moved to Spearfish in 1975. They bought a home on the creek and opened Spearfish Pottery and Mercantile, where they sold Lee's hand-thrown stoneware pottery and antiques restored and refinished by John, who had a talent for woodworking and carpentry. John also added a sunroom, deck, gazebo and bedroom extension to their home.



As Spearfish Chamber of Commerce Manager he started the city's annual fish fry and brought the Black Hills Corvette Classic to Spearfish. He enjoyed fly fishing on Spearfish Creek, and skiing at Terry Peak and Aspen, CO. They were members of Our Saviors Lutheran Church, the Spearfish Arts Council, and the Booth Society, and were active participants in the Passion Play. John served two terms as a Lawrence County Commissioner. And he also had his real estate license.



John and Lee's 60th anniversary celebration in the Spearfish Park Pavilion in 2001 brought family and friends from across the country. They were a great pair for 69 years, dancing together like Fred and Ginger and sharing a life of wonderful adventures. Always a gentleman, kind, loyal and charming, with a warm and easy laugh, John was dearly loved by his wife and three daughters, three grandchildren and great grandchildren, his nieces and nephews, and all who knew him.



A private family service will be held at the Black Hills National Cemetery with an honor guard and bagpipes. The family is very grateful to Interim Health and Hospice of the Northern Hills for their care.