John Franklin Fillmore, 77, of
Whitewood, SD, passed away Tuesday, April 28, 2015, at Rapid City
Regional Hospital, after a difficult battle with cancer and heart
disease. John was a classmate of Deadwood High School 1955.
There will be a visitation at Sturgis Kinkade Funeral Chapel on
Sunday, May 3, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Funeral services will
be held Monday, May 4, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. at Whitewood Presbyterian
Church. There will be a reception following the funeral at the
Whitewood City (Hale) Hall. Internment will be held on Tuesday, May
5, at 10:00 a.m. at Black Hills National Cemetery.
John was born September 30, 1937, at Spearfish, SD, to Millard
and Muriel (Schaefer) Fillmore. His first home was in the Tinton
area. His family later moved to Spearfish before moving to Casper,
WY, for a few years. When he was 5, his family moved to Deadwood. He
graduated from Deadwood High School in 1955.
In 1956, he joined the U. S. Air Force. He was stationed in
South Carolina. While there, he met his bride-to-be at Myrtle Beach.
He was transferred to Japan for 2 years. Upon returning from Japan,
he married M. Anne Heaton on January 11, 1959. They moved to
Whitewood in 1962, where he lived at his time of death. They had four
daughters.
John worked in his father's hardware store before opening a
grocery store in Whitewood. He graduated from Black Hills State
College in 1970 with a bachelor's degree in education. He taught
school for 7 years and worked as a salesman for Sears. In 1980, he
opened The Donut Hole bakery in Spearfish. He sold the bakery in 1994
and semi-retired. He had several rental properties in
Whitewood.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, M. Anne Fillmore; daughters, Tracy (Marvin) Fillmore-Frey, Cindy (Lyle) Long, and Kim (Jim) O'Connor; sister, Jeanne Chambers; 11 grandchildren, Amanda (Wade) Smith, John (Connie) Long, Lyle (Darcy) Long, Chad (Jami) Anderson, Jake (Kristi) Heidrich, Josh (Jenn) Long, Jason (Valerie) Anderson, Bobbi Jo (Robert) Koyama, Tiffany (Jessie) Skavang, Kelsey (David) Schweiterman, and Garrett Weber; 4 step-grandchildren, Shanna Martin, Stephanie Johnson, Scot Johnson, and Jessica Frey; 26 great-grandchildren; 3 step-great-grandchildren; an aunt; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.
John was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Christy
(Bob) Weber; step-grandson, Andrew "AJ" Frey;
brother-in-law, Lloyd Chambers; and son-in-law, Tom Johnson.
A memorial has been established to the Whitewood Presbyterian
Church.
Sign Guest Book @ http://kinkadefunerals.com/registry.php?id=1599
