David W. Willett, 86, of Tulare, SD, passed away Monday, February 13, 2017 at the Redfield Care and Rehabilitation Center in Redfield, SD. His funeral service will be Friday, February 17, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. at the Tulare United Church in Tulare. Pastor Lorah Houser Jankord will officiate. Burial will follow in the Tulare Cemetery.

Visitation will be Thursday from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., with family present, at Thelen-Hyke Funeral Home in Redfield. Thelen-Hyke Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements. (www.thelen-hyke funeralhome.com)

David William Willett was born on the farm west of Tulare on May 27, 1930 to George and Mary (Spear) Willett. He was the youngest of four children. When he was born, the attending nurse, a neighbor that knew his grandfather William, brought him out for the older children to see and declared that he was "Little Billy". When he was about 2 years old, his cousin David came to live with them for a few years and so David's family and friends continued to call him Billy, a name that he used almost all of his school years and many of his school mates still refer to him that way.

Upon graduation from high school in 1948, he joined the Air Force and went to training in September of that year. During his early years in the service, he served in several areas, including Okinawa, Japan during the Korean Conflict. While there he met a young local girl, Suzuko Ameku, and they were married February 2, 1956.

He took a break from military service from 1957 to 1962 to attend Dakota Wesleyan University where he received his Bachelor's Degree.

After receiving his degree, he rejoined the Air Force and served in many areas including another extended stay in Japan and duty in Vietnam. He also helped to close out several small bases around the country including the Radar Installation at Gettysburg, SD.

After he retired from the Air Force at Ellsworth AFB at Rapid City in October of 1976, he went to work at Control Data, testing computer circuit boards until they sold out. He then went to work for the purchaser, MPI, and the subsequent purchaser, SCI, and continued working there until he retired in 1992. They moved back to Tulare in 1993.

After they moved to Tulare, David loved to raise his garden every year and always had vegetables to share with family and friends. He also loved to work on small engines and fixed many lawn mowers for people in the area. He was also the 'backup' city maintenance man for several years.

He is survived by his son Dani (Dixie) Willett and step-granddaughters, Dixie Faughn and Summer Schakel, all of Alpena, SD; daughter Lli Whitney and granddaughter Heather Whitney, both of Rapid City; sister Marjorie (Harold) Parke, of Lead, SD; sister-in-law Lavilla Willett of Hill City, SD; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife in 2016, after almost 59 years of marriage; brother Leonard; and sister and brother-in-law Emilie (Wesley) Price.

Family will be present during the visitation to accept condolences.

1 mile east of Highway 281 on 182nd Street

Thursday, February 16, 2017
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Thelen-Hyke Funeral Home
101 East 7th Ave
Redfield, South Dakota 57469

Family will be present during the visitation to accept condolences.

Friday, February 17, 2017
10:30 AM

Tulare United Church
207 Ohio Street
Tulare, SD 57476

Friday, February 17, 2017
11:30 AM

Tulare Cemetery
182nd Street
Tulare, SD 57476