Floyd R. Doxtad

Floyd Rohde Doxtad; devoted husband, son, brother, father,
grandfather, great-grandfather, hero of a hundred stories and friend
to a multitude; passed away Thursday, Nov. 29 at Char-Mac Assisted
Living Center in Holstein, after a 95-year bout with time.

Floyd was born on January 11, 1917 in Emerson, Neb., the son of Lewis
and Agnes (Rohde) Doxtad. He grew up in Emerson and Homer, Neb, a
sharp-faced young man with features as striking as his tussling
demeanor. He graduated from high school in Homer. After high school
and amidst the turmoil of the Great Depression, Floyd struck westward,
hopping among screeching railcars destined for the Pacific Coast. He
manned a dust-swirling harvester and picked apples in the California
sun before joining the Marines in 1942 and serving 26 months in the
South Pacific.

Fresh out of the Marines, Floyd married Catherine Harris in 1944 and
settled into a career of farming in Emerson and North Sioux City, S.D.
Floyd and Catherine were blessed with two children, Diane in 1946 and
Daniel in 1950. In the early 1950's, Floyd bid every cent he had on a
farm outside Galva, Iowa, won, and relocated his family to their new
home. Floyd and Catherine settled into a long career of farming and
raising cattle, periodically punctuated with graceful endeavors in
dancing. In his later farming years, Floyd took delight in felling the
trees he'd seen grow tall and eliminating the fences he'd seen grow
rusty.

Floyd was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Holstein, dutifully
serving on the Church Council. He sat on the Holstein School Board for
some years. He also held roles on the Farmers Elevator Board,
Producers Association, Federal Land Bank Board, and Advisory Board at
the Holstein Good Samaritan Society. He was a resolute member of the
American Legion Post 225.

Floyd spent his retirement years searching out card games, watching
his grandsons excel at sports, and generally refusing to retire. He
knocked about on his seasoned Oliver tractor, like a cowboy on his
trusty horse, across his farm, fixing problems and making trouble,
until both the joints on him and the tractor creaked with age. In his
80's he rode his bicycle on frequent 8-mile ventures into Holstein
along the blacktop shoulders of Highway 59. He kept his wits sharp
with the daily crossword puzzles he swiftly finished, even more
hastily the second time. Until his last days, he lived happily and
healthily without any major complication or illness, a wellness likely
attributable to his rugged disposition, but also possibly to his
nightly tonic of Squirt and vodka.

It was perhaps only until the day of his death, with his wife of 68
years slumbering a few feet away and the warm winter sun raising
through his window, that he refused to wake before the sun's rays
reached the foot of his bed.

Floyd is survived by his wife; one son, Daniel (Julie) Doxtad; five
grandsons, R. Brent Mattis, James (Emily) Doxtad, Matthew Doxtad,
Lucas (Donna) Doxtad, David Doxtad and fiancee Jenna Kollasch; two
great-grandaughters, Stella Doxtad and Kate Doxtad.

He was preceded in death by his parents; three sisters, Ruby
Ronnfeldt, Thelma Bollinger, and Margaret Sams; one infant brother,
Lloyd, daughter Diane Mattis; and a number of card-playing partners
and opponents.