Guy Earnest Pribyl, age 91, rural Wolsey, SD, died Thursday, February 19, 2009, at the Violet Tschetter Memorial Home.

His funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, February 23, at the First Presbyterian Church in Wolsey with burial at the Wolsey Cemetery.

Visitation will be Sunday, February 22, from 1-8 p.m., at Welter Funeral Home with the family present from 6-8 p.m. and a prayer service at 7:00 p.m.; or Monday morning one hour prior to the service at the church.

Guy Earnest Pribyl, the son of James C. and Nina Grace (Minium) Pribyl, was born on December 14, 1917, the first of four children born on the family farm near Wolsey, SD. Earnest attended 1st through 8th grade at Weeks School. His favorite subjects were American History and Math. He carried his lunch to school in a lard pail.

After graduating from 8th grade, Earnest farmed with his dad. When he was 17 years old, he continued to farm and also worked for the WPA. He worked with a group of men on the road grade that went from Wolsey to Bonilla. Each worker had his own hand rake. He earned 48 cents per hour, and would work for 8 to 10 hours a day. Earnest also did shop work one spring welding new edges on plow shares for Robert Jungemann, but wasnt very good at the trip hammer (Heating and pounding the plow shares).

When Earnest first began farming he used horses. In his later years he farmed with tractors, the 140 horsepower kind. When asked his favorite things about farming he would say, working with the cattle and working in the shop. If it was broke, he could fix it. He also played guitar for barn dances with his father, who played accordian, Roy Pierce and Uncle Bert who both played violin.

On June 19, 1940, Earnest married Viola E. Pierson near Wolsey. They began their married life on a farm northwest of Wolsey. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2000. They spent their entire lifetime together raising three children, chickens, pigs, cattle, corn, oats and alfalfa on their family farm. Earnest spent his entire life on the farm, until health issues prevented him from living there any longer.

Earnest was a long-time member of First Presbyterian Church at Wolsey, serving on the Session Committee and as an adult Sunday school teacher. Earnest helped start the Wolsey Rural Fire Association, serving on the board for many years. Earnest was a Township officer for many years and he served on the ASCS County Committee for a number of years.

Earnest enjoyed reading, reading and more reading. He enjoyed visiting with everyone. Topics would include but were not limited to farming and continuing education.

Earnest is survived by one daughter, Ann (Jamie) Fisk of Tulare; two sons, Douglas (Bonnie) Pribyl of Wolsey and David (Donna) Pribyl of Randall, IA; eight grandchildren, Kimberly (Harry) Schaefer, Kelly (Nate) Wanzek, Katherine (Pete) Kleinjan, Keith (Joy) Fisk, Jennifer (Allen) Pickard, Matthew (Sabrina) Pribyl, Brian (Selena) Pribyl, and Casey Jo Pribyl; six great-grandchildren: Sidney and Kirri Schaefer, Ella Fisk, Johanna Kleinjan, Jonah Pribyl, and David Pickard; two sisters, Vesta Studioso, Wolsey, SD, and Verana (Dick) Braun, Gwyned, PA; sister-in-law, Genevive Pribyl, Wolsey; and many nieces and nephews.

Earnest was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Viola in 2002; brother, Emmery Pribyl; and brother-in-law, John Studioso.