Cecil Glenford Stagman, 99, of Sisseton, SD passed away on March 8, 2018 at the Tekakwitha Living Center in Sisseton, SD.. Memorial Services will be Thursday, March 15, 2018 at 2:00 PM at Grace Lutheran Church. The Rev. Patrick Jenkins will officiate with Ollie Yost as organist and Pat Schubert as the soloist. Urn bearers will be Cecil's grandchildren; Sharmel Olson, Travis Johnson and Danielle Rivera. Honorary Urn bearers will be Cecil's great-grandchildren Tate Johnson, Tyan Johnson, Sydney Johnson, Hannah Stagman, Grady and Norah Olson. Military rites will be provided by the Otto-Quande-Renville American Legion Post #50 and the Ft. Sisseton V.F.W. Post #3342. There will be memorial visitation held on Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at the Cahill Funeral Chapel from 5:00 PM until 7:00 P.M. with the family present. Inurnment will be held at Sisseton Cemetery in Sisseton, SD. The Cahill Funeral Chapel of Sisseton, SD is in charge of arrangements.

Cecil Glenford Stagman was born on February 26, 1919 to August and Mary (Peterson) Stagman in Sisseton, SD.  In his early childhood the family lived in Enterprise Township and Cecil and his brother Harold attended grade school there.  Cecil assisted his father with the steam threshing crew in the summers.  These were not easy times, Cecil talked about the hard years living thru the dry dirty 30's. The family purchased land in Bossko Township that later became Cecil & Eva's home. Cecil was drafted into the Army on July 4, 1942 and served until October 1945 during World War 11. Cecil was first sent to Ft Snelling Arkansas for basic training, then to Mahave Dessert in California. After basic, they were sent overseas to England for training before landing on Omaha Beach on the French coast.  His division stayed in Belgium until August of 1944. When they were in Munich, Germany they received word they were heading home. Cecil had been assigned to the transportation section of the 3rd Armored Division, to drive a cargo truck to haul food, ammunition and other supplies to the front lines. For many years Cecil wouldn't talk about the time he served in the war, but later on the stories started to be told, the funny things that happened were easier to tell then some of the close calls that Cecil experienced.

Cecil and Eva (Rinas) were united in marriage on October 20, 1948 at the Sisseton Lutheran Parsonage; their attendants were Harold and Marlys Stagman.  To this union three daughters LaVonne, Iris and Lori were born.  In their early years of marriage they cared for Eva's youngest sister while her mother worked.  Cecil continued farming on the family farm until the drought in 1976.  Cecil was forced to sell off his cattle and they have since sold the land to their grandson Travis Johnson.  In 1988 Cecil and Eva purchased a home in Sisseton where they lived until February of 2016.  Due to failing health they moved into Edgewood Assisted Living.   Eva passed away August 27, 2016.  They were married just short 68 years.  Cecil continued to live at Edgewood until December 2017 and was a resident of Tekakwitha Living Center at the time of his death.

Cecil was not afraid of work and worked numerous jobs over the years for others. He worked for Lloyd Schaunaman for 15 years as a hired man.  He helped their daughter LaVonne and her husband Myron farm for 8 to 9 years off and on until Travis came home to help farm.  You could often find both Cecil and LaVonne digging or chiseling together in the same field.  He then went to work for Gene Determan harvesting and hauling manure for three years.  He got a call from Gordon L & Ron Peterson who was looking for a digger to help them out.  Cecil showed up for work and stayed for 16 years.  He finally decided to officially quit working at the age of 93. Cecil was a fix-it-man.  He could find a broken bike fix it and give it away to a kid down the street, tuning up lawnmowers and building bird houses and feeders kept the ladies happy. Cecil had been a member of the Otto-Quande-Renville-American Legion Post #50 for 50 years and a VFW #3342 member for 41 years. In 1975, the new American Legion was opened in Sisseton with Cecil as Commander, he has been the Chaplain at the Legion and VFW for a number of years.  Cecil was a member of the Blackhawk drill team.  He could be found placing new Legion markers on grave sites to hold American flags and many years he was a member of the American Legion Honor Guard at funerals.  He was voted Legionnaire of the Year in 1976.  Another thing Cecil cherished is the French deGuerre award for his division by the French government after WW ll.  He had been a Bossko township supervisor for 45 years, and was a lifelong member of Grace Lutheran Church.

Cecil is survived by his three daughters LaVonne (Myron)Johnson  of Sisseton, SD, Iris Stagman (David Cloud) of Sisseton, SD, Lori Walz of Sioux Falls, SD;  three grandchildren Sharmel (David) Olson of Chamberlain, SD, Travis (Sara) Johnson of Sisseton, SD, and Daniele Rivera (Zackery Schwantes) of Sioux Falls, SD;  six great grandchildren  Tate, Tyan, and Sidney Johnson, Grady and Norah Olson, and Hannah Stagman, sister-in-laws Martha (Gene) Roth  of Apache Junction, AZ, Dianna Moeller of Burnsville, MN, Donna (Emil) Bostrom of Farmington, MN, and Joyce (Mark) Nelson of Clarkfield, MN.

Cecil was preceded in death by his parents August and Mary; his wife Eva; his brother Harold and sister-in-law Marlys Stagman, and brothers-in-law Ed Moeller and Donald Rinas.