Larry Afdahl

The memorial service for Larry Afdahl, 87, of Aberdeen, South Dakota, will be 10:30am, Thursday, November 5, 2026, at Spitzer-Miller Funeral Home, with Pastor Gary Woodruff officiating. Burial at Black Hills National Cemetery. Larry died Thursday, October 29, 2026, at Bethesda Home in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.

Larry Afdahl was born at Faith, South Dakota, youngest son of Norwegian immigrant parents Nels and Elise Afdahl. Larry was raised on the family ranch near Maurine attending Red Top School Grades 1 through 3 and Fox Ridge School grades 4 through 8. Larry graduated from Faith High School in 1957 and from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. While attending high school Larry and his brother George, who was in the same grade, lived in a small trailer house on their own in Faith.

Upon graduation from high school in 1957, Larry began work as a summer technician for the State Highway Department at Faith and worked three summers while attending college. Upon graduation from SDSM&T in 1962, Larry began permanent employment with the State Highway Department at Rapid City working on the original Interstate Highway construction in the Rapid City area. Thus beginning a 40+ year career in Transportation Engineering that included: 4+ years as a Project Engineer at Rapid City; 2 years in the United States Army Corps of Engineers as a Commissioned Officer and Bridge Company Commander; 2 years with the United States Bureau of Public Roads completing an Engineer Training Program with locations in Michigan, Colorado, Washington, DC, and Montana; 2 ½ years as Resident Engineer at Belle Fourche; 2 years a Resident Engineer at Sioux Falls; 8 years as District Construction Engineer at Aberdeen; 2 years as Region Operations Engineer at Aberdeen; and 16 ½ years as Region Engineer at Aberdeen responsible for Engineering, Construction and Maintenance in the NE quarter of South Dakota. Larry became a Registered Professional Engineer by Examination in South Dakota in 1968 and a Licensed Land Surveyor by Examination in 1969 maintaining both through continuing education until retirement in 2002.

Larry married Esther at Isabel, South Dakota, August 28, 1970. Larry and Esther were both born on August 28th and were married on their birthdays. The two of them loved to travel; taking a 111 day ship cruise around the world, a 60 day ship cruise around South America, and have been to all 50 states and much of Canada.

Grateful for having shared Larry’s life are his wife Esther; his children, Cora (Randy) Bathke, Bret (Melissa) Afdahl, and Chad (Kristy) Afdahl; grandchildren Lauren Bathke, Colton, Rylan, Bennet, Delphine, Viola, and Lee Afdahl.

Preceding Larry in death are his parents Nels and Elise Afdahl and his brothers Anson, Iver, and Robert Yeager, and Richard Afdahl. 

Our family would like to offer special thanks for the wonderful and caring professionals at Bethesda Home of Aberdeen. 

Memorials may be directed to: Storybook Land in Aberdeen or the Parkinson’s Foundation.