Lawrence John (Larry) Oberpriller, 83, of Hot Springs, died Sunday, January 7, 2007, at the Michael J. Fitzmaurice State Veterans Home in Hot Springs, South Dakota.

Larry Oberpriller was born on November 22, 1923, in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, the second of seven children of John and Ida (Winkels) Oberpriller. At the age of five, Larry and his family moved to Ellsworth, Wisconsin, where he graduated from Ellsworth High School in 1941.

In the fall of 1941 he attended River Falls College while also working at a grocery store. He later moved to St. Paul, Minnesota and worked at Swift & Co. until he was drafted by the United States Army. In April 1943, Larry reported to Ft. Sheridan, Illinois, to be inducted into the Army Air Corps, where he progressed in rank from Private to Private First Class, Corporal, Sergeant, and Staff Sergeant.

Larry was assigned to the Bomber Command 2nd Air Transport Squad (Mobile) and participated in the World War II China, Central Burma and India-Burma Campaigns. He received the Distinguished Unit Badge, the Good Conduct Medal, the Meritorious Unit Award, the American Theater Service Medal and the Asiatic Pacific Theater Service Medal. He was honorably discharged from the Army in February 1946, when he returned to his family in Menomonie, Wisconsin.

Larry entered the University of Wisconsin in the fall of 1946 under the G.I. Bill and graduated with a B.B.A. in Business in 1950. After graduation he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he worked in public accounting firms and had his own bookkeeping and income tax business. In November 1951, he married Shirley Anne Parsons and they resided in Minneapolis until moving to Hot Springs, South Dakota, in August, 1956, where he explored uranium prospecting in the area. He was employed by Freeds Midwest Furniture, the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Hot Springs Refinery, Rapid City Schools and State Veterans Home. He also performed individual tax accounting and bookkeeping services. Larry had a lifelong fascination with the stock market and spent much of his time researching, trading stocks and managing his portfolio into his retirement years.

Larry was a faithful member of St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Hot Springs, and enjoyed the social events of the parish. His hobbies included gardening, agate hunting near Fairburn and Oelrichs, fishing at Cold Brook, Fall River, and lakes in the Black Hills, and following the school sports teams as well as college football and basketball.

Larry is survived by two sons, James Oberpriller and Paul (Kim) Oberpriller, of Hot Springs, SD; two daughters, Margaret (Scott) Cordts of Huron, SD, and Sally (Al) Ford of Alamosa, CO; six grandchildren, Cristin (Brook) Fischer, of Bellevue, NE, Alyssa Cordts of New Brighton, MN, Drew Ford of Boulder, CO, Brian Ford of Alamosa, CO, and Mallory Oberpriller and Jake Oberpriller of Hot Springs, SD; one great-grandson, Brenden Fischer of Bellevue, NE; and one sister, Karen (Ken) Clough, of Madison, WI.

Larry was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley Oberpriller, his parents, sisters, Mary Catherine Oberpriller and Elizabeth Larson, and brothers Robert, Gerald and Francis Oberpriller.

A Wake Service was held at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, January 11, and a Mass of Christian Burial was held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, January 12, both at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Hot Springs, with burial at Evergreen Cemetery in Hot Springs.

The family suggests memorials to the St. Anthony's Catholic Building Fund.

Arrangements have been placed in the care of McColley's Chapels of the Hills in Hot Springs, SD. Written condolences can be made at www.mccolleyschapels.com.