Milton LeRoy Wass was born March 18, 1918 in Beresford, SD, the only child of parents Lloyd and Rose (Stuessi) Wass, and entered into death on December 18, 2015 at the age of 97 years and nine months. He was baptized in the Methodist faith and graduated from Beresford High School in 1936. His fondest childhood memories include learning to hunt with his grandfather John, and he passed that passion on to his six grandsons. He attended the University of Chicago for two years. He received his Mortuary Degree from the College of Mortuary Science in St. Louis, Missouri in 1943, graduating with honors.

Milton married Lillian Marjorie Bondhus on May 21, 1939 in Slayton, Minnesota, and the couple lived in Sioux City, Iowa, and Beresford before moving to Virginia and then to San Francisco, California where he served in the US Navy from 1943-1946 during WWII. They moved to Centerville in 1946 when he joined his father in the Wass Funeral Home business in Beresford, which was started by his grandfather in 1887, when Milton   turned the hospital in Centerville into a funeral home. Milton bought the funeral home in Alcester in 1971. He also provided ambulance services for Centerville for many years. Milton and Lillian worked together at the Wass Furniture Store in Beresford, until it was sold in 1971. While living in Centerville he was active in Scandia Lutheran Church, and later when they moved to Beresford, he was a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church. He served on the Centerville Board of Education for nine years, The Centerville City Council for six years, the Centerville American Legion for 62 years,, was a Mason and especially enjoyed golf, (getting a hole in one, not once, but twice) hunting, training his three black lab hunting dogs, fishing, boating, hiking, (even hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in 1996 at age 78), bicycling (completed The Ride Across Minnesota in 1994 at age 76), which was 285 miles across Minnesota in five days; to prepare, he rode 285 miles around Beresford in five days. Milt enjoyed photography and even had a dark room in his home to develop his own photos. He followed in his Grandfather's footsteps and learned the craft of woodworking, and each daughter has one of his beautifully crafted end tables to remember his talent. He taught his daughters and grandchildren to water ski, and made wonderful memories with his family at "The Cabin" on Lewis and Clark Lake. Milt believed in exercise and wore out three exercise bikes…riding more than 75,000 miles (or 3 trips around the world).

After their retirement in 1985 Milton and Lillian loved to travel inside and outside of the US, and made trips to the Caribbean, French Rivera, Norway, Mexico, Alaska, Canada, Jamaica and one of his favorite states to visit was Maine when they went to find the "Great Wass Island". They spent many winters in Mesa, Arizona, where he once received a speeding ticket for riding his bicycle TOO FAST. Milton was so proud of his wife being named Mrs. South Dakota, and going to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for the Mrs. America contest in 1957. While there, he caught a seven foot, 47 pound sailfish. The perpetual learner, Milt took lessons on how to play the organ in his 80s. As Lillian grew frail, he would play to her every evening and they would sing hymns and say the Lord's Prayer together. His recorded music was played for her at her funeral in 2007.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife Lillian, on December 22, 2007. Among those who survive and who gratefully shared his life are his four daughters and their husbands, Patricia and Lyle Brend of Mesa, Arizona, Sandra and James DeSaix of Beresford, Marjorie and Lynn Ellis of Rapid City, and Kathleen and Craig Fransen of Jackson, MN.; ten grandchildren, Clark Nelson, Christopher Nelson, Darren Vik, Regina Larson, Clint Ellis, Daina Austin, Kollin Ellis, Micah Fransen, Bethany Fransen, and Hanna Rossow; four step-grandchildren, Maren DeSaix, Hilary Bertch, Nathan Brend, and Ashley Brend; 21 great-grandchildren, Kirsten, Siri, Kelsey, Britta, Kayla, Mia, Kara, Tanner, Cameron, Alana, Kaitlyn, Kendra, Lily, Anna, Elin, Jack, James, Dylan, Julia, Ava and Cole; and one great-great-grandson Owen.

Funeral services for Milton will be 2PM Tuesday, December 22, 2015 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Beresford, SD and burial with military honors at Beresford City Cemetery. Visitation will be 2-8PM Monday at Wass Funeral Home in Beresford with the family present from 5:30-7PM and a prayer service at 7PM.