Allan "Arnold" Cotton

Allan “Arnold” Cotton, 79, died quietly Wednesday, December 24, 2008 at his home surrounded by family on Christmas Eve Day. Funeral services will be at 10:30am Saturday, December 27, 2007 at the Hofmeister-Jones Funeral Home, Parker with burial at Rosehill Cemetery. Visitation will begin at noon Friday with a Prayer Service at 7:00pm. He was born on January 29, 1929 at Parker to Robert and Geneva (Wright) Cotton. He graduated from Parker High School in 1947. He served in the US armed forces. On February 17, 1925 he was united in marriage to Madeline Kraemer at Parker. Arnold and his dad formed a partnership under the name of Da-Co-Ton Holsteins. Da-Co-Ton Holsteins had the first 4E cow in the state of SD: Da-Co-Ton Triune Velda. He was always very active in the dairy industry and was the first person from SD to have served at the national level for the Holstein National Board of Directors, he served on many boards, both in the dairy industry and the Holstein Association, and he was a 4-H leader for many years. They resided on the family farm until 1982 when they moved into Parker. Arnold continued to farm until about 1993 when gradually let the kids take over. . Grateful for having shared his life are his wife Madeline; 2 sons, John, and Donald (Vonda); 4 daughters, Rebecca Rice, Colleen (Dennis) Dunn, Lyla (Robert) Hogg, and Sally (Gary) Felsheim, all of Parker area; 13 grandchildren, Eric, Wade, Courtney, Thad & Dylan Cotton, Darrell (Sara) and John Rice, Sarah (Tyler), Erin, Allan & Adam Hogg, and Sheila and Ryan Felsheim; a great grandson, Kaden; a sister, Irene (Dale) Jorgensen, Viborg; and special family friend, Merlyn Van Hove, Freeman, who lived with the family through his high school years. Preceding him in death were his parents, son-in-law, Wally Rice, a brother-in-law, LeeRoy Kraemer, and 3 nieces, Rita Pearson, Teresa Shaver, and Connie Kubiszewski. Memorials are preferred in lieu of flowers.