November 9, 1934—December 1, 2020
REDFIELD, SD - Clinton Spencer Vieth was born and raised on a dairy farm outside of Sparta, Wisconsin, on the boundary of Fort McCoy, on November 9th, 1934. He was the seventh of eight children by his parents, Benjamin and Henrietta (nee Pfuhl) Vieth, and had an identical twin brother, Clifford. After a typical farm kid’s childhood, Clinton was the first ever in his family to achieve a masters degree at an institution of higher learning, receiving a BS in Education from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, and an MS in Counseling from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. His career was largely concerned with helping people, having worked as a counselor for the Alma, Wisconsin School district, as well as more recently serving as an administrator to aid the visually impaired, and enabling and encouraging members of disadvantaged communities to achieve their GED high school equivalencies.
During his long life, Clinton has resided in Sparta, Wisconsin; South Beloit, Illinois; Alma, Wisconsin; Madison, Wisconsin; Pierre, South Dakota, and finally, Redfield, South Dakota, where he passed on Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at the age of 86 due to complications of COVID/Alzheimer’s disease.
He is preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Roger, James, Dwayne, Richard, and Clifford; and his sisters, Wilma and Audrey.
An avid sports fan, Clinton was a strong supporter of the Wisconsin Badgers. He volunteered his time coaching boys’ teams in track and field, and later, in Pierre, girls’ softball. Clinton was an expert fisherman, and spent much of his time later in life at Lake Oahe catching the “big ones.” He and his former wife Holly were active league bowlers. In addition to these athletic pursuits, Clinton was a duplicate bridge Life Master, and regularly participated in local and regional bridge tournaments.
True to his inclination to serve the community, Clinton was a member of the Pierre chapter of the Lion’s Club, dedicated to projects concerning the visually impaired. A familiar face in Pierre, Clinton loved to take long walks around the area, occasionally stopping in a favorite restaurant to enjoy a cup of coffee and conversing with his many local acquaintances. His friendly manner was appreciated by all who know him. Clinton loved music and he loved to dance. Unknown to many was the fact that he was an excellent singer. He was a welcome guest at the home of Holly and Loren Shantz for nearly every holiday, which was much appreciated by Clint. He also often visited Dena and David Loher in the Twin Cities, to attend music and sporting events.
Clinton Vieth is survived by his former wife, Holly Shantz (nee Frye) and husband Loren; his children, Bradley, Dena and husband David, Paul and wife Kalla; and his grandchildren, Whitney, Austin, Adam and Alex.
There will be a memorial service held at a later date.
Isburg Funeral Home
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