Harvey Girard 1907 - 2005

LAGESSE, GIRARD, BEGNOCHE

Posted By: Connie Swearingen -Volunteer (email)
Date: 1/31/2019 at 16:34:24

Sioux City Journal
10 November 2005

Harvey Girard, 97, of Sioux City died Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2005, at his residence of congestive heart failure.

Services will be 10:30 a.m. Friday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with the Rev. James A. Bruch officiating. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery under the direction of Christy-Smith Berkemier Chapel. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday with the family present from 6 to 8 p.m. and a parish vigil and rosary at 7 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Mr. Girard was born Dec. 16, 1907, in St. Joseph, Mo., the son of Felix and Leah (LaGesse) Girard. At the age of 5, he and his very large family moved from Kansas by way of covered wagon, to a farm just outside of Vermillion, S.D. He attended country schools in the area, but was forced to leave school when his father passed away and Harvey was needed to help work on the farm.

On Nov. 17, 1934, Harvey married Odella Begnoche at St. Peter's Catholic Church, Jefferson, S.D. They raised their three children while continuing farming. They later moved to a farm near Chatsworth, Iowa. Because times were very hard, Harvey took a fulltime job in Sioux City at Cudahy's Packing and would return every weekend to work the farm, by way of the train.

In 1946, Harvey and his family moved to Sioux City where he took up carpentry with McBride Construction. A few years later, Harvey and his nephew Harold Chartier started their own construction company. After several years, Harvey went to work for Raskin Packing as a "Jack-of-all-trades" until his retirement very late in life.

Harvey attended Sacred Heart Catholic Church for more than 60 years. Some of his interests included horseshoes, fishing, playing cards and camping. Harvey will be remembered by all who knew and loved him as an honorable, honest man, family man and the "hardest working man" they ever knew.

Survivors include his wife, Odella of Sioux City; a daughter and her husband, Patricia and William Black of Annapolis, Md., a son and his wife, Dr. Frederick and Wilma Girard of Modesto, Calif.; a daughter-in-law, Dona Girard of Sioux City; eight grandchildren, Mark Girard, Marty Girard and Maris Girard, all of Sioux City, Jane Trice of Corning, N.Y., Michael Girard and Thomas Girard, both of Modesto, Cindi Hayes of Oakdale, Calif., and Susan Shelton of Valley Springs, Calif.; a brother and his wife, Isadore and Bernice Girard of Akron, Iowa; and two sisters, Irene Clay and Beulah and her husband, Butch Brown, all of Sioux City; and 12 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a son Maynard and two grandchildren.

Memorials may be directed to Hospice of Siouxland.