Oscar "Earl" Sapp, 91, of Brookings, passed away February 4, 2017, at the United Living Community.  Funeral services will be 11:00 A.M. on Thursday, February 9, at the First Reformed Church in Volga, South Dakota with burial in Trinity Cemetery, rural Volga.  Visitation will be held Wednesday, February 8, from 5-8 P.M. at the Eidsness Funeral Chapel in Volga.

Oscar "Earl" Sapp was born June 17,1925, in his family home near Colman, South Dakota, to Charles "Ray" and Elsie (Winklepleck) Sapp. Earl was baptized in the Wellman Church near Colman, South Dakota. He attended country school and graduated from Rutland Consolidated High School in 1942. Following graduation Earl farmed with his father until his enlistment into the Navy during World War II. Earl enlisted February 23, 1945, and was inducted at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. Basic training was at Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois. He was stationed in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Gulfport, Mississippi. He was honorably discharged on August 22, 1946, as a U.S. Navy seaman first class.

Following his discharge from the Navy, Earl returned to South Dakota and began farming independently. On April 2,1948, Earl married the love of his life, Mildred Kleinjan, at the Calvary Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Volga, South Dakota. Earl and Mildred farmed north of Volga until his retirement in 2004. Mildred passed away on May 27, 2011. Earl moved to the United Living Community in Brookings, South Dakota, in 2013, where he resided until his death.

Earl was a member, elder, deacon, and Sunday school teacher at Calvary Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Volga. Later he was a member of the First Reformed Church in Volga. Earl also served for many years as a school board member and school board president for the Volga Christian School. Among Earl's greatest honors include having served his country and being an active member of the American Legion.

Earl loved spending time with his family. He cherished the Sapp family reunions and the friendly team competitions that he often captained. His greatest loves were his Lord, his wife, his children and grandchildren, and his Ayrshire cows. Having one of the only registered herds of Ayrshire cows in South Dakota, passerby's often stopped to inquire about those red and white cows! Earl loved to visit and never met someone he couldn't strike up a conversation with. His trips to get machinery parts became legendary as they were never "quick."

Survivors include four daughters, Charlotte Fedders, Martha (Stan) Hibma, Barb (Les) Vander Plaats, and Sarah (Kevin) Carter; three sons, Charles (Ruth), Steve (Lori), and Paul (Peggy); twenty-four grandchildren; thirty-three great grandchildren; two great-great grandchildren; siblings Freeda (Bud) Lefever, Lenice Pakala, and Charles (Loraine) Sapp.

In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by his son-in-law, Lee Fedders; and sisters, Charlotte (in infancy) and Betty Fish.

Memorials may be given in his name and directed to Volga Christian School and Asera Care Hospice.