Wilbur Melvin Dvorak, 94, of Redfield, SD, passed away Monday, June 16, 2025, at Community Memorial Hospital in Redfield.

Services will take place on Monday, June 23, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Redfield. Visitation, with family present, will be from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.  The funeral service will begin at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Joy Proper officiating.   Military honors will follow the service outside the church.  Lunch will then be served in the church hall.  A private family committal service will take place at a later date at Greenlawn Cemetery in Redfield.

The funeral service will be live-streamed through a link on the funeral home’s website below Wilbur’s obituary.  Arrangements have been entrusted to Hyke Funeral Home of Redfield (www.hykefuneralhome.com).

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials directed to Redfield’s Nutrition Mission (c/o First Interstate Bank, 106 E 7th Ave., Redfield, SD, 57469), or Our Savior’s Lutheran Church (1514 E 1st Street, Redfield, SD, 57469), or a tree could be planted in memory of Wilbur.

Wilbur was born on May 27, 1931, in Great Bend Township, rural Redfield, to Joseph J. and Kristine M. (Jessen) Dvorak.

Wilbur attended second through eighth grade at the county schoolhouse at the end of the driveway, half a mile away from the house.  He graduated from Redfield High School in 1949.

Wilbur served in the U.S. Army from January 1953 to December 1954.  He spent 18 months in France, building bridges and water tanks, and driving school buses for children.

In 1955, Wilbur began farming with his father and continued through 2012.  In 1987, Wilbur and the Maddoxes began raising llamas in addition to their cattle and growing crops.  They sold their cattle in 1997 and continued growing crops through 1999. From 1999 through 2012, they continued to raise and show llamas throughout the Midwest, as well as selling and installing vinyl fences and decking.

Wilbur moved off the farm into an apartment in Redfield in the fall of 2017, where he remained until his passing.  He could frequently be seen walking the halls of his apartment building for exercise and working on puzzles in the day room.  Most commonly, Wilbur could be found at Leo’s Good Food, having dinner with Ronald and Alan almost every night.

Wilbur loved hunting, fishing, and gardening.  He was known for his “green thumb”, taking great pride in the plants he grew, gifted, and revived.  He enjoyed feeding the birds, with a pair of cardinals remaining near his apartment year-round.  In addition, he managed to obtain the trust of the local squirrels, allowing him to feed some of them by hand.  His patience, kindness, and joy were infectious, bringing smiles throughout the community.

Wilbur is survived by his sister, Donna Kissner, brother, Ronald Dvorak, and 15 nieces and nephews, as well as his extended Maddox family.  He is preceded in death by his mother and father, Kristine M. and Joseph J., his brothers, Joseph Jr., Robert, Arthur, and his nephew, Steven.