Funeral services for Francis G. “Shorty” Lamont, age 82, of Watertown, SD, will be at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 30, 2010, at Grace Lutheran Church in Watertown.  Rev. Stephen Lauricella will officiate. Music will be provided by Marcia Jelsma as organist and Judy Everson as soloist.  Shorty passed away on January 19, 2010, at the V.A. Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD.

     Burial will be held at Prairie Hill Cemetery in Fulda, MN, at a later date. Honorary pallbearers will be the Codington County Search and Rescue Team.  Active pallbearers will be Shorty’s grandchildren: Michael Johnson, Corey Johnson, Jason Lamont, Jennifer Anthony, and Teresa Lamont.

     Visitation will be at the Crawford Funeral Chapel in Watertown on Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturday prior to services at the church.  The family is requested to meet at the church on Saturday by 10:30 a.m. for a prayer service.

     Shorty was born on September 15, 1927, at Waterville, MN, to Charles M. and Hattie M. (Carpenter) Lamont.  He graduated from Waterville High School and entered the U.S. Navy.  He was honorably discharged from the military.

     Shorty married Frances Dass on May 5, 1947, at Fulda, MN.  The couple lived in Worthington, MN, where Shorty worked as a telegrapher for the railroad.  They moved to Manly, IA, and Shorty worked as the depot agent with the railroad.  He continued to work as a depot agent after moving to Larchwood, IA.  They moved to Clear Lake, SD, where Shorty worked with the railroad, retiring after 25 years of service.  He was later employed as an independent agent, selling insurance, including ‘American Family’.  Shorty served on the board of directors for ‘NWGF Mutual Ins.’ out of Eureka, SD.  He and his wife worked together in the insurance business for 30 years.  They retired and moved to Watertown in 1998.

     He was a member of Grace Lutheran Church, the American Legion in Clear Lake, and the V.F.W.  Shorty loved his community and had a passion serving as a member of the Codington County Search and Rescue Team.  Shorty treasured his time with his family whether playing cards, fishing, or hunting.

     Shorty is survived by his wife, Frances, of Watertown; two children: Bob (Diane) Lamont and Nancy (Gerald “Jerry”) Johnson all of Sioux Falls, SD; five grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

     He was preceded in death by one granddaughter, his parents, two sisters, and two nephews.