Governor Kristi Noem has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff statewide effective immediately in honor of former South Dakota governor Frank Farrar, who passed away on Sunday in Rochester, Minnesota at the age of 92. Flags will remain at half-staff until the day of Governor Farrar’s interment. Those arrangements will be announced at a later time. Farrar joined the South Dakota ROTC while attending college at USD before commissioning as a lieutenant and serving in the Korean War. He continued serving as a captain in the Army Reserves for 15 years. He served as Marshall County judge, Marshall County state’s attorney, and as the only governor of South Dakota Boys State to later be elected governor. Farrar was the youngest person ever elected attorney general and became the state’s 24th governor in 1968 at the age of 39. After losing his reelection bid in 1970, Farrar left politics and focused on banking and philanthropy. He was elected into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2006.
“Frank was an incredible leader for our state and a mentor to me over these past years, as well,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “His heart for people and his enthusiasm for public service have been an inspiration.
“Frank stayed active up until the day he died, as evidenced by the statue of him running on the Trail of Governors,” continued Governor Noem. “He even competed in triathlons and Ironman competitions into his eighties. We should all hope to be able to live as active, caring, and full a life as Frank.”
It was six years ago to the day, on October 31, 2015, that his wife of sixty-two years, Former First Lady Patricia Farrar, passed away. Frank is survived by five children – Jeanne Farrar, Sally Farrar, Robert Farrar, Mary Turner (Randall Turner), and Anne Farrar (John Ingwalson) – as well as eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.