Erwin "Puzz" Wattier, 86, of Bristol, SD died Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at Sun Dial Manor, Bristol.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 Monday, Feb. 9 at St. Anthony's Catholic Church, Bristol. Burial will be in the Bristol Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5-7 Sunday, Feb. 8 at St. Anthony's Church, Bristol with a Prayer Service at 7 at the church. Visitation will resume again one hour prior to the services at the church.

Erwin Julius (Puzz) Wattier was born on March 12, 1928 to Alphonse and Nellie (Seely) Wattier at Webster, SD. He grew up in Oak Gulch Township near Crandall. He attended school through eighth grade at Sunny Side Country School.

He began farming and raising sheep with his father and brothers, Norris and Fred. Puzz bought land in Oak Gulch Township with proceeds from farming and from trapping muskrats, mink and skunks.

Puzz met the love of his life, Margaret Skaare, in Bristol. They were married on October 3, 1950 at St Anthony's Church, Bristol, with Fred and Lola Wattier as attendants. There were seven children born to Puzz and Margaret, Diane Kordis, Kathy (Denny)Adams, Sandy (Eddie) Cadiena, Pat (Dave) Olson, Gayle (Al) Parelli, Rick (Sue) Wattier, and Shari (Craig) Radebaugh.

Puzz built a farm that eventually included a home, barns, granaries, and a shop and silo built in the side of the hills near Sweetwater Lake. It was not uncommon to be called to pour cement at the Wattier farm and in return you were well fed.

During the 1960's, Puzz discovered his true passion in life, feeding cattle, and the farm changed from a sheep ranch to a cattle operation. Puzz raised corn, oats, barley and hay for the cattle and wheat as a cash crop. He was one of the first farmers in the area to raise soybeans, which later became a main cash crop.

Puzz was a workaholic. He didn't stop for much, except meals and church, and an occasional cribbage or poker game at Ben's in Crandall.

In 1992, Puzz and Margaret moved to Bristol but he continued to drive the 19 miles to the farm daily. Puzz and Margaret moved into Sun Dial Manor in the summer of 2014.

Puzz leaves behind his children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, his brothers and sisters in law, Eunice and Ron Hanson, Leona Wattier, Noel and Kenneth Anderson, and Jeanne Skaare.

Puzz was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret, in 2014, his daughter, Diane Kordis, his siblings, Norris Wattier, Fred Wattier, Ora Kaiser, and Bernice Mereness, and his parents, Alphonse and Nellie Wattier.