Lieutenant Colonel Brian Terry Ford, 83, native of Mellette, South Dakota, passed away peacefully from cancer, surrounded by loving family at his Tallahassee, Florida home, on Saturday, June 17, 2023.

   Born March 7, 1940, to Eugene Harold and Aileen Oleta (Rawstern) Ford, he filled the world of all he knew with his beautiful baritone singing voice.

   First enlisted in the Army 1959, Brian maintained a career as an Army reservist throughout his civilian careers and ultimately retired as a Lieutenant Colonel Logistics Officer.

   With bachelor’s and master’s degrees completed, he moved his family to Ames, Iowa, to serve as regional Financial Manager for the Federal Highway Administration for over 25 years. They retired to Lake Byron, near Huron, South Dakota, where Brian loved teaching his grandkids to fish right from his dock.

   Not content to rest in retirement, Brian began a second career as a reserve Comptroller for FEMA. In his final years, the Fords wintered in Tallahassee, FL, and moved there in 2020.

   Brian is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Marilyn LeAnne (Bebo) Ford, their six children, 14 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents, his brothers Philip and John Ford, and his great-grandson Carter Klinger.

   There will be a celebration of Brian’s life in late summer.