Darrold E. Peck

Darrold E. Peck, age 83 of Garvin, passed away Wednesday, June 1, 2022 at St. John’s Lutheran Home in Springfield, Minnesota.  Darrold’s Going Home Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, October 8, 2022 at Lake Sarah Lutheran Church in Garvin, MN with Pastor Drake Snell officiating.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at church on Saturday.  In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred to the Alzheimer’s Association.  Conner and Carson, great grandchildren as his urn bearers. Eyn and Tayleigh, great grandchildren, singing “You are my Sunshine,” a song he would sing to them. Stephens Funeral Service – Tracy Area Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Darrold E. Peck was born October 10, 1938 to Edward and Margaret (Klein) Peck in Springdale Township, Redwood County, Minnesota.   Darrold grew up on a farm south of Garvin; attended Tracy High School, and graduated from the Springfield High School after his family moved to Springfield.  He was in the Tracy National Guard until his car accident in 1960.

Darrold started his working life as a butcher in the Nelson Locker Plant in Springfield; he then worked as the meat cutter at the Eibner Restaurant in New Ulm.  On August 20, 1960, he was on his way back to New Ulm from a date with his girlfriend, Berneida Wendland, when he was involved in a head-on auto collision which resulted in a broken jaw and hip.  After recuperating, he went back to work as a Fuller Brush salesman and then a grave monument salesman for Bloedel Monuments of New Ulm.

On March 10, 1962, Darrold and Berneida were married in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Springfield.  While living there, Darrold went to Granite Falls Technical College for 2 years of bookkeeping after which he went to work in bookkeeping in Vigorena Feeds in Springfield.  In 1967 they were blessed with a daughter, Kelijo Roxanne, and in 1968 a son, Darren Henry.  In 1969, they moved to Northfield and Darrold went to work for GT Schjeldahl Company in accounting.  In 1973, his boss moved and took a job in Worthington at Bedford Industries.  He called Darrold and asked him to apply for an office position in that company.  The couple then moved to Worthington where Darrold was employed with Bedford in many office positions and retired in 2003 as their Purchasing Agent.  In 2001, Darrold and Berneida moved to their retirement home in Lake Shetek – a few miles south of Garvin.  On August 29, 2016, Darrold moved into St. John’s Riverhaven in Springfield with dementia and in 2017 to the nursing home 2^nd floor.  This completed his Circle of Life.

Darrold had a passion for fishing and hunting and was glad to talk to anyone that wanted to listen to his stories about his experiences.  He loved to help any youth that might be fishing alone and looked like they could use some help.  When the kids were young, a couple of weeks each summer were spent as a family at some northern lake resort fishing.  It was never about catching a lot of fish – it was the family time together on the lake with a lot of fishing thrown in.  He was skilled in archery and took many deer and utilizing his meat cutting skills he provided meat on the family table.  His fishing provided many fish for his famous Beer Batter Fish frys.  He’s now Home entertaining the angels with the fishing/hunting stories he and his best friends shared, John VanEde and Ken White, who welcomed him there. 

Darrold loved life and family and he loved the Lord.  It would be his deepest desire and heartfelt wish that all of his family has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and come to know Him as he did, so that they may join him in heaven someday to go fishing again, on the shores of the great lakes in heaven and swap fishing stories.

Darrold is survived by his wife of 60 years, Berneida Wendland Peck; children: Kelijo Peck (Robert) Wright and Darren Peck; grandchildren: Christoffer (Amanda) Wright of Mankato, Erika Wright (James) Kuhlers of St. Peter, Jack and Kate of Schroeder; great grandchildren: Conner, Cameron, Carson, Eyn, Tayleigh, and Charity of Mankato; and sister Betty Roiger of Hutchinson; and many nieces and nephews. Darrold is preceded in death by his father and mother, Edward and Margaret (Klein) Peck, two brothers, Dennis and Robert, and brother-in-law Eugene Roiger.