Darrell W. Pieper

DARRELL WAYNE PIEPER was born on September 10, 1942 to the proud parents of Wayne and Alice (Lursen) Pieper in Luverne, Minnesota. Darrell grew up on the family farm north of Beaver Creek, Minnesota. At the age of 14, he started farming for himself. On January 29, 1966 he married Dee Hoiland. Together they had two kids, Dawn and Brent. Later, Darrell married Holly Wilson. On October 10, 1980 Darrell met and later married Sharon Martens, formally of Bancroft, South Dakota, at his grandparents’ home in Luverne. Darrell and Sharon purchased a house in Valley Springs, South Dakota that needed a lot of “TLC” and together (along with some help from his favorite nephews) they rebuilt and remodeled the home. Darrell spent most of his life farming around Beaver Creek. He also worked on a cattle ranch near Iroquois, South Dakota. He also did some trucking and worked at the John Morrell & Co. for 18 years. After his retirement, Darrell worked at the Beaver Creek Rest Area for several years. During this time he started a handyman service where he did various jobs such as cleaning apartments or the hallways of apartment buildings, changing locks on doors, or hauling junk to the dump. He also mowed lawns and scooped snow from driveways for many people in Valley Springs. Darrell said that his main job after retirement was to babysit the cats and make sure they had enough treats or “out” time. In his free time, Darrell enjoyed collecting antiques and junk, along with making miniature buildings of his family’s farm. He also enjoyed going to antique shops in other cities to see if his stuff was worth more or whether he got screwed.

On Saturday, December 24, 2016 Darrell passed away at the Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota at the age of 74 years, 3 months and 14 days.

Grateful for having shared Darrell’s life are his wife, Sharon Martens-Pieper; two children, Dawn and Brent; many grandkids and great-grandkids; a sister, Lorretta Gehrke of Beaver Creek and Diane Rogers of Pasco, Washington; a brother, Roger Pieper; other nieces, nephews and other family relatives from his earlier marriages. Darrell was preceded in death by his parents.