Obituary of Vyrlyn Gene Pikkarainen

Vyrlyn Gene Pikkarainen of Minneapolis, MN passed away unexpectedly on May 24, 2020 at the age of 59. His passing is a loss to all that knew him and even those who didn’t. One of Vyrlyn’s great joys was in helping other people whether he knew them or not. So much so, that Vyrlyn became an organ donor so that he could help more people as his final giving act.

Born on April 4, 1961 in Perham, MN, Vyrlyn was the seventh of nine children. Vyrlyn grew up between Cohasset and New Ulm, MN and graduated from Grand Rapids High School in 1980. Though he moved to Minneapolis shortly after graduation, his heart remained in the Grand Rapids area, where he loved spending weekends at the cabin.

Vyrlyn married Gailyn on September 11, 1982. His biggest joy was welcoming his daughters Sarah and Stephanie into the world. And his pride in them knew no bounds. Vyrlyn had a long career of twenty years in his position as a machinist at Tension Envelope where he worked third-shift in order to stay home with his daughters during the day. He also enjoyed taking walks with his daughters, whether in Minneapolis or in the woods of Grand Rapids.

Just before Tension Envelope shut its doors, Vyrlyn started a new career driving semi-trailer trucks for CHS. He thoroughly enjoyed this profession because he always loved working with vehicles. Even when he no longer drove for the company, Vyrlyn regularly wore a baseball cap with the CHS logo.

Vyrlyn continued to learn throughout his life and was a true handyman. He was a hard-working perfectionist, proud to do a job right. If he fixed something, you didn’t have to worry about it because it was done properly. He was always happy to share the skills he taught himself with others, helping work on the cars and homes of his family, neighbors, and daughters’ friends.

Vyrlyn’s gentle heart was evident in so much that he did. Vyrlyn carried tools with him wherever he went in the event he was able to help someone in need. He could be found rescuing insects like moths that got inside the house to let them back outside instead of killing them. Vyrlyn even learned sign language to be able to better communicate with a coworker at Tension Envelope.

Vyrlyn brightened the lives of others with his smart humor and kindness. Vyrlyn was such a big-hearted man who looked out not just for his family but for everyone in the neighborhood. He was known as the guardian of his block—plowing sidewalks, watching out for suspicious activity, alerting neighbors to their car windows being open during rain storms, and spending many days out in the cold breaking up the snow and cleaning out the sewer grates so that the streets could be free of puddles and ice. He did all of this despite a work-related injury that left him in on-going pain. And he did it with a smile on his face and love in his heart.

We are grateful that Vyrlyn was able to meet his grandsons Calvin in November 2019 and Daryl seventeen days later in December. Becoming a grandfather for the first time and then quickly a second time was one of the highlights of Vyrlyn’s life.

Vyrlyn was a very caring, intelligent man who took pride in his family. Vyrlyn, who filled the many roles of husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, and friend, was truly loved and will be missed by all those touched by his kindness and generosity. 

Vyrlyn was preceded in death by his parents Alex and Verna (Maasch) and his nephew Ryon. Vyrlyn is lovingly remembered by his wife Gailyn, daughters Sarah Weigel (Stephen) and Stephanie, grandsons Calvin Weigel and Daryl, and parents-in-law Thomas and Sharene Phillips. He is sadly missed by his siblings Einar, Elaine (Herb), Marsha (Jim), Brian, Brenda, Dwayne, Raymond, and Carolee (Robbie); many nieces and nephews; and friends.