Obituary of Darrell F. Ekstrom

On Tuesday, December 7th, 2021, Darrell Floyd Ekstrom passed away at the “home” place in Two Harbors, MN, with son, Bruce, by his side.

Darrell was born on June 5th, 1930 to Manfred and Lula Mae (Gottlieb) Ekstrom and grew up on the family farm near Rosholt, SD.  Darrell was milking cows at 8 and at 13 he was working full time in the fields. In 1947, Darrell graduated from Morris West Central School of Agriculture. 

After graduation, Darrell joined the Air force with aspirations to become a pilot like his older brother. But his color blindness precluded that decision and instead he was specifically chosen for work as a radio intercept operator. After completing his basic training and education in Biloxi Miss., he was stationed in Europe and the Middle East. Due to the sensitivity of this work, his location and travel plans often were undisclosed. A “crack” shot, Darrell also earned awards for his expert marksmanship.

After being honorably discharged from the Air Force in Jan. of 1954, He returned to Rosholt to work at Irelands Lumberyard. There, Darrell met and fell in love with Bonnie Lou Ostby who was and is his soul mate forever. On June 5^th 1955 Darrell married Bonnie at Trondhjem Lutheran Church in Rosholt. 

After one year of farming in South Dakota, they moved to Brimson, MN, where Darrell could earn $20 a day working overtime for the Reserve Mining railroad. In 1957, they purchased “The Ranch” outside of Two Harbors, and made that their home to this day.

Darrell spent the better part of 28 years at the Norshore Junction in the track dept. Extreme “cold “weather, hard, physical labor, and lots snow were the norm.  Darrell became a Foreman and he ramrodded a track crew for many years. He demanded and received the utmost respect from his co-workers. Known for his fairness, the moniker, “If you got chewed out by Darrell, you probably had it coming.” was pretty accurate.

Darrell hobby farmed for many years while working full time on the railroad. In addition to raising beef cattle, Darrell’s second love was planting and watching things grow.

An avid hunter and fisherman, Darrell supplemented the family freezer with venison and fish when he could find time.

He retired at age 54 and continued to farm, burn wood, do some part time janitoring as well as other projects.

Darrell and Bonnie’s later retirement included grandkids, cards, and casino trips to Hinckley. Bonnie and Darrell also made beautiful Christmas wreaths for nearly 60 years which brought great joy to many around the holidays.   

Darrell mellowed after Bonnie’s passing and became quite preoccupied with “feeding” his wild squirrels and hummingbirds.  He also continued to utilize his green thumb by planting and caring for numerous plants and flowers. He was an amazing husband, father, grandpa, great-grandpa and role model to look up to. His “glass is half full” attitude is still an inspiration to the family today.

Darrell was preceded in death by his wife Bonnie and also preceded in death by his parents, Manfred and Mae, siblings  Alvin Ekstrom, Beverly Ekstrom, Betty (Rydell), and Barry Ekstrom and in-laws. He is survived by his “baby sister” Lorraine who lives in Rapid City SD. He is also survived by his sons Bruce (Lynn), Mike (Colleen), and Mitch (Lori); grandsons Brent (Emily), Wade (Hafizah) and Conor (Katie); grandaughters Nicole (Scott) Westensee, Allye B. (Dan) Leavell, Paige and Marin (Yuki) Ekstrom; great-grandchildren Colby, Stella, Lincoln and Brooklyn and several nieces and nephews.  

The family wishes to extend a special “Thank You” to Dr. Howard Josephs and dad and mom’s angel, Sherry Fabini, for their extraordinary care over the years.  

A celebration of Darrell and Bonnie’s life is being planned for June 4^th, 2022 at the home farm or next door, at Mitch & Lori’s home. The many loving memories we made together will sustain us until we meet again.  Darrell and Bonnie are truly a remarkable love story.