Donald Perkins died Friday, August 18, 2017 at the Johnson Memorial Hospital in Dawson at the age of 87.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, August 23, 2017 at 1:30 PM at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church of Baxter. Vicar Matt Danielson will officiate and interment will be in the church cemetery.
Visitation will be held Tuesday from 5-7:00 PM at the Hanson & Dahl Funeral Home in Dawson with a prayer service at 6:30 PM. There will also be visitation at the church for one hour before the service.
Donald Kenneth Perkins was born January 12, 1930 at the hospital in Dawson, to Paul K. and Tilla M. (Haakenson) Perkins. He was baptized November 8, 1931 and confirmed May 23, 1943 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Dawson. He graduated from Dawson High School in 1948. Following graduation he enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard, and was stationed at Camp Rucker during the Korean Conflict. He married Alice Ann Klosterboer on July 12, 1952 at First Presbyterian Church in Dawson.
Don and Alice were blessed with seven children: Russel, Penny, Kenneth, Scott, Kelly, Chadd, and Jerrad. The family lived and farmed near Dawson, and Don also worked as a school bus driver while farming. In 1978, the family moved to Pine Street in Dawson and Don worked for the Pillsbury/Peavey grain elevator in Montevideo until his retirement in 1992.
After retirement, Don kept busy as a maintenance technician for Riverside and Parkview Apartments and bus driver for Prairie Five. He and Alice delivered Meals on Wheels along with Prairie Five Meals for fifteen years. Bowling was a favorite pastime.
Don’s greatest role was that of husband and father. He was extremely proud of his family and had a lifelong connection to the family farm. As an only child himself, he delighted in watching his children interact and have fun together throughout their lives. His love and pride for his family deepened over the years as the family grew to include a son-in-law, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Don loved being active in the lives of his family and community. He was a member of the Dawson American Legion and served as Commander twice. He was a member of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church of Baxter and served as a Sunday School teacher and Luther League leader there. He was also a 4-H leader and coached boys’ fastpitch and girls’ slowpitch softball. During the last several years, Don and Alice were vital members and volunteers at the Dawson Senior Center. They were both named 2008 Outstanding Senior Citizens for Lac qui Parle County and were recognized at a ceremony at the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul. They also were honored to serve as 2016 Memorial Day Parade Marshalls in Dawson.
Don is survived by his wife of sixty-five years, Alice Perkins, and their seven children: Russel (Pam) of Bourbonnais, IL; Penny (Gary) Jordahl of Vancouver, WA; Kenneth (Sandy Mogard) of rural Dawson; Scott (Karrie) Perkins of Colorado Springs, CO; Kelly (Lisa) of Rockford, MN; Chadd (Denise) of Hanover, MN; and Jerrad (Karla) of rural Dawson. He is also survived by nineteen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren: Eric (fiancé Meghann Conner) and children Brayden and Taylor, Evan (Amber) and children Ella, Alek, and Elijah; Ty Jordahl and Jamie Jordahl; Lindsay (Stetson) Herigon; Demia, Dylan, Austin Ford, and Emily Ford; Mason and Logan; Jaden, Paiton, Rylan, and Karston; and Justin, Jordon, Kadyn, and Kreed. Don is also survived by cousins, Klosterboer nieces and nephews, and many friends.
Don was preceded in death by his parents Tilla in 1997 and Paul in 1998; and two grandsons Joey Kenneth Perkins in 2004, and Jake Lindblad Perkins in 2007. He was also preceded by his parents-in-law Anton and Christina Klosterboer; and siblings-in-law Henry and Tena Klosterboer, Elaine and Ed Van Briesen, John and Cordelia Klosterboer, Mabel and Kermit Stenerson, Ruby and Clarence Koenen, Andrew and Lee Klosterboer, and Grace and Marion Levitz.
Blessed be his memory.