Obituaries

Doris L. Dirksen, 81, of Huron, formerly of Bancroft, died Wednesday, December 23, 2009, at the Violet Tschetter Memorial Home in Huron.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, December 29, 2009 from 2-5 PM at Arne-Weerts Funeral Home in Clark.

Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 1:00 PM at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Clark with Pastor David Barker of Wabasha, MN officiating. Visitation will start at 12:00 PM at the church until the time of service. The organist will be Diane Perry. Burial will be at the LeSueur Township Cemetery in Bancroft.

Active pallbearers will be Roger Petersen, John Gehrke, Earl Rusche, Heath Perry, Tony Harris, and Vernon Beninga

Honorary pallbearers will be Sarah and Todd Prochaska, Eric and Susan Weerts, Dan and Lisa Hendershot, Heather Dirksen, Erin Weerts and Evan Weerts.

Doris was born on July 3, 1928 on a farm near Northwood, IA to Clarence and Elsie (Ball) Diedrich. She was baptized on July 29, 1928 and confirmed on July 5, 1942 at Zion Lutheran Church in Northwood, IA Doris attended Worth County Rural School System and graduated from Kensett High School in 1946. She attended Wartburg College of Waverly and taught in Iowa elementary schools. Doris married Clifford A. Dirksen of Bancroft, SD on June 25, 1950 at Zion Lutheran in Northwood while Clifford was attending Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA. They lived in Wausau, WI for a year where Clifford interned at St. Stephen Lutheran Church and Doris taught the parochial school upper grades. After Clifford’s final year and graduation from Wartburg Theological Seminary, they served the congregations at Warner, SD, Chokio, Crystal, Silver Bay, Duluth and Proctor, MN. Doris worked with advertising and public relations at McDonalds restaurants in the Duluth area. She worked closely with Ronald McDonald at fundraisers and events.  Doris then worked in an antique store downtown Duluth.  Doris's main interests throughout her life were serving the Lord, raising her family, and being a housewife. They retired in 1987 in Duluth and in 1995 moved to Clifford’s hometown of Bancroft where they enjoyed family, friends, gardening and Clifford continued to help congregations in need of his services. Clifford passed away in September, 2001 and Doris stayed in Bancroft until 2003 when she moved to Huron to be closer to family. Due to her failing health, she moved to Sunquest Healthcare Center, and then to Violet Tschetter Memorial Home until the day of her death.

Surviving Doris are her children; Beverly (Stuart) Hendershot of Stevens Point, WI, Alan (Kris) Dirksen of Duluth, MN and Eunice (Gus) Manolis of Huron, six grandchildren; Sarah (Todd) Prochaska, Dan (Lisa) Hendershot, Heather Dirksen, Eric (Susan) Weerts, Erin Weerts and Evan Weerts, two great-grandchildren; Wyatt and Kaylee Prochaska, brother; LaVerne Diedrich of Northwood, IA, a sister; Mildred (Udell) Larson of Golden Valley, MN, sisters-in-law; Deora Gehrke of Clark and Rosella Beninga of Grundy Center, IA, a brother-in-law; Eldon (Ivanelle) Dirksen of Carson City, NV, along with many nieces and nephews. 

Doris is preceded in death by her parents and her husband Clifford.

Memorials in honor of Doris, may be made to the Special Needs Retirement Fund of the ELCA, South Dakota Synod ELCA Augustana College Sioux Falls, SD 57197