Darrell Engel
Darrell “Bill” Engel passed away peacefully on September 4, 2021, after a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia at Cedar Crest Estates in Silver Lake, MN.
A funeral service was held on Friday, September 10, at Minnesota Valley Funeral Home - South chapel, with burial at New Ulm City Cemetery. To leave an online condolence for his family, or to sign the guestbook, go to mvfh.org
Bill was born August 28, 1933, in Canby, MN, to Carl and Mabel (Winters) Engel. He graduated from Canby High School in 1951. He attended Macalester College for 18 months.
On May 2, 1954, he married Joyceann Langdon at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Canby. They made their home in Sioux Falls, SD, where he worked in the cafeteria at John Morrell Meat Packing Co. While in Sioux Falls, Bill and Joyce bought several homes, remodeled and then sold them. Basically, they were flipping houses long before it was a popular thing to do.
They returned to Canby in 1964, where Bill worked as a carpenter. In March 1965, the family moved to New Ulm, where he worked as a quality control inspector for 3M, retiring in 1993. After retiring, he built a year-round home on Lake Washington in Dassel, MN, which became a family favorite for holidays.
An avid sports fan and an active athlete, Bill enjoyed playing basketball into his 40s, softball into his 50s and bowling into his 80s. He proudly followed the athletic endeavors of his grandchildren and the emotional roller coaster of Minnesota’s professional and college teams. He enjoyed relaxing with a cup of hot coffee or a bottle of Schell’s beer, fishing and pontoon rides on Lake Washington, of which he fondly and frequently stated, “sure is a pretty lake.”
He firmly lived by the rule that there was to be “no lawn mowing on the weekend, especially on Sunday.” Bill was a quiet man with a quick-witted sense of humor. When asked if his kids got their smarta**-ness from him, he would reply, “Nope, I still have mine,” and chuckle.
Left to cherish his memory are his children, Cheri (Isaac) Chapman, Tammy (Craig) Knight, Mike Engel and Penny (Calvin) Portner; grandchildren, Nathan (Lora) Chapman, Trent Chapman, Mandi Chapman, Keia Chapman, Andrew (Heidi) Knight, Tyler (Katie) Knight, Michael Knight, Ryan Luhman, Jason Luhman, Brianna Portner, Taylor Portner and Sidney Portner; and great-grandchildren, Mara Joy, Jillian, Shana, Haylie, Grace, Carson and Graham.
Meeting him in heaven were his wife, Joyce; his parents, brother, Donald Engel; sister, Margaret Paulson; daughter-in-law, Tamara Luhman ;and great-granddaughter, Olly Belle Chapman.
In lieu of flowers, donations are appreciated to the Brain Donor Project in his memory https://braindonorproject.org/support-us/
Our deepest gratitude to everyone at Cedar Crest who loved our dad and made all of us family. You made life easier for him as well as us. To Allina Hospice Team, thank you for all the guidance, support and compassion. You made a hard journey just a bit easier.