Darrel K. Oakley

RAPID CITY - Darrel K. Oakley, 77, Rapid City, died Tuesday, May 10, 2011, at Fort Meade Veterans Hospital in Sturgis.

Darrel Kenneth Oakley was born on May 22, 1933, to Kenneth Ira and Zelda Fern (Littlefield) Oakley of Benkelman, Neb. The Dust Bowl day was so dark with blowing dirt that the city of Benkelman turned on the street lights. The doctor said aloud at his birth that Darrel was a "fat little rascal." Darrel attended elementary school in Benkelman and graduated from Dundy County High School in 1953.

Darrell served in the U.S. Army Infantry during the Korean conflict. On June 3, 1956, Darrel married Carol Joanne Wisdom of Wray, Colo., at United Methodist Church in Wray. They lived in Benkelman for 13 years before moving two miles south of Keystone to the Buell Ranch. Three children were born during the time in Benkelman, Cynthia Ann, Charyl Jo, and Kenneth Darrel. Darrel and Carol accepted Jesus Christ as their savior and Lord in 1966 and were members of Trinity Baptist Church.

For several years, while in Benkelman, Darrel drove 18 wheelers; he hauled cattle, hogs, sheep, REA poles, and fence posts. He hauled truckloads of watermelon from the southern end of Texas following the growing season north and delivered melons to local grocery stores within 120 miles of Benkelman.

Stauter Sawmill in 1969 offered Darrel a job of hauling sawmill by-products from Hill City to Rapid City to be reloaded onto boxcars and shipped to paper mills on the Chicago and Northwestern Railway. Several markets were developed using and delivering sawmill by-products by Oakley Enterprises to turkey farms, dairy farms, and the Denver Stock Show. Wood shavings were baled in the Sioux City, Iowa, Stockyards. This was a busy 17-18 years. Darrel designed and built the trailers for that use. Oakley Enterprises joined with 13 other trucking companies presenting videos for the state of South Dakota to allow two 45' semi-trailers to travel Interstate 90. Oakley Enterprises also volunteered heavy equipment and helpers to assist in clearing debris after the flood of June 9, 1972.

God allowed Darrel to be a part of building Calvary Baptist Church by transporting supplies. He served as a deacon at Calvary from 1970 until his death. Darrel loved people and shared Christ with many.

God blessed Darrel and Carol to travel to many countries and to live in Jinja, Uganda, in East Africa for six months in 1993 assisting missionaries there.

Darrel was preceded in death by his grandparents; parents; parents-in-law, William Lawrence Wisdom and Opal 'Earl' Wisdom Newbanks; stepfather-in-love, Spencer Newbanks; a sister, Ila Jane (Oakley) Caster and her husband, E. H. Caster; brothers-in-love, Lawrence Dale Wisdom, Richard Earl Wisdom, George Morris; and sister-in-love, Lois (Pope) Wisdom.

Darrel is survived by his wife of 54 years, Carol (Wisdom) Oakley; his children, Cynthia Ann (Per) Sletten, Østerås, Norway; Charyl (Dennis) Scroggins, Indonesia; and Kenneth Darrel (Kristen, née Kuhn) Oakley, Henderson, Nev.; grandchildren, Carissa Joy Scroggins, Rapid City, Jonathan Daniel Scroggins, Mt. Rushmore, and Anndrea Cuinn Scroggins and Taniall Alise Scroggins, both of Indonesia; sisters, Della Louise (Oakley) Morris, Arvada, Colo., and Lelia Murrel (Oakley) Fortkamp and husband Floyd Fortkamp, Santa Rosa, Calif.; sister-in-love, Eunice (Ming) Wisdom, Wray, Colo.; and brother-in-love, Donald Roger Wisdom, Greeley, Colo; international students, Lola Tapia Celly, Margarita Molineros and Pablo Ivan Bravo, all of Ecuador, and from Bolivia, Guillermo San Juan, Lakewood, Colo.; and several nieces, nephews, cousins and step Newbanks' families.

Visitation will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 15, at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home.

With family being present to greet one and all, a celebration of life will be at 11 a.m. Monday, May 16, at Calvary Baptist Church, with the Rev. Gordon "Skip" Dean officiating. Interment will be at Pine Lawn Memorial Park.

A memorial has been established in honor of Darrel's life ministry.

His online guestbook is available at www.osheimschmidt.com.