Darrel Samuelson

Darrel Samuelson, age 83, of Decorah, Iowa, passed away on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at his home in Decorah, Iowa.

Memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at Helms Funeral Home, 306 E. Water Street, Decorah, IA, with Pastor Abe Faugstad presiding. Burial will follow at Washington Prairie Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 12 noon until the time of the service on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at Helms Funeral Home.

Darrel was born on May 8, 1942. Son of Leif and Selma (Sally) Samuelson

Graduated from Decorah High School in 1959. After graduation, he worked for Brickner Feed when he got married in 1961. He then worked for Deco Products in shipping before going to the family farm to work with his parents. Then, in the late 1960s, he went to work for A&G, distributing until August 1990, when he then worked for the Decorah School system until his retirement in December 2017.

Darrel's interests over the years included farming, horseback riding, and he was very talented in woodworking and home remodeling. He was meticulous with mechanical work on just about any vehicle, equipment, or tractor. He enjoyed hunting deer and raccoons with his sons. He enjoyed cars, such as buying and fixing them up for daily use, which helped with getting cars in good condition for both his sons' first cars. Additionally, he assisted with the restoration process of his son Lee's 1970 Boss 302 Mustang collector car in 1983. He always, though, had a love for Corvettes; later in life, he bought a Corvette and was part of a local car club.

His love for horse riding led him to take a mule riding trip with his son, Jim, to the Black Hills and Badlands.

One of his biggest passions was motorcycle riding. First motorcycle was a 74 Honda CB360 and then a Honda CB750 four. When Honda released the 1000 Gold Wing, he was one of the first in Winneshiek County to own one and had been a Motorcycle enthusiast ever since. Later in life, he purchased a Honda Goldwing Trike, which he rode with his friends and the local riding club. During the time from 2018 to 2023, many rides and trips were with his son Lee, such as in 2018, he and Lee went to the Smokey and Blue Ridge mountain area and rode the TAIL OF THE DRAGON! On the way, he wanted to stop in Kentucky to visit the National Corvette Museum. In 2019, he and Lee went to Harrison, Arkansas, for a week, and in 2020, both went riding for a week in the Black Hills of South Dakota. My last trip was in the Fall of 2022 to the Hayward, Wisconsin area. Darrel and Lee rode several local rides, either just the two of them or with the local Riding group from Waukon, IA.

Darrell enjoyed riding his 4-wheeler ATV and side-by-side vehicle at the farm, either alone or with his son Jim.

His life was also enhanced when his grandson Anthony and wife Jessie bought a house next door to him. Anthony made sure anything with electronics and phones was set up so he could use them, not to mention some house wiring jobs! Anthony made a few trips over to help Grandpa figure out why things were not working right! Darrel really enjoyed seeing his great-granddaughter, Norah, and his recent great-grandson, Nolan. They always brought a smile to his face!

He enjoyed when his other two grandsons, Brandon and Blake, stopped over and was always interested in how their lives were going or how work was going for them. He let Blake use one of his vehicles for a couple of weeks when Blake's car was in the body shop for repairs. He was proud of all his grandsons.

Darrel enjoyed the time he spent with his next-door neighbor, Kevin Lafferty, such as working together on the garage and staircase to the basement. He really appreciated it when Kevin offered to mow his lawn for the past couple of months when Darrel couldn't.

He always liked to go out to the farm and walk around the property, checking the tree lines to make sure everything was okay and that the fencing was still up. He liked getting on the tractor and mowing parts of the land.

His favorite time of year was Christmas, when the entire family would gather together to visit, eat, and play card games.

The last 4 months of his life, Gina Folkedahl became the daughter he never had. She was dedicated to helping him with his needs, ensuring he followed the doctor's orders and the demands of life. She drove him to get groceries and got him to move his body, exercise and walk, and spent some nights keeping an eye on him. Things that a son can't do but a loving daughter can! She became family to him and always looked forward to her showing up almost daily.

He is survived by His sons: Lee Samuelson (Jill) and Jim Samuelson (Gina Folkedahl). Grandsons: Blake Samuelson, Brandon Samuelson and Anthony Samuelson (Jessie). Great-grandchildren Norah Samuelson and Nolan Samuelson. Sister in law: Martha (Jerry) Samuelson and many nephews, nieces, and cousins.

He is preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Jerry.

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