Bernard (Barney) T. Kerkvliet

Bernard T. "Barney" Kerkvliet, age 90, Bryant, died peacefully surrounded by family January 30, 2013 in the Parkview Care Center at Bryant. Visitation will be held on Sunday from 2-4PM with at Liturgical Wake service beginning at 4PM all in the St. Mary's Catholic Church at Bryant. Visitation will continue Monday morning after 9:30AM also in the Church. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30AM on Monday, February 4th, 2013 in the St. Mary's Catholic Church at Bryant with The Reverend John Short officiating. Burial will follow in the St. Mary's Cemetery at Bryant. Music will be presented by Jayne Pommer as organist with special music by Doug Kazmerzak. Casketbearers will be his grandsons Steve, Kevin, Mark, Jason, Randall, Ryan, Mike, Adam, Keith, Nick and Cole with the granddaughters Sharleen, Nicolle, Kimberly, Heather, Allison and Courtney and the 25 great-grandchildren serving as honorary casketbearers. He was born Bernard T. Kerkvliet on May 18, 1922 at Marshall, MN, the son of John and Bertha (Dubbelde) Kerkvliet. He attended country school near Marshall and then Marshall High School. On September 19, 1946 he was united in marriage to Geraldine Dirckx in the Holy Redeemer Catholic Church at Marshall. The couple started a dairy operation near Marshall. In 1958, after some adverse weather conditions and flooding, Geraldine read an ad in a newspaper about a Class A Dairy area for rent near Willow Lake, SD. The couple came to Willow Lake, looked and a short time later they moved their entire operation, herd and all, to the farm south of Willow Lake and continued the dairy operation. In 1962 they purchased a farm west of Bryant and have lived and farmed until their retirement in the mid to late 1980's. As one says though, you can take the boy off the farm but can't take the farm out of the boy! He still enjoyed drives and rides around the acreage looking at the crops. In May of 2011 they moved into Bryant and live in South Park Assisted Living and then in May of 2012, he entered the Parkview Care Center. He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church at Bryant, served on the Building Committee and also served as a member of the Parish Council. He had been a member of the Knights of Columbus, the National Farmers Organization, National Farmers Union and the Catholic Rural Life. Besides his passion and love of the land, he thoroughly enjoyed dancing, traveling, fishing and second to none though was his love of his family, especially the grandchildren. Preceding him in death were his parents, a grandson, Jeremy Kerkvliet, 3 brothers, Gerard (Ann), Nick (Teresa) and John (Lillian) and 4 sisters, Gertrude Kerkvliet, Nellie (Bob) Hosek, Bertha (Torgny) Andersen and Irene (Fred) Jordan. Grateful for having shared in his life is his wife of some 66 years, Geraldine "Gerri", children, Gary (Gloria) Kerkvliet, Greg (Roxanne) Kerkvliet all of Bryant, Brenda (Wade) Wicks of Carpenter, SD, Brian (Shelley) Kerkvliet of Sundance, WY and Michele (Steven) Birkholtz of Willow Lake, 17 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. A brother Joe Kerkvliet of Marshall, MN and several nieces, nephews and a host of other relatives and friends also survive. Funeral arrangements are with the Furness Funeral Home at Clark where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com