Darrel W. Steen

Darrel William Steen was born to William and Minnie (Brass) Steen in Buffalo Center, Iowa on November 4th, 1948 and passed away after a short fierce battle with cancer at Rochester Methodist Hospital on Easter Sunday, April 1st, 2018 at the age of 69.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at the Cresco Community Chapel, Cresco, Iowa on Friday, April 6th, 2018 at 11:00 with visitation one hour prior service and also on Thursday April 5th from 5-7 at the Cresco Community Chapel.  Interment will be held at a later date in Buffalo Center, IA.

Darrel chose this quote from Iowa – An American Portrait that summed up his life growing up with his three sisters on the family farm south of Buffalo Center “I cannot remember a day when I was growing up in Iowa that I was bored.  Each day was a race against the sun and I cannot recall ever having accomplished as much as I wanted when I tumbled into bed reluctantly at night”  He placed his faith in Christ at the age of 13 after hearing the plan of salvation – a free gift to all who place their trust in Jesus as their personal Savior.  He continued to grow in that faith knowing that it wasn’t what he had done but in what Christ had done.

Darrel and Mary graduated from Buffalo Center High School Class of 1967 which celebrated their 50th class reunion last summer with so many of their friends.  He was a standout athlete in football and basketball and excelled academically.  After graduation he attended the University of Northern Iowa on a full ride academic/athletic scholarship where he played linebacker for the UNI Panthers and graduated in 1972.

On August 15th , 1970, Darrel married his high school sweetheart  Mary Lauraine Costigan.  They were blessed with two children, Allison Lauraine and Jared William.  After college graduation, they moved to Elk River, MN where he worked as a Project Manager for ElView Construction in Brooklyn Center, MN.  In 1979 they moved to Lime Springs, IA to manage crop land and farm and raise his family.

Darrel was an active part of the Cresco Community Chapel where he served as Elder since 1982 and then added treasurer responsibilities in 1990.  He used his construction and design skills in the auditorium addition and remodeling of the Chapel building as the Chapel continued to grow.  He was a meticulous and gifted craftsman in the woodshop. Darrel also served on the Howard County Farm Bureau board for several years.

He enjoyed traveling and camping with Mary in the last several years.  Fishing trips to Minnesota and Ontario, Canada and long trips in the pickup camper to Alaska for seven weeks in 2012 and the Eastern Maritime Provinces of Canada in 2016 where they explored Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Cape Britton, Old Quebec.  Camping close by with his grandchildren was another pastime that brought great joy. In the fall it was football and the Green Bay Packers. Darrel enjoyed upland game bird hunting with his German Shorthairs and German Wirehair dogs.  Darrel loved his family, delighting in his children, their spouses and grandchildren.

Darrel is survived by his wife Mary, daughter Allison (Bryan) Whaley and children Shea and Quinn of Eagle Grove, Iowa and son Jared (Kristi) Steen and children Wyatt, Bryce, Britton, and Jette of Andover, IL.  His sisters: Frances Meyer of Buffalo Center, IA, Marlys (Robert) Schaefer of Britt, IA and Bev (Jeff) Heitland of Winona, MN.  His brothers in-law Tom (JoAnn) Costigan of Litchfield, MN, Larry ‘Mick’ (Lois) Costigan of Newport, MN.  Sisters in-law Christina Costigan of Minneapolis, MN and Dixie Costigan of Spokane, WA. Beloved nieces and nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents William and Minnie (Brass) Steen, grandparents Dick and Henrietta (Kaiser) Steen and Ehme and Jennie (Fisher) Brass, his in-laws Laurence and Marjorie (Bye) Costigan, brothers in-law Gary Meyer, Pat Costigan, and John Costigan.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed to the Cresco Community Chapel fellowship hall/multipurpose expansion project.

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