November 21, 1918 - April 30, 2015

 

Rolf Deraas
loading...

Funeral Services will be 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, May 6, 2015 at Salem Lutheran Church in St. Cloud for Rolf H. Deraas, age 96, who passed away Thursday at the St. Cloud VA Medical Center. Rev. Wayne Anderson will officiate and burial will be at the Wanamingo Lutheran Cemetery in Wanamingo. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Tuesday at Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home in Sauk Rapids and one hour prior to the services Wednesday at the church in St. Cloud. Salem Lutheran prayers will be at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

Rolf was born Nov. 21, 1918 in Zumbrota to Edwin & Helen (Froyum) Deraas. He grew up on the family farm and graduated from Wanamingo High School in 1936. Rolf served his country in the U.S. Army during WW II and earned a combat infantry badge, presidential unit badge and campaign ribbon with two bronze stars. He attended Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis. He owned and operated a blacksmith shop. Rolf married Lorraine Hanson on June 5, 1948 at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. They lived in Minneapolis and Princeton before moving to Sauk Rapids in 1961. Rolf and Lorraine took in foster children and foreign exchange students. He worked at Fingerhut as a manager in maintenance, retiring in 1980. Rolf was a member of Salem Lutheran Church where he was a former choir member, Sons of Norway, Rum River Campers, and a lifetime member of St. Cloud VFW Post #428. He was very active at Whitney Senior Center. He loved to travel, including trips to his native land Norway and took the Honor Flight to Washington DC five years ago. Rolf was a loving Dad and Grandpa.

Survivors include his daughters, Mary (Chuck) Nystrom of St. Cloud and Lisa (Bryan) Stolze of St. Cloud; sister, Edith Kyllo of Wanamingo; grandchildren, Kyle and Mitchel Nystrom, Joshua and Krista Stolze; and many nieces and nephews. Rolf was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Lorraine on May 23, 1997; and brother, Philip.

The family wishes to thank the staff at the St. Cloud VA Medical Center, VA Home Base Care, Home Instead and ARISE.

 

More From AM 1240 WJON