Wallace William Dierenfeld

Wallace W. Dierenfeld age 93 of Chandler, MN died Saturday, March 3, 2012 at the Golden Living Center in Slayton, MN. Services will be at 1:00 PM Saturday, March 10, 2012 at the Chandler Reformed Church. Visitation will be from 5:00 until 7:00 PM Friday, March 9, 2012 at the Chandler Funeral Chapel, also from 10:30 AM until 11:30 AM Saturday before the burial and one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in the Chandler Memorial Cemetery at 11:30 AM. A luncheon will be served immediately following the service in the church social hall. The Chandler Funeral Association is handling the services.

Wallace William Dierenfeld was born August 27, 1918 to Will J. G. and Elizabeth (Neuman) Dierenfeld near Wall Lake, IA. He was baptized and professed his faith in the Reformed Church. On March 1, 1921 he moved with his parents to a farm northwest of Holland, MN and in 1936 the family moved to a farm near Lake Benton, MN. During this time he attended country school, before moving with his family to a farm a half mile east of Chandler, MN in 1939. On November 21, 1941 Wallace married Nellie Bruxvoort and they made their home on a farm near Chandler. They bought a farm in 1950, where they raised their family and remained there for 32 years, until they retired and moved into Chandler in 1982.

Both his church and his community were important to him. Wallace was a life-long member of the Chandler Reformed Church and faithful in attendance, in serving and giving of his time and resources. When the new building was built in 1953, Wallace was there moving dirt and blocks with his B John Deere and loader. He taught Sunday School and held various offices within the church. He was also a member of the local Lions Club, Bible League, and Gideon’s International. For thirteen years Wallace and Nellie traveled to Wycliffe Bible Translators near Dallas, TX for several weeks each winter to do volunteer work on the campus. He made many friends among the other workers and enjoyed the construction work, especially when it involved a tractor.

From an early age and often from necessity, he was an inventor. His estate includes several toy tractors and trucks which he made from wood with a jackknife and coping saw while he was a youngster. Wallace had a favorite saying, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and my middle name is Will.” In the 1950’s he once commented on a windy day, “Oh, this wind…if only someone could find a way to make use of it.” He did in fact, have a windmill that created electricity in the 1940’s. Due to his father’s poor health, and as an only son, he was a full partner and took leadership in the farming operation as a teenager. During WWII he served his country by providing food and fiber for the nation and the war effort.

In his retirement years he had the time to pursue hobbies such as antique tractors and fishing. He loved working in his shop, working with metal and wood and making items such as children’s back hoes, dog houses, etc. He could find a use for most anything and could have written the book on conserving and recycling long before these became so prominent in today’s culture.

In May of 2009, Wallace became a resident of the Golden Living Center in Slayton, MN, where he died Saturday, March 3, 2012 at the age of 93. Wallace is survived by his wife, Nellie Dierenfeld of Chandler, MN; two sons, Rodney (Carolyn) Dierenfeld of Willmar, MN and David (Cheryl) Dierenfeld of Nicollet, MN; two daughters, Nancy (Phil) Bach of Orange City, IA and Barbara (Dodd) Franklin of Perry, FL; nine grandchildren, Jeffrey Dierenfeld, Pam Emberland, Kelly Bach, Tonia Woudstra, Jeremy Bach, Naomi Bach, Jonathan Dierenfeld, Daniel Dierenfeld, and Tom Dierenfeld; nine great grandchildren; one sister, Ruby (Hank) Kreun of Chandler, MN; four sisters-in-law, Henrietta Bruxvoort of Chandler, MN Dorothy Moret of Mississippi, Pauline Blom of Leota, MN, and Frances (Jim) Veldkamp of Luverne, MN; nieces, nephews and friends. His parents, granddaughter, Cindy Dierenfeld, sister, Sylva (Gilbert) Schuur, infant brother, Raymond, and brothers-in-law, Harvey Bruxvoort and John Moret preceded him in death.