Obituary: Edwin Djerf

 

Edwin “Butch” Djerf was born in Duluth Minnesota on November 14, 1941,  to Edwin R. and Aurelia (Ittu) Djerf.   Our father grew up in Fulton Location in Mohawk and was raised by his uncle and aunt, Eino and Mayme Djerf. During his youth, Dad was an avid outdoorsman and spent a great deal of time trapping, hunting, fishing, and playing hockey. He attended the Mohawk & Calumet Schools and was active in JROTC, graduating from Calumet High School in 1960. He then enlisted in the United States Marine Corps serving in San Diego, Bridgeport CA, Hawaii, Okinawa, and the Philippines. He achieved the rank of Cpl E4 as a field radio operator in the 1st Marine Division, Recon Battalion.  After his Marine Corps service, our father attended MTU, worked for the US Forest Service in Minnesota, the Calumet and Hecla Foundry, and then  spent over 30 years as a Switching Technician for Michigan Bell Telephone Company. Most of his time with Bell was spent at the US Air Force base at Gratiot Lake. In 1966, our dad was lucky enough to meet our mother Joan (Gagnon). The two were married soon after and spent over 57 years together raising our family in Calumet Township. Mom was the love of his life as was he to our mom. Our father never had trouble staying busy. He enjoyed many outdoor activities and spending time at his camp in Betsy location. Some other interests included recreational shooting, Ham Radio, photography, physical exercise, his dogs, playing cards, shooting pool, and attending any events related to his kids, grandkids, and great grandchildren.  Our dad was a Ham operator all of his adult life (WB8CBA),  a member of the Amateur Ham Radio Association, Superior Search and Rescue and the Marine Corps League. Proceeding our father in death were his parents, aunts, uncles, son Eddie, and a few close buddies. He is survived by his wife, Joan, daughter, Cathy (Phil) Baranowski, Son, Matt (Julie), grandchildren, Marc, Luke, Tristan, Jake, Katie, Nikolas, Elli, and great grandchildren, Eddie, Jackson, Aria, Greysin, and Ryker.  A private family service will be held on Sunday, February 2 with the assistance of the Erickson Crowley Peterson Funeral Home. A graveside service with military rites will take place in the spring at the Lakeview Cemetery. A few last words, and I do this at the risk of dad rolling his eyes … He always complained when reading obituaries that he thought were maybe a little too “flowery”. Well dad, we decided to do this anyway because you deserve it and it is the right thing to do. Some may think that Ed Djerf was somewhat of a hard nose and a pretty serious individual. I’d say they were right, to a point. Though he left the Marine Corps, the Marine Corps never left him. But to those who knew and were close to dad, we were well aware of the other side of him. Our dad had a great, but sometimes dry, sense of humor and was a compassionate man. He’d give the shirt off his back for anyone in need and never put his own needs first. He was a devoted family man with conservative values, a strong Christian faith, and a work ethic that we all admired. His SISU was very evident throughout his life and even more extraordinary during his recent illness and up until his passing when the Lord finally decided to take him home. We couldn’t have asked for a better father, husband, or grandfather and we will miss him dearly.

The Erickson Crowley Peterson Funeral Home is assisting the family.

 

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.ericksoncrowleypeterson.com