Richard "Rich" Dirkes

Richard R. “Rich” Dirkes, age 78 of Sauk Centre, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family after a 15 year battle with COPD on Saturday, February 1, 2025 at the CentraCare Hospital in Sauk Centre, Minnesota.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, February 6 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Sauk Centre with Rev. Greg Paffel officiating. Interment will be in the parish cemetery with military honors by the Sauk Centre United Veterans Honor Guard.

Visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday at the church.

Richard Ralph Dirkes was born November 13, 1946 in New Munich, Minnesota to Peter and Marie (Wenker) Dirkes. He graduated from Osakis High School in 1964 and served in the U.S. Marine Corps during Vietnam from 1966 through 1968. He was united in marriage to Karen Bromenshenkel on September 18, 1971 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. Rich worked for Schwan’s for 20 years in Sauk Centre in sales and seven of those years as a manager in Eveleth, Minnesota. The remainder of his working career was spent as a salesman for John Wiese Ford until his retirement in 2010.

He was a member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Sauk Centre, Paul F. Donart VFW Post 2853, and the Knights of Columbus. Rich enjoyed fishing, watching the Boston Red Sox, playing cards, and loved spending time with his family and friends. Rich was always quick with a wink and a joke. He will fondly be remembered by family and close friends as Sylvester Kloddenhoffer III.

Survivors include his loving wife of 53 years, Karen Dirkes of Sauk Centre; children, Jennifer (Frank) Heys of Grinnell, Iowa, Shawn (Kirsten) Dirkes of Phoenix, Arizona, and Nikki (Neil) Linscheid of Sauk Centre; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; brothers, Vernon (JoAnn), Ken (Pat), and Clarence (Linda); sisters, Sister Julian Dirkes, O.S.F and Mary Lepinski; sisters-in-law, Sue Dirkes, Val (Steve) Kral, Linda Dirkes, Sharon Dirkes, Darlene Rousslang, Mary (Butch) Moritz, Jan Bromenshenkel, Anita (Bill) Berg, Linda Bromenshenkel, and Deb Behlings; and brothers-in-law, Wayne (Pat) Bromenshenkel and Randy (Kim) Bromenshenkel.

Rich was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Gerald, Paul, Roger, and Donnie Dirkes; father and mother-in-law, Leonard and Leona Bromenshenkel; brothers-in-law, Bruce Lepinski, Joe Bromenshenkel, Donny Bromenshenkel, Jack Bromenshenkel, Jim Sunderman, and Dick Rousslang; and sisters-in-law, Pat Bromenshenkel and Debbie “Bubbles” Bromenshenkel.