Daniel Utke

Daniel's Live Streamed Funeral Service can be viewed below starting at 9:45 AM: Daniel's Live Streamed Prayer Service can be viewed below starting at 6:45 PM: On November 20, 2020, we lost a one of a kind character in Dan Utke. Daniel was born October 8, 1937 at home near Lucca, ND to Erwin Utke and Doris Lindemann Utke, the oldest of eleven children. He was baptized at Pontiac Lutheran Church in rural Enderlin. He attended Rariton School through eighth grade. Then the family moved to rural Enderlin, ND. Dan helped build the house that now stands there. Dan was confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Enderlin. He joined the Air Force in 1959 and was stationed in Denver, CO until 1961. He studied avionics and radar at Wahpeton State School of Science from 1961-1963. He married Diane Polloch in March of 1961. Twin boys, Ronald and Donald, came from that union. Dan then joined the North Dakota Air National Guard 119th fighter wing (The Happy Hooligans) in 1963 where he worked as a radar tech for. He worked for the fire department on base. He was also the only German-speaking person on staff there. In 1968 he married Yvonne Gire and three children, Julie, Steve, and Matt came from that union. They lived in Horace, ND until 1976, and then moved to rural Detroit Lakes, MN where they lived until 1992, when they moved to Enderlin, ND. Dan retired from the Guard in 1990 and went to work for Mid-America Aviation. After a few years, Dan left to work as a “drug runner” for a pharmaceutical company in Fargo. He worked for the Soo Line railroad, picking up people and bringing them to the different locations where the trains would pick them up. He also drove beet trucks for Johannason’s beet farms for twenty five years. Dan liked to tinker with anything that had grease, oil, a motor, and speed. It didn’t matter if it had wings or tires, it just had to be loud and fast. When people would ask Dan what he did for a living, he told them he turned jet fuel into noise .Among his many hobbies, he collected antique cars. His pride and joy was his 1908 Sears, which came from Fingal. ND. He was a lifelong member of the Horseless Carriage Club of America, Fargo Group. He enjoyed taking his Sears to car shows in the tri-state area. He twice drove his Sears across the stage at the Medora Musical as oldest car present. Yvonne actually twisted his arm and got him to travel to Mesa, AZ and Branson, MO for some retirement time. Dan is survived by his wife of 52 years, Yvonne, his son Ronny, daughter, Julie, son Steve and daughter-in-law Kay, and son D. Matthew, and grandchildren Brandan and Kasey, Donnie Jr, Kelly, Ronnie Jr, and Sarah, and brothers David (Caroline) and Mike (Donna), and Alanna (Jim) Woell, Maria Utke, Robin (Al) Roder, and Suzie Utke, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters, two brothers, and his son Donnie. Daniel's Video Tribute can be viewed below: