Obituary of William J. Barkl

William J. Barkl, Jr., age 84, of Yankton passed away Monday, May 13, 2013 at his residence with his family by his side. Bill passed away of acute Leukemia. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM, Friday, May 17, 2013 at St. Benedict Catholic Church, Yankton, with Rev. Ken Lulf and Rev. Paul Josten officiating. Burial will be in the Sacred Heart Cemetery, Yankton, with Military Graveside Rites by the Ernest-Bowyer VFW Post #791 Honor Guard, SDARNG Honor Guard, and Patriot Guard all in attendance. Visitations will begin at 5:00 PM, Thursday, May 16, 2013 at the Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home & Crematory, Yankton, with a rosary at 7:00 PM followed by a Scriptures service at 7:30 PM. Visitations will resume one hour prior to the service at the church. Bill was born on August 15, 1928 to William, Sr. & Albina (Kulish) Barkl in Yankton, SD. He grew up on the family farm with his 10 brothers and sisters. Bill married Elaine Tramp on August 8, 1951 at St. Boniface Catholic Church, Menominee, NE. Bill was stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953. After returning from the Army, Bill and Elaine farmed on Bill's family farm west of Yankton. In 1958 they moved to a farm near Central City, IA where they lived and farmed until moving back to Yankton in 1962. He continued to farm west of Yankton Raising cattle, hogs, grain, hay and milking cows. Bill especially enjoyed selling and delivering hay to his customers in Iowa. In 2004 Bill retired from farming, but still remained active during harvest and hay season. What Bill loved about farming was stated in his favorite quote "You are your own boss, the harder you work, the more you make, that's the way it's supposed to work". Bill is survived by two sons, Jeff (Fritzie) Barkl of Yankton, SD and Mike (Karen) Barkl of Rapid City, SD; three daughters: Debbie (Larry) VanderPoel of Irene, SD, Julie (Wayne) Darsow of Chapman, KS, and Wanda Gierhart of Dallas, TX; 7 grandchildren: Jennifer Barkl, Chanda Mueller, Chris Barkl, Nick Barkl, Jon Barkl, Jacob Darsow, Celese Gierhart; three great-grandchildren: Brittany, Faith and Bailey; two brothers, Alvin Barkl of Elko, NV and Harold Barkl of Eau Claire, WA, four sisters: Lillian Nelson of California, Sylvia Robertson of Pocatello, ID, LaVilla Lutz of Bismarck, ND, and Emily York of Pocatello, ID. Bill was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Elaine in 2010; grandson, Clint VanderPoel in 2010; great-grandson, Cody Coleman; brothers, Edwin and Ronnie Barkl; and two sisters, Aldena Foster and Wilma Cowman.