Lee Davis Derksen

Lee Davis Derksen passed away January 03, 2025.

The second child of Ruben B. ("Derk") and Mildred A. Derksen, Lee was born August 22,1946 in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. Following WWI service in the army, Lee's father Derk was employed by the University of Minnesota's top secret national defense aeronautic testing facility at Rosemont, MN. The family moved from Wisconsin to be near Derk's work but both housing and automobiles were in short supply following WWI. They moved into a rental at Lake Minnetonka, MN where Derk carpooled in his unreliable pre-war clunker, paying for rides when his car wouldn't start. From there they moved to Coats, MN where Derk could walk to work. In 1950 they were finally able to obtain a new car, and they purchased a home In Randolph, MN. From 1952 to 1964 Lee attended grade school and high school in the tiny southern Minnesota railroad and farming community of Randolph. After high school Lee attended one year at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN before transferring to the University of Minnesota School of Forestry where he graduated with honors in 1968.

Growing up in southern Minnesota and visiting grandparents in Wisconsin, Lee learned to fish before he entered grade school and was a duck and pheasant hunter as soon as he was old enough to buy a license. Lee and his older brother Dirk and Lee's lifelong friend Greg Elstad spent many happy days on duck marshes and lakes throughout the state and later made duck hunting trips to Arkansas. Lee was also a railroad fan and with his close friend Greg, often bicycled to watch the evening passenger train come thru Randolph. From the time he was 14 years old, Lee found summer employment stacking hay on wagons towed behind hay balers and after he turned 16 as a records clerk at remote pea vineries owned by Green Giant Co.

In 1967 Lee worked a summer temporary forestry Job in Salmon, Idaho but was able to spend a week in Dillon, Mt fishing with a friend. That was when Lee made the decision that someday he would live in Dillon. On graduating from forestry school in 1968, Lee acquired permanent employment in the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness Area at Moose Cr. Ranger Station. In January of 1969 Lee took a 4-year leave of absence from his forester job to join the U.S. Navy. One of his first Navy assignments was to guide a frigate missile, dry-docked for overhaul in Philadelphia, PA Naval Shipyard. It was in Philadelphia where Lee met the love of his life, Janet Lee Black who was a regular at U.S.O. Janet and Lee were married June 25, 1972, in Janet's hometown, Hialeah, Florida.

Shipboard Lee was a Missile Gunners Mate and advanced to E5 on board the guided missile destroyer escort U.S.S. Brooke DEG-1 Home port in San Diego, Lee made cruises to the Western Pacific including the Gulf of Tonkin off Vietnam, the Russian held Kuril lslands north of Japan and the Bering Sea north of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. They stopped at ports in Japan, the Philippine Islands, and the Aleutian Islands.

Following his Navy leave of absence, Lee returned to work as a timber forester in Pierce, Idaho, Powell, ID and Sula, Montana moving 4 times in 7 years. in 1980 he took a job in Bonners Ferry, Idaho where Lee & Janet bult their first home. Lee and Janet hunted Idaho for elk, whitetails, ducks, geese and upland birds and made annual trips to saltwater to fly-fish at Key West, FL and hunt geese in Saskatchewan. But every year on his birthday you would find Lee fishing in the Beaverhead River near Dillon. When an opportunity for a job in Dillon, MT became available in 1986, Lee leapt at the chance, he worked 15 years as a forester in Dillon and retired from forestry work in in 2001

After retirement Lee spent time working on home improvements and various projects around home, mostly involving hunting, fishing, camping and later, modeling the railroad he watched in his youth.

Lee learned Karate at the Dillon Karate Club and advanced to earn First Dan Black Belt honors before knee surgeries left him unable to participate.

Lee was preceded in death by his wife Janet, his Mother Mildred and his father Ruben. He is survived by his older brother Dirk Derksen of Anchorage, AK, younger sister Suzan Rutten of Northfield, MN and younger brother Bruce Derksen of Red Wing, MN

Lee loved living in Dillon with his wife Janet. He also enjoyed Karate, running, bicycling, gardening, hunting big game and waterfowl, fishing trout and walleyes and building gear for all of their interests. He was a fly tier, rod builder, decoy carver, crank-balt carver and much more, He especially loved camping with Janet at Canyon Ferry Reservoir and fishing late evenings for walleyes

Lee acquired anxiety/depression, probably as a result of a childhood bout with rheumatic fever but went undiagnosed until he was over 50 years old. He self-treated with alcohol until an esophageal ulcer forced him to give up alcohol, then he ran several miles a week until knee surgery forced him to abandon running. In later years, Lee was treated with medications for anxiety/depression, especially during the short winter days. Anxiety/depression affects about 18% of the population at some time during their life. Unfortunately, mental illness is a subject that many people don't want to confront or talk about. Thus, people sometimes go untreated for years without even knowing what they are fighting, Alcohol and certain street drugs are commonly used for self-treatment by undiagnosed people. In the years following his retirement Lee was very open about his illness and interested in helping others fight anxiety/depression.

Lee was a Christian, baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith. He is now at home with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Lee requested those interested make tax deductible donations to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

Arrangements are under the direction of Brundage Funeral Home. Condolences for the family may be posted online at www.brundagefuneralhome.com