Darrel D Haskins

Darrel Dodson Haskins left us for a better place on August 4, 2018 after over 88 great years as a father, husband, son, and friend to many.
Born Sept 7, 1929 to Lavern Lester Haskins and Helen Beetham Haskins, Darrel grew up in Lancaster with his older brother Stanley during the great depression. They shared a love of hunting and fishing, owned their first car together, and worked at their dad’s service station. Darrel graduated from Lancaster High School in 1947 and enrolled at Wisconsin State College, Platteville. As the Korean War loomed, he enlisted in the US Air Force in July 1951 for a four year tour which took him to England, where he flew reconnaissance missions as part of a B-17 flight crew. After his return in 1955, he enrolled at University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he finished his bachelor degree as a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Before mustering out of the USAF, however, he was introduced by a mutual friend in St Paul (MN) to Grace M "Marly" Deutsch, who became the love of his life. They married on October 26, 1957 and shared almost 59 great years together. Following college, Darrel went to work with his father and brother in the petroleum business, providing fuel oil, gasoline, bottled gas, and bulk propane service to ag, residential, and commercial customers until his retirement in 1993. His accomplishments outside business included earning the Boy Scouts’ top rank of Eagle Scout, and as a young adult, 32nd degree status as a Scottish Rite Mason; service to Lancaster’s former Commercial Club; completing Toastmaster public speaking and leadership training; serving the Lancaster City Council as an alder, and later as a longtime member of the city’s Airport Commission and as a Chamber Ambassador. He learned to fly in 1969 and remained active as a private pilot for nearly 30 years. And as a lifelong hunter and fisherman, his great joys included socializing and fishing with the “Muskie Club,” whose members remained best of friends for their entire lives, and deer hunting at the Collie ranch in Montana, a family tradition for over 60 years. Late in life, he took a great interest in military history, and joined the local VFW post. With Marly by his side, he enjoyed travel all over the US and to many international destinations, a shared passion that spanned their many years together.
Darrel is survived by his children D. W. “Bill” Haskins (Lisa Swanson), and Sheila H Rolf (Troy); and his grandchildren Carl (Laura) Geczy-Haskins & Alex Haskins and Amelia & Nolan Rolf. Preceding him in death were his wife Marly in 2016; his brother Stanley in 2008, his mother in 1994 and his father in 1977, and his grandparents Frank and Ella Beetham and Leroy and Zella Haskins.
A memorial service will be held at Lancaster Congregational Church at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 15, 2018, with a brief visitation period to follow. Memorial donations may be made to Darrel D. Haskins Memorial Fund, in care of Martin Schwartz Funeral Homes & Crematory, PO Box 30, Lancaster, WI 53813.