Forest Lake – Donald Jerome Bjerke, age 77, of Forest Lake, passed away on December 17, 2022. He was surrounded by his family. He will be forever in our hearts.
Donald was born July 5, 1945, in Duluth. He was baptized in the Lutheran faith and confirmed at St. John Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls. He was a proud graduate of Lincoln High School class of 1963 and attended many of the class reunions. He went on to attend Bemidji State University, where he obtained his Master of Science in Business Education. He also served his country in the Minnesota National Guard.
Donald began his teaching career at Detroit Lakes High School, but soon came back to Thief River Falls to work for Arctic Cat, while farming half of the Bjerke farm. He returned to teaching in the 1980s with stops in Goodrich, Wadena, Sunnyside and Price Utah, Canby, and then finally retiring from Southwest Junior High School in Forest Lake.
Donald loved to travel with his family. He traveled to almost every state and took trips abroad to Amsterdam, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, France, and England. Although he loved to travel, his favorite place to go (when he wasn’t watching his grandkids’ sporting events) was his farm in Thief River Falls, where he loved to camp, hunt, and ride his four-wheeler.
Donald was preceded in death by his parents Julian Hanford and Minnie Bjerke; one brother, and one sister.
Donald will be deeply missed by his two children Tim (Cindy) Bjerke of West Fargo, North Dakota, and David (Jenny) Bjerke of Osceola, Wisconsin; three grandchildren and three step-grandchildren; and one sister, Darla (Rick) Taddy of Reedsville, Wisconsin.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, January 28th, 2023, at Messiah Lutheran Church, 807 MN-97, Forest Lake. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. May his memory be blessed.
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