Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Monday, March 16 at Redeemer Lutheran Church in St. Cloud for Richard A. Underdahl, 86, of Sauk Rapids, who passed away March 11, 2020, at the St. Cloud VA Medical Center surrounded by his loving family. Pastor Bruce Timm will officiate and burial will be with full military honors at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls. Friends and relatives may visit from 4-7 p.m. Sunday, March 15 at Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home in Sauk Rapids and also one hour prior to services at the church in St. Cloud Monday morning.
Richard Arlen Underdahl was born April 7, 1933, in Fertile to Orville and Ione (Droppo) Underdahl. At the age of 17, in 1950 he went to work for Northern Pacific Railway in St. Paul. He served in the United States Army during the Korean War and in Japan from 1952-55 as a combat engineer. Dick was honorably discharged as a staff sergeant E6. He returned to work for the railroad after the war. In 1956, he attended Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis for auto mechanics. Later in 1961, he bought a gas station in Thief River Falls and named it “Dick’s Corner Texaco”. In 1964, he went to work for the state of Minnesota (MnDOT) and started as a bridge worker and retired in 1992 as bridge maintenance superintendent. 1964 was also the year he married his sweetheart, Janet Bell in Baker. They moved around Minnesota with Dick’s job and settled in Detroit Lakes in 1967 and eventually to the Sauk Rapids area in 1974 after a job transfer. After his retirement he drove school bus for Larson’s (Laidlaw) Bus Company for 15 years. He was a member of Redeemer Lutheran church, where he served as a Sunday school teacher, trustee, deacon, vice president and the president of the congregation. His faith, family and country were extremely important to him. He was also a member of the St. Cloud VFW Post No. 428, he served on the board of directors at Good Shepherd from 2001-2016 and served for the Middle Management Association for the State of Minnesota for 17 years. Dick volunteered his time with Meals and Wheels and made toys for Toys for Tots, or any other child who would enjoy them. He loved woodworking, fishing, hunting, cutting wood, repairing old Ford tractors and camping. Dick was very hardworking. He owned 40 acres of land and ran a saw mill from 1978-99 ... just for fun! He loved spending time with his family and everyone who knew him, loved him.
Survivors include his loving wife, Janet of Sauk Rapids; daughters, Dawn (Steve) Rudy of Sauk Rapids and Darla (Joe) Schmidt of St. Cloud; sister, Dorothy Lee of Fertile; nine grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Walter and Gordon Sylstad; sister, Marilyn Sylstad and an infant sister.
Memorials are preferred to Prince of Peace Lutheran School in St. Cloud.
Obituary and guest book available online at https://www.williamsdingmann.com
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