Darlene Birchem

Darlene Birchem of rural Battle Lake, Minnesota, passed away at the home she loved on Friday October 14, 2011. She was 74 years old. At last she is able to leave the pain behind. But for those she leaves behind, the pain has just begun as we will all miss her friendship and love. Darlene was born August 14, 1937 in Eden, South Dakota to George and Katie Michlitsch. She attended grade school in a small country school. She went on to attend and graduate from Sisseton High School. She attended Northern State College in Aberdeen, SD and graduated with a degree in education. She continued to expand her education throughout the years and earned a Special Education certification. Darlene made a life-long commitment to educating children, teaching everything from kindergarten to eighth grade. The last years of her career were as a Chapter One teacher, which allowed her to focus on the children in most need. She loved working with kids to reach their full potential and many, many kids were able to do that thanks to her devotion. Darlene married Thomas Birchem Aug 6th, 1960. They moved several times in the early years, as they found new opportunities to work in the education field - Darlene as a teacher and Tom as a superintendent. They taught in Manderson, SD, Pine Ridge, SD, Harold, SD, New Effington, SD, St. Marys in Devils Lake, ND, Sisseton and Enemy Swim, SD, and lastly in Starkweather, ND. Throughout the years they always found many ways to enjoy their time together – golfing, bowling, fishing, gardening, and traveling. And they always found time to be involved and attend their children’s activities and be heavily involved in each of the school systems they worked in. Starting in the 1970’s the one constant in their lives was the Ottertail Lakes area. No matter where they lived, it was “the lake” where they would go to relax in the summer time. They first had a place on Ottertail Lake. In the 1990’s they finally bought their year-round house on Deer Lake, where Darlene would live until her last hour on this earth. She loved to fish and it didn’t matter if it was on shore or in a boat. In her later years, her grandchildren’s fishing stories always brought a smile to her face. And she always looked forward to reading the paper and the gardening magazines. Tom died in 1998 and Darlene missed him every day of the last 13 years. But she knew she had to be strong for the rest of her family and she showed remarkable strength throughout the years, overcoming many health challenges. They are united again. Darlene loved all types of gardening – flowers, vegetables, apple trees, raspberries. She also loved to cook food for friends and families and she was a great cook. You could always count on her to have something fresh baked when you went for a visit, or to take someone in need some homemade chicken soup or banana bread. Slot machines and casinos were her favorite entertainment. She always liked to think she was “ahead” but really it was just about seeing and talking to people. Darlene is survived by her son, Keith Birchem, of Fargo, ND, daughter, Lori Barry (Scott) of Bloomington, MN, and grandsons, Blaise and Morgan Birchem. She loved these two boys beyond words and would do anything for them. Her happiest times in recent years were the days she got to spend with them. In addition to her husband, Darlene was preceded in death by her parents, George and Katie Michlitsch, her sister, Shirley Ross, and brothers, Irenus Michlitsch and Roger Michlitsch.  Visitation: 5-7 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home and resumes one hour prior to the service at the church Service: 11 a.m. Friday, October 21, 2011, at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Battle Lake, Minnesota Clergy: Father LeRoy Schik Interment: Our Lady of the Lake Cemetery, Battle Lake, Minnesota Funeral Home: Olson Funeral Home, Fergus Falls, Minnesota