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Verlin Pekas, age 88, of Mott, ND, passed away on Sunday, August 4, 2024, at Our Lady of Peace Hospice in St. Paul, MN.

Funeral services for Verlin will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 10, 2024 at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Mott, ND.  Burial for Verlin with military honors will take place at 12:00 p.m. noon CT on Monday, August 12, 2024 at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery south of Mandan, ND.

Visitation will be from 12:00 p.m. noon until the time of services at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday at the church in Mott.

Verlin was born March 15, 1936 to Louis and Ella (Varuscka) Pekas at a home in West Mott, ND. He grew up on a farm west of Burt, ND and attended school in Mott until the 8th grade. He then helped his dad on the family farm until his late teens when he worked the oil fields in Montana.

He was united in marriage to the love of his life, Ina Stevahn on September 27, 1954, in Regent, ND.  They lived in Mott until he enlisted in the US Army in 1955.  He was stationed in Ft. Riley, KS and was a member of the 1st Infantry Division, known as "The Big Red One". He was the gunner for an 80 mm motor and the person that pulled the trigger. After returning home from the service in 1957, Verlin and Ina moved south of Bentley, ND and raised three daughters.

He loved working the fields of wheat, oats, flax and sunflower for over 50 years for farmers Fred and Wayne Hoherz, Milt and Shane Hertz and Willard Harsh in the Bentley and Mott area. He also raised cattle, pigs, chickens, and any other animals that needed a home like a pet deer (Lucky), racoon (Ricky) and crippled pig (Walter) which is how he got his nickname "Walter". After the tornado in 1975, Verlin and Ina moved to west Mott and in 1980 they bought the current farm 4 miles south of Mott. He was very proud of the farm they built and continued his love for ranching.

He was a hard worker, great teacher, generous, dependable and very caring. He could be stubborn and bullheaded at times but always had a heart of gold. He loved playing cards, bowling, fishing, shaking dice and going dancing.  He enjoyed giving the grandchildren and great grandchildren rides in the tractor to feed cows. He had two beautiful unique tattoos on his right arm that he got in the service but he mostly was known for his love for everything chocolate and his index finger wave goodbye.

Some of his favorite vacations were Oregon, California, Yellowstone, Las Vegas, Florida, Hawaii, Caribbean Cruise, Australia and the Western ND Veteran's Honor Flight to Washington DC.

Verlin is survived by his three daughters, Debra Dutchuk, Bismarck, ND, Darlene (Jack) Wait, Mound, MN and Donna (Lyle) Hoffer, Regent, ND; 9 grandchildren and 17 + (1 due January 2025) great grandchildren, Troy (Kristin) Dutchuk, Lukas, Braxton, Camden; Corey (MacKenzie) Dutchuk, Jaymeson, Emmersyn; LaToya Dutchuk; Natalie (Blake) Zabel, Tenley, Tyson, Tatum; Nicole Wait;  Noelle (Cecil) Cochran, girl due January 2025; Melissa (Craig) Miller, Rhett, Rebecca, Reese; Michael (Colette) Friedt, Willa, Myah, Chet; Mason (Jade) Friedt, Rowan, Kiya, Evelyn; sisters Luella Anderson, Adeline Imhoff, sister-in-law Leona Amann, numerous nieces and nephews and special friend Loretta Sprecher.

Verlin was preceded in death by his beloved wife Ina, son Verlin R. Pekas Jr., his parents Louis and Ella, sisters, Lorene Ebert-Kallis, Doris Weickum, brothers Lawrence and Raymon.

In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred to the ND Veterans Cemetery in Mandan, ND, or Our Lady of Peace Hospice in St. Paul, MN.