John Vincent Peyerl
May 1, 1941 – Dec. 26, 2020
John Vincent Peyerl
made his journey home
unexpectedly on Dec. 26
from complications of a
hemorrhagic stroke. He
was born May 1, 1941 in
Devils Lake, ND, to Tres-
sie (Hartl) and Xavier Pey-
erl. He grew up on his
family’s farm near Penn,
and attended school in
Penn and then Churchs
Ferry, where he graduated
in 1959. His love for math
and science led him to
further his education at
Valley City State and
North Dakota State
University. During this
endeavor, he was selected
several times for the Na-
tional Science Institute
and also earned a minor
in card playing.
His charm and quiet wit
swept Diane Streifel off
her feet during a dance at
Leroy’s Quonset near Es-
mond, and the two were
married May 28, 1966 at
St. Boniface Church in Es-
mond. They resided brief-
ly in Hampden where
they began their family
and then settled on the
farm near Penn, where
they reared their six chil-
dren. John began farming
with his brother in the
1970s and continued the
operation while sharing
his passion for education
during 25 years as a math
and science teacher. He
enjoyed following the
successes of his former
students in Hampden,
Churchs Ferry, and Cando
and subbed for area
schools before retiring
from teaching in 2001.
His greatest passions in
life were faith, family, and
farming, which was evi-
dent in everything he did.
He appreciated the op-
portunities hard work
provided and instilled
this belief in his children
and grandchildren. As a
farmer, he felt the land
was best served by those
who lived and worked on
it, a philosophy he carried
with him to represent area
farmers in many ways, in-
cluding on the Garrison
Diversion Board for over
20 years, and the Ramsey
county Farm Bureau
Board for several years.
He was highly active in
the fight for land rights
when Devils Lake began
flooding in the 1990s and
was involved in relocating
the BTR Elevator when
the water began to rise.
He had a deep apprecia-
tion for those who served
our country.
John never made a
promise he couldn’t keep,
volunteering his time and
talents to many faith and
civic organizations. He
was a devoted member of
St. Joseph’s Catholic
Church in Devils Lake;
the Knights of Columbus,
4th Degree; Coulee Town-
ship Board; Ramsey Area
Right to Life; Churchs
Ferry/Penn Volunteer Fire
Department; the ND
Republican Party; and the
Elks.
He was proud of his
children and grandchil-
dren and enjoyed attend-
ing their activities, always
with a bag of popcorn to
share. In his spare time,
he read every article from
the many subscriptions he
received, watched
Gunsmoke, and spent
many hours “getting
things organized” on the
farm with his good friend,
Kevin. He was trusting
and charitable and had a
kind affinity for hitchhik-
ers, always offering a ride
given the opportunity.
John embraced his 33
years of sobriety and was
the grateful recipient of an
organ transplant in 2013.
He was a blood donor all
his life, and his family en-
courages those to consider
becoming a blood or organ
donor. John was looking
forward to full retirement
from farming this year.
He is survived by his
wife, Diane, of 54 years;
his children, Marianne
Sears, Harlow, Joe (Jean-
ine) Peyerl, West Fargo,
Matthew (Patsy) Peyerl,
Bismarck, Sarah (Dustin)
Burchill, Casselton, Renae
(Andrew) Arnston, Rugby,
and MAJ John (Naomi)
Peyerl, Aberdeen, Mary-
land; and 21 grandchil-
dren; many nieces and
nephews; his in-laws Don
(Loretta) Streifel, Randy
(Jane) Streifel, Ernie (Lon-
na) Streifel, Tom (Vicki)
Streifel, and Rosalie (Ran-
dy) Axtman; Godchildren,
Kristin (Streifel) Gray,
Patti Jo (Peyerl) Meier,
Judy (Streifel) Hanson,
and Michael Noltimier;
and a sister.
He was preceded in
death by his parents and
brother, Alvin; and his fa-
ther and mother-in-law,
Walter and Ann Streifel.
Mass of Christian Buri-
al will be held on Satur-
day, January 2, 2021 at
10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph
Catholic Church, Devils
Lake with the Very Re-
verend C.F. Wilhelm cele-
brating the Mass. Burial
will be in St. Joseph’s
Catholic Cemetery.
Visitation was held at
the church on Friday,
January 1, 2021 from 4:00
p.m. until 7:00 p.m. with
a Rosary and Scripture
Service at 7:00 p.m.
Honor Guard will be pro-
vided by the 4th Degree
Knights of Columbus.
The Mass will be
live-streamed at
Facebook.com/stjosephdvl
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