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