Daniel Lee Volkman, 79, of Rushford, Minn., was born to Orman and Alice Volkman. He graduated from Rushford High School, Class of 1964, and graduated from the auto repair program at Vo-Tech in 1966. He went on to serve in the Marine Corps and was a decorated combat veteran of Vietnam, serving as a drill instructor in Hawaii following his tour overseas before returning to Minnesota.
He loved building things and working with his hands, working at different times as a welder, mechanic, and auto body specialist, before taking a job in industrial maintenance at Winona Manufacturing, where he ultimately retired in 2005 as plant supervisor. Over the years, three homes were built by his own hands – each bigger and better than the last – in Trempealeau, Wis., Winona, Minn., and finally in a bucolic dale near Lanesboro, Minn. Alongside all this, he kept a well-equipped shop where he built or rebuilt several project vehicles, including RVs, trailers, motorcycles, and several trucks and cars, including especially his beloved Corvette. He was passionate about all things vehicular. Whenever the opportunity arose, you would find him motorcycling, racing, cruising, or road-tripping across the country. He would think nothing of driving for hours to get an ice cream. For him, the destination was mostly an afterthought. The journey is the destination.
He is survived by his wife and road companion of 57 years, Cathy; son Richard (Dawn) Volkman; daughter Wanda (Brian) Prudoehl; grandchildren Johnathan, Victor, Bradley (Israel), and Will (Angel); brothers David (Donna), Dale, and Darryl (Patti), and sister Dawn (Mark) Wegman.
He was preceded in death by his parents, sister-in-law June (Dale), and three nieces.
Fittingly, he was on the road, traveling to their winter home in Zapata, Tex., when his years-long battle with pulmonary fibrosis finally ended near Dallas. We will miss his gritty toughness, mechanical cleverness, and playful humor, and we will always remember him with the wind in his hair, engine roaring, full throttle, accelerating. Semper Fidelis.
Internment at the Preston Veterans Cemetery will take place after spring arrives, followed by a celebration of life and light lunch.
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