Darrel LaMoyne Peterson, age 77, journeyed to meet the Lord on September 2, 2026, following a long illness. Our hearts are broken, and we will miss this beautiful man for the rest of our days.

Darrel LaMoyne Peterson was born the middle child on April 19, 1949, in Sioux Falls, SD, to Raymond and Ila Mae (Buskohl) Peterson. He graduated from Washington High in Sioux Falls in 1967 and earned a degree in Automotive Mechanics at Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis. Darrel loved cars and worked at Iten and Grossman Chevy dealerships and First Line Engine Repair in Minneapolis. He returned to Sioux Falls in 1984 and continued his auto repair career. He retired in 2004 to care for his aging mother until her death in 2010, and he worked part-time assembling, repairing, and tuning pipe organs at the J.F. Nordlie Company in Sioux Falls.

Darrel’s dad was a railroad man, and the family was always on the move. In his early years, the family had many adventures as they lived in Illinois, Minnesota, and Iowa. But every summer Darrel and his sister had three magical months on the farm with their grandparents, Heye & Hannah Buskohl, near Parker, SD. There, he learned to ride a horse, drive a stick pickup, grow crops, repair tractors and cars, and learn about life itself. This “Disney farm” of ponies, dogs, cats, and chickens was where his imagination and creativity blossomed, and he played cowboys as “Black Jack” with his cousin Jim as “Blue Colorado”.

Darrel was also a talented sound engineer, musician, and songwriter. He learned guitar and bass from his brother Steve, and they performed in several bands in the Sioux Falls area in the 1980’s and 90’s as The Steve Arrel Band and Smokey Pockets. Some of his songs include Heye Is the Horseman”, “Here On The Plains”, “Blue Colorado”, “Wake Up Call”, “Last Night”, and many more, including a musical score for a movie. These songs are from his many adventures; some from his childhood. Darrel was a proud ASCAP member and attended First Lutheran Church.

Darrel was hardworking, strong, and always ready to help, making many lifelong friends everywhere he went. Darrel loved to travel, whether it was motorcycle trips on his Harley to Arizona to visit sister Linda and family, attend the Black Hills Corvette Rallies, or his adventures that took him boating and fishing all over South Dakota with his friends Mike Brown and Phil Gunderson, and two trips to Alaska with his best friend Jim Merkling. He loved the water, cruised the Caribbean, and visited Sweden to see the Peterson ancestral farm. Wherever he went, fun and music went along.

Darrel was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, and niece Allyssa. Those grateful and proud to have shared Darrel’s life include his sister, Linda Garland (Ron) of Scottsdale, AZ; his brother, Steven Peterson (Winnie) of Canton, SD; and his nephew, Christopher Jurgens of Mesa, AZ.

A visitation with family present will be held from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Monday, September 14, 2026, at Miller Southside Chapel, located at 7400 S. Minnesota Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57108. A funeral service for Darrel will be held at 10:30 am on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, also at Miller Southside Chapel, with a luncheon reception to follow. Darrel will be laid to rest at Rosehill Cemetery in Parker, SD.

The funeral service will be livedstream to Miller Funeral Home's YouTube page. To watch the service live, please click on the following link: https://youtube.com/live/C-aassmz_XM?feature=share