Remembering Uncle Derrill
Iowa State defeated Ohio 43-10 on Saturday afternoon at Jack Trice Stadium. For 15 straight games leading up to this one, I had been in the stadium each time the Cyclones took the field. Whether it was the seven games in Ames during that span, or away games in Las Vegas, Waco, Manhattan, Morgantown, Lubbock, Norman, Orlando and Iowa City, I was there.
Saturday, I had something more important to do.
We celebrated the life of my Great Uncle Derrill, who we lost last week at the age of 85.
Sometimes I feel like I need to further explain the relationship between me and my great aunt and uncle. Aunt Shirley took care of my brother and I every day from the time we were babies. My parents both worked full time, and Aunt Shirley (and later Uncle Derrill after he retired) were there every day to get us up, make sure we had breakfast, and get us ready for the day. Always with a smile.
We have always had a special relationship, a relationship that I cherish.
Uncle Derrill was probably the kindest, nicest person I have ever met in my life. My mom has always said that if everyone in the world was like Uncle Derrill, the world would be a much better place. I can picture riding in the car with Uncle Derrill, and we would pull up to a four-way stop. If the next car in line would get there at the same time, or even just a little bit after, Uncle Derrill would wait for them. He’d motion with his hand… go ahead. That’s just the kind of person he was.
In reflecting on his life and my memories last week, I realized something. I’m probably a sports fan in large part because of Uncle Derrill.
He took me to Pella High School football and basketball games when I was in grade school and middle school. He also took me to Central College football and basketball games.
Uncle Derrill was a Hawkeye fan, but he also embraced my love of Iowa State. I am grateful that as an adult, I got to take him to a pair of Iowa State games. We saw the Cyclones secure bowl eligibility with a win over Colorado in 2009. We saw Utah score a couple (OK a stupid amount) of touchdowns against Iowa State in 2010.
I remember toward the end of that game, Uncle Derrill said “I hope we get to see them score one more time.”
Chances are, we did. Utah scored 68 points that evening in a blowout win over Iowa State.
I wouldn’t trade that night for anything.
The next year in 2011, my brother and his wife (Hawkeye fans), my dad and I went with Uncle Derrill to a Hawkeye game against Pittsburgh, which turned out to be one of the craziest games I’ve been to. Pittsburgh was winning 24-3 late in the third quarter before the Hawkeyes stormed back for a 31-27 victory.
Uncle Derrill was also a Cubs fan, and we got to take him to Wrigley Field in 2006 for his first Chicago Cubs game. Him being a fan made my fandom stronger. I always had a conversation starter with the Cubs, and would often plan trips to visit based on what time the Cubs game was scheduled for that day.
I also spent many Saturdays at their house through the years watching Iowa and Iowa State games. Even though I am a Cyclone, I’d begrudgingly cheer for Iowa, and even though he was a Hawkeye fan, he’d enthusiastically cheer for Iowa State. As I mentioned, he was the nicest man.
He was also an optimist. In 2013, West Virginia jumped out to a 31-7 lead over Iowa State in the final game of a losing season for the Cyclones.
I mentally gave up on the idea that Iowa State could win. Not Uncle Derrill.
“I think they’re going to win.” He said.
Aunt Shirley and I didn’t think so.
Iowa State started to make a comeback. Aunt Shirley said “I don’t know. There’s not enough time.”
Uncle Derrill was steadfast. “I think they’re going to win.”
And guess what? They did, completing a massive comeback to win 52-44 in triple overtime. It is still one of my favorite games.
Uncle Derrill loved Iowa, Iowa State and the Cubs, and he LOVED the Kansas City Chiefs. I remember being at their house on Christmas Eve day once when the Chiefs happened to be playing. As the start of the game got closer, I could tell he was paying attention to the time. Since Uncle Derrill was such an easygoing person, happy to go with the flow at all times, this stuck out to me.
Finally about a minute before the game started, he said “I think it’s about time for a ballgame.”
Indeed it was. By the way, the Chiefs won that game.
In January 2019, the Chiefs played New England in the AFC Championship for a shot at the Super Bowl. Even though I’m a Green Bay fan first and foremost, I was so excited for Kansas City to have this chance. I drove home to Pella to watch the game with Uncle Derrill. It was a heartbreaker as the Tom Brady-led Patriots held off Patrick Mahomes for one more year.
The next year in 2020, I didn’t make it home for the AFC Championship when the Chiefs beat Buffalo to finally earn that trip to the Super Bowl. But as the game wound down, I found myself tearing up watching at home.
Super Bowl weekend that year was also the same weekend as the Iowa Caucuses. The Caucuses represent a busy time during my job at the Greater Des Moines Partnership as we intentionally do everything we can to welcome the thousands of national and international media members visiting to cover the event. I worked Saturday and Sunday, and had an early event to go to on Monday (like 5 a.m. early).
But there was no way I was going to miss watching the Super Bowl with Uncle Derrill. I made the hour drive to Pella and the hour drive back to Des Moines that evening. It was so worth it to share the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory with Uncle Derrill and the rest of my family. I think I was more excited for him than he was for himself.
Uncle Derrill is survived by his wife of 55 years, my Aunt Shirley. He was always so happy to spend time with her, even if it was just taking her to get her nails done. They went to countless country western shows, spent many weekends staying at the Marriott in Des Moines, and enjoyed a meal out whether it be at a nicer sit-down restaurant or a Culver’s. They just loved spending time together. They would have always, always done anything for each other.
I will always remember and cherish the afternoons I spent with Uncle Derrill either watching a game or playing dominos with him and Aunt Shirley. And the nights we spent celebrating birthdays and holidays at my parents’ house.
These stories are the tip of the iceberg to who Uncle Derrill was and how special he was to me. I had the opportunity to share these memories and many more during his funeral on Saturday, and I ended my remarks sharing three lessons that I think we can all take away from Uncle Derrill’s life whether or not you knew him.
1) Be Nice. As I wrote before, Uncle Derrill is probably the nicest person I have ever known. Whether you are having good day or a bad day, you can always choose to be nice. Uncle Derrill always chose to be nice.
2) Be Positive. I cannot think of one time that I heard Uncle Derrill complain. If he was not feeling well or having a bad day, he would simply never complain about it. He was grateful for what he had and never seemed to worry about what he didn’t have.
3) Treat Others Well. Uncle Derrill always seemed to have a way of making the day better for those who knew him. He would do anything for Aunt Shirley, or for his family, or for anybody he saw who needed help.
My family and I will miss Uncle Derrill greatly, but his memory will live on. The spirit of his kindness will live on in each of us.