BLUNT, SD – Ryan Pfeil Darling, 60, of Blunt, South Dakota, passed away on June 3, 2024, in Blunt.

A Celebration of Ryan’s Life will be 1:00 pm on Friday, June7, 2024 at 201 North Freeland Street (Lance Peery’s Shop) in Blunt.

Ryan was born to Harris and Carolann (Pfeil) Darling on May 12, 1964, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The eldest brother to younger sisters Nikki and Sarah, Ryan’s youth was spent causing trouble in the streets of Worthington, Minnesota, where he graduated high school in 1982. He was fondly remembered as the graduate who threw his cap and gown before jumping off the stage.

Following high school, Ryan attended community college in Worthington to receive his associate degree. He then transferred to his beloved alma mater, the University of Minnesota, where he completed a bachelor’s degree in business from the Carlson School of Management. He was an extremely proud third-generation Golden Gopher who went on to raise two more Gophers.

Ryan then enrolled at the University of South Dakota, where he earned a master’s degree in business, a juris doctorate, and a future wife, (one of which was the biggest achievement). Karla Engle was a fellow law student, and upon graduation the couple moved to Pierre, South Dakota, where they married and began a life together. Ryan made a legal career as an administrative law judge, first at the Department of Labor and then at the Office of Hearing Examiners.

Ryan was, above all else, a grateful dad (and if you knew him, you likely saw him in a t-shirt that proclaimed so). With Karla, he raised three children – Laurel, Layna, and Jack. Most of his free time was spent hunting and fishing with Jack, attending rock concerts with Layna and Karla, and discussing music, art, history, and movies with Laurel. Ryan suffered from the lifelong plight of being a Minnesota sports fan and enjoyed watching the games with his childhood friends. He will be remembered by the levity and laughter he brought to any situation; his greatest legacy will be the smiles he left on the faces of all he encountered.

Along with his wife, children, and Mark-in-law, Ryan’s friendliness and wit will live on through his father Harris; mother Carolann (Gayle Kvistad); sisters Nikki (Andy) Raedeke and Sarah Darling, niece Marah Darling and nephew Alex Purdy, as well as numerous cousins, uncles, friends, and loved ones.

Ryan will be joined in the afterlife by his maternal grandparents Maurice and Harriet Pfeil, paternal grandparents Ray and Mary Darling, uncle, James (Jim) Darling, dear friends Chuck Busse and Doug Goettsch, and cherished pets Jazz, Coal, and Captain Fuzzy.

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