Donald Bakkelund, 99, of Rockford, passed away peacefully, Wednesday morning, January 29, 2020 at the Grand Victorian. He was born November 24, 1920 in Rockford, IL, the son of Oscar and Emily (Olson) Bakkelund. Donald married his sweetheart, June L. Engstrom on January 15, 1944. He proudly served in the United States Army. Donald was a left-handed baseball pitcher and played in the minor leagues with the St. Louis Cardinal organization for several years. He was employed as a Bricklayer and was a member of Local Union 6 for over 60 years. Donald was a former member of Alpine Lutheran Church. He enjoyed baseball, golfing at Sinnissippi GC, vacations in the North woods of Wisconsin and fishing. He was an avid Chicago Cubs fan.
Donald is loved and missed by his children, Gary (Pamela) Bakkelund and Ronald (Sandra) Bakkelund; grandchildren, Geoffrey (Michelle) Bakkelund, Theresa (Rodney) Wolf, Reverend Jonathan Bakkelund, Holly (Dan) Reilly, Sarah (Tyler) Benning, and Chad (Nina) Bakkelund; 7 great- grandchildren, Landon, Luke and Logan Reilly, Asher and Reagan June Benning, Aiva and Ivy Bakkelund; sister-in-law, Janet Bakkelund and nephews, Brock and Randy. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, June, and brother, Harold.
A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Friday, February 7, 2020 at Sunset Funeral Home, 8800 N. Alpine Rd, Machesney Park, IL, 61115 with a visitation prior to the service beginning at 1:00 p.m. Entombment in Sunset Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family.
