Cold Spring
October 17, 1928 – January 1, 2010
Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 5, 2010, at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Richmond, MN, for Daniel P. Backes, age 81, who passed on Friday at the Assumption Home in Cold Spring. Burial will be in the Sts. Peter & Paul Parish Cemetery.
Relatives and friends may call after 4:00 p.m. Monday and from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. Tuesday morning at the Wenner Funeral Home in Richmond. Parish prayers will be at 4:00 p.m. followed by a rosary with the Catholic Order of Foresters, St. Joseph’s Society, and Catholic Aid Association, and the Cold Spring Area Maennerchor will sing at 7:30 p.m. at the funeral home Monday evening.
Dan was born in Richmond, MN, to Medardus “Dick” and Bertha (Phillipi) Backes. He married Vivian Landwehr on September 1, 1952 in St. Mary Help of Christians Church, St. Augusta, MN. Dan served in the United States Army from January 1951–October 1952 and fought in the Korean War. He was a welder in Minneapolis after the war before moving to Pearl Lake to pursue his passion for farming. Dan and Vivian later moved and settled on a farm outside of Richmond, which they developed into a modern dairy and Gold’N Plump Poultry operation. During Dan’s 40 years of farming, he was known for his innovative farming techniques. He retired from farming in 1994 to a lakeshore residence where he enjoyed creating things in his “well-stocked” metal shop, singing in the Maennerchor, working on his computer, and fishing. In February 1971, he pursued his love of flying and received his private pilot’s license later that year. He loved to travel the back roads of America and traveled abroad to Korea, China, Russia, and numerous European countries. He was a member of Sts. Peter & Paul Parish, Catholic Order of Foresters, Catholic Aid Association--St. Joseph’s Society, Cold Spring Area Maennerchor (member for over 50 years), 25th Infantry Division Association, and River Lakes Days Committee.
Survivors include his wife, Vivian; sons, Keith of Mariposa, CA, Terry of Cold Spring, and Michael (Kathy) of Port Angeles, WA; 2 step-grandchildren, Laura and Scott; 2 great-grandchildren, Peyton and Danika; and siblings, Walter (Mary) of Cold Spring, Willard (Bernie) of Cohasset, MN, Allen (Marcy) of Cold Spring, Jean (John) Becker of Maple Lake, and Mary Kay (Ed) Cotter of Hanahan, SC.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Vera Scherer; and brother, Timothy.
See video of Dan and the Maennerchor singing in Rothenburg, Germany
Photos of Dan and the Maennerchor:
Dan was also a key inspiration and guide to a total Backes Family
reunion held during the summer of 2007 that brought hundreds of the
Backes family lineage together for a grand picnic at Richmond,
Minnesota. Check out the Backes Family Reunion Blog here:
Backes Family Reunion 2007
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