(Photo)

Darren Scott Dageforde, son of Darrel Dageforde and Rosemary (Hulse) Dageforde, was born June 24, 1965, in Hebron. He died at home in Blair on March 14, 2023. Darren quickly developed a strong midwestern work ethic growing up on a family farm south of Hebron.

After graduating from Hebron High School as salutatorian in 1983, Darren went to college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He graduated in May of 1987 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. In 1988 he married Karen Stam. His first job was a safety systems engineer at the Cooper Nuclear Station in Brownville. In 1994, after the birth of his son Pierce, the family moved to Omaha.

In 1998 he began working at the University of Nebraska Medical Center as a campus engineer. Darren was part of the team constructing and renovating dozens of new buildings for UNMC, transforming it into a world class healthcare, research and teaching hospital campus. Darren crusaded to reduce the amount of energy it took to run the campus, helping the environment and saving UNMC millions of dollars in the process.

To continue his quest for energy efficiency, Darren built a net zero energy house in Washington County in 2011, along with his trusty sidekicks Karen and Pierce. The house’s experimental design won the 2014 ASHRAE technology award. It was the only single-family home ever recognized in the first 30 years of the program.

Darren instantly started giving tours of his home, sharing his enthusiasm with all visitors. In 2013, Darren, Karen and Pierce started volunteering with the Washington County Recycling Association in Blair. After retiring from UNMC in 2020, Darren started umpiring baseball and softball and refereeing football. In the fall of 2022, Darren began working for Washington County as their building inspector.

Darren is survived by his wife, Karen Dageforde, Blair; son, Pierce Dageforde, Omaha; sister, Deb (Mark) Craig, Hebron; sister, Rochelle (Walter) Heussmann, Houston, Texas; brother, Rick Dageforde, Hebron; sister-in-law, Susan Sjeklocha, North Platte; brother-in-law, Larry Ridenour, sister-in-law, Arla (Mike) Kvanvig, and brother-in-law, Ryan (Shelby) Ridenour, all of Mullen; brother-in-law, David Ridenour, Washington D.C., mother-in-law, Judy Ridenour, Mullen; and a host of nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be held Tuesday March 21, at 10 a.m., at Campbell Aman Funeral Home in Blair. Visitation will be held Monday March 20, with family receiving friends from 3 to 8 p.m. at Campbell Aman Funeral Home.

#2-funeral leaflet

(photo)

Darren Scott Dageforde, son of Darrel Dageforde and Rosemary Harriet (Hulse) Dageforde, was born June 24, 1965 in Hebron, Nebraska. He died at home near Blair, Nebraska on March 14, 2023. Darren quickly developed a strong midwestern work ethic growing up on a family farm south of Hebron, surrounded by parents and grandparents who had chosen farming as a way of life. He learned to drive a tractor and pickup truck (at age eight!) as well as pouring concrete, riding horses, handling cattle and pigs, baling hay, fixing fence, tending grain crops, maintaining irrigation, carpentry, welding and repairing machinery.

Darren was very active in 4-H, excelling in livestock and leadership projects. The summer after he was a freshman in college, he spent 6 weeks in Japan on working family farms on a 4-H exchange project. This upbringing proved to be the perfect training ground for becoming a mechanical engineer.

After graduating from Hebron High School as salutatorian in a class of 48 students in 1983, Darren went to college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He graduated in May of 1987 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

In 1988 he married Karen Stam, who he had met at the beginning of his senior year.

His first job was a safety systems engineer at the Cooper Nuclear Station in Brownville, Nebraska. It was a long way from splitting wood for the shop stove to splitting atoms to create electricity! Darren always said the 80+ hour work weeks at Cooper taught him enough engineering to have several degrees.

In 1994, the birth of his son, Pierce, was a wakeup call to spend more time prioritizing family instead of work.

So off to Omaha, Nebraska the family went. First, he worked for ASARCO, a 130-year-old lead refinery.

But a year after starting work there, the plant was closed and turned into a city park. Next, Darren worked at the C.J. Schneider consulting engineering firm, designing projects in many industrial settings in Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri. In 1998 he began working at the University of Nebraska Medical Center as a campus engineer. Darren was part of the team constructing and renovating dozens of new buildings for UNMC, transforming it into a world class healthcare, research and teaching hospital campus.

In Darren's words, "In 2006, I was put in charge of the Central Utility plant operations. Most people don't understand the importance of the role of a good utility system for a hospital or university campus because, if everything is working right, nobody notices. The utility systems are the heart and guts of the campus... We serve the equivalent of a small city with anywhere from 8,000 to 13,000 people on campus on any day, 750 of which could be incapacitated in hospital beds. We operate one of the most sophisticated--and redundant--electrical systems in the country. The Utility operators try to be the best "silent partner" the doctors, researchers and educators can have."

Darren crusaded to reduce the amount of energy it took to run the campus, helping the environment and saving UNMC millions of dollars in the process. By the time he retired from UNMC in 2020, his wife Karen just called him the energy czar.

To continue his quest for energy efficiency, Darren built a net zero energy house in Washington County in 2011, along with his trusty sidekicks Karen and Pierce. The house's experimental design won the 2014 ASHRAE (American Society for Heating Refrigeration and Air conditioning Engineers) technology award. It was the only single-family home ever recognized in the first 30 years of the program. Not bad for a small-town farm kid from rural Nebraska!

Darren instantly started giving tours of his home, sharing his enthusiasm with all visitors, particularly students from the Peter Kiewit Institute and the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

In 2013, Darren, Karen & Pierce started volunteering with the Washington County Recycling Association in Blair. He loved mentoring high school seniors who were earning recycling scholarships.

After retiring from UNMC in 2020, Darren started umpiring baseball and softball and refereeing football. He relished the opportunity to bond with fellow umpires and teach kids the value of sportsmanship.

In the fall of 2022, Darren began working for Washington County as their building inspector, a job he enjoyed immensely.

Darren is survived by his wife, Karen Dageforde, Blair, NE; son, Pierce Dageforde, Omaha, NE; sister, Deb (Mark) Craig, Hebron, NE; sister, Rochelle (Walter) Heussmann, Houston, TX; brother, Rick Dageforde, Hebron, NE; sister-in-law, Susan Sjeklocha, North Platte, NE; brother-in-law, Larry Ridenour, sister-in-law, Arla (Mike) Kvanvig, and brother-in-law, Ryan (Shelby) Ridenour, all of Mullen, NE; brother-in-law, David Ridenour, Washington D.C., mother-in-law, Judy Ridenour, Mullen, NE; and a host of nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be held Tuesday March 21, at 10:00AM, at Campbell Aman Funeral Home in Blair, Nebraska. Visitation will be held Monday March 20, with family receiving friends from 3:00 to 8:00PM at Campbell Aman Funeral Home.

Darren unexpectedly died March 14th. Visitation with the family will be Monday, March 20th from 3 to 8 pm at the Campbell-Aman Funeral Home, 444 South 17th Street, Blair, NE. A memorial service will be held at the funeral home on Tuesday, March 21st at 10 am with a luncheon afterwards at the Methodist Church just across the street.

Campbell Aman Funeral Home in service to the family.

In Memory of Darren Dageforde

Born June 24, 1965 Hebron, Nebraska ~ Died March 14, 2023 Blair, Nebraska

Funeral service 10am March 21, 2023 Campbell-Aman Funeral Home, Blair, Nebraska

"Peace In the Valley" sung by Leonard Ridenour, father-in-law. "When I'm Gone' sung by The Carter Family. Reading of the obituary by Rochelle Heussmann, sister. Scripture Readings by Connie Buller, friend. Sharing of memories part one. "Remember Me (I'm The One Who Loves You)" sung by Johnny Cash. Sharing of memories part two. "Blue Shadows on the Trail" sung by Roy Rogers. "Buffalo Jump" performed by Brule/Airo. (Daren, Karen and Pierce went to hear Brule/Airo every time they were in the Omaha Area. Although Darren's physical heart has stopped beating, imagine the powerful beat from this song as his spiritual heart beating forever).

Lunch will follow at First United Methodist Church.

~~~Obituary courtesy of the Nebraska Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Public Library, Blair, Nebraska ~~~

FindaGrave #250793680