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Feb. 14, 1986-Aug. 15, 2009

RURAL ECHO - Services for Derek A. Preuss, 23, of rural Echo, will be at 2 p.m. Thursday in St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Posen Township, rural Wood Lake. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Wednesday at Sunset Funeral Home in Echo and continue Thursday one hour prior to services in St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Posen Township. Memorials preferred in lieu of flowers. The Sunset Funeral and Cremation Association of Echo and Wabasso is in charge of the arrangements.

He died Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009, as a result of a motorcycle accident.

Derek Andrew Preuss was born Feb. 14, 1986, in Redwood Falls, to Dennis "Dean" and Vicky Lynn (Kassuelke) Preuss. He was baptized Feb. 23, 1986, and confirmed May 2, 1999, in St. Luke's Lutheran Church Possen Township rural Wood Lake. He grew up in the Wood Lake-Echo area. He lived on the family farm south of Echo the past eight years. He attended St. John's Parochial School in Wood Lake, then Bert Raney Elementary and YME High School in Granite Falls graduating in 2004. Derek then attended UTI in Chicago, Ill., graduating in 2006 as a high performance mechanic, then attended Parkland College in Champaign, Ill., and was currently a student at Southwest Minnesota State University majoring in business management. He was a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Granite Falls and had been active in the church youth group while growing up. In high school Derek was active in FFA and golf while in junior high and had gone to Mexico with the Spanish class. He was an excellent student, and was on the honor roll in high school and dean's list in college. Derek had a love of cars, building and repairing them, spending time with his friends, snowmobiling, motorcycle riding and spending time at the lake.

Survivors include his parents, Vicky and Dean Preuss, siblings Brandon and Teresa Preuss all of rural Echo; his grandparents, Calvin and Lonna Kassuelke of Fishers, Ind., and Dennis and Lavon Preuss of Wood Lake; his paternal great-grandmother Hilda Preuss of Belview; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.