Daryl J. Kautz

Daryl J. Kautz, 95, of Oronoco, died Thursday, January 22, 2026, at Edenbrook Pine Haven in Pine Island. He was born June 11, 1930, in Dodge County, Minnesota, to Otto and Mabel (Stark) Kautz. He was raised in New Haven Township and the Douglas area. Daryl served in the US Army during the Korean Conflict, from 1951-1953, and had been stationed in Alaska for part of that time as a reconnaissance tank crewman. He farmed all his life, first as a farmhand in Mazeppa and then on his father’s farm in Douglas. Daryl married Nellie McCarthy in 1981, and she passed away in 1997. After his retirement, they moved to Rochester and then to Oronoco. Many fondly remember Daryl as “the can man”, often receiving his friends and neighbors’ aluminum cans as well as walking the roadways and highways as he looked for cans. When he wasn’t out walking, he enjoyed watching his television programs, especially Gunsmoke, knowing each episode almost by heart.

Daryl is survived by his nieces and nephews, including his longtime caregivers, Mary & Ron Fuller, Larry & Bev Kautz. He was preceded in death by his parents, Otto and Mabel; his wife, Nellie; brothers, Keith, Murray, Gaylord and Francis and a sister, Doris Andrist.

Upon Daryl’s request, there will be no services held. He will be laid to rest next to his wife, Nellie, at Grandview Memorial Gardens in Rochester. The family would like to thank the Edenbrook Pine Haven staff and St. Croix Hospice. Arrangements handled by Mahn Family Funeral Home, Mahler Chapel, Pine Island.