One of their own

MARIA STEIN - Members of the farming community honored the life of one of their own on Friday morning by lining State Route 119 with tractors and farming equipment.

More than 150 tractors lined the road for the funeral procession of local farmer Tim Dirksen, 39. Dirksen died on Sept. 21 after a farm accident at his home in Maria Stein.

Ron Boeckman, funeral director of Brockman-Boeckman Funeral Home, Fort Recovery, said a local farmer had called to ask which route the procession would follow to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. Boeckman said the farmer thought it would be a nice tribute to Dirksen to park some farming equipment along the route.

As the funeral procession began its journey, two large tractors that harvest corn silage - corn that's cut while it's still green to be fed to dairy cattle - were placed on either side of State Route 119.

Between Fort Recovery and St. Henry, Boeckman said several tractors could be seen lining the road. The closer the procession got to the church, the more tractors appeared. Some were parked in driveways or parking lots. Others were lined along fields or front lawns.

Some farmers stood silently next to their pickup trucks and tractors as the procession passed, their hats held over their chests in honor of a man who had a passion for farming and agriculture.

"It was moving," Boeckman said. "Farmers support each other, like a family."

Boeckman said Dirksen was a big part of the farming community, and the turnout for Friday's homage proved it.

Theresa Dirksen said she had seen a post circulating on social media about the procession to honor her husband but didn't expect such a turnout.

"I'm grateful," she said Friday evening.

Tim Dirksen was a man who loved his work and worked hard every day, she said. An awesome father of four, an attentive dairyman and an avid sports fan, her husband was a man who loved his cows as much as he loved his family.

"I hope he's remembered for his love of his family and farming," she said.