Hermann Advertiser Courier
Darryl Paul Heck, 83, passed away Friday, August 22, 2025, at Mercy Hospital, Washington, MO, after a fight with cancer, where, like Hezekiah, the Lord granted Darryl more time, but only a few more months. (The comedian Dennis Miller said, “Cancer didn’t kill me; I killed cancer; at worst, it was a draw.”)
Darryl was born January 17, 1942. He was the first son of the late Paul and Virginia (nee Hagedorn) Heck. He was united in marriage to Carol (Waldo) Heck on October 17, 1976.
Darryl is survived by two sons, Tony Heck, of St. Louis, and Todd Heck and wife Stacie, of Murray, Utah, two daughters, Tricia and husband Tim Huck, of Ste. Geneveive, Mo., and Tracy and husband Paul Lovett, of Sacramento, Calif.; sister, Donna and husband Edward Kreusser, of Corvallis, Ore.; a sister-in-law, Ruth Heck, of Hermann, and grandchildren, LeAndra, Janell, Racheal, Amy, Mathew, and Jillian, whom he loved very much.
He is preceded in death by his parents, his wife, and a brother, Charles “Corky” Heck.
Darryl’s early years were spent near Morrison, MO, on his parents’ farm along Bailys Creek. As a boy, Darryl, Kenny Birk, Bill Bockting, and other of his friends explored the creek, learning to swim, hunt, and fish (despite their mother’s warning of not going near “that” creek). One day, his father, Paul, brought home an 83# flathead catfish, which made quite an impression on the boy, Darryl, and fishing became a lifelong passion. He was adventurous as a child, a bit too much so, in that at the age of 8 years old, Darryl lost his right eye to a mis-aimed arrow, shot by his younger brother, Corky, who was 6 years old, while Darryl was holding the hula-hoop, to perform an “arrow trick”. (Perhaps this is the reason Darryl sent Corky, on cold winter days, to the out-house first, to warm up the seat before him (a little payback?)
Even as a boy, Darryl liked to work for what he received and would pick up and sell pecans for 20 cents a pound, and sell small bait fish for a nickel each, raising money for a bicycle.
In 1960, Darryl graduated from Hermann High School and then attended a year of college, where he decided on a vocation in carpentry. When he became a father, he decided to work closer to home and managed the grounds at Loutre Shore Country Club and bartended on the side.
Needing a more secure job, Darryl was hired by the US Army Corps of Engineers by the Captain of The Black, an old, weathered man who walked into the tavern where Darryl was tending bar, and loudly said, “I’m hiring anyone that wants to be a riverman!”. Darryl turned to his boss and said, I want a 25-cent-an-hour raise.” Well, the boss’s wife said, “No,” and that’s how Darryl became a riverman.
Darryl’s first riverboat was a steam-powered side-wheel dredge-boat based in the Gasconade yards, working as a deck hand. After two days, a cook quit, and the captain asked if Darryl could cook. And Darryl said, “Well, I can barbecue and do some things…” and Darryl became a cook; two weeks later, he was advanced to Second Cook. After a time, Darryl became Head Cook, having several cooks and servers under his watch. Even though Darryl considered himself a “sawmill cook”, his reputation as a cook caused his dredge boats to have many high-ranking US ACE officers, and even a couple of US Senators come and visit the dredge for tours, and of course, the great food. Darryl knew how to put “meat on the bones.” And often told of some workers gaining up to 80# while working one season on the dredge-boat!
In Darryl’s US ACE career, he worked on several steam-powered boats; the side-wheelers The Black (now a museum in Davenport, IA), The Mitchell, The Kennedy, and the stern wheeler the Ste. Genevieve finally completed his career on the Potter, a diesel-powered dredge.
The rough and often rowdy rivermen had a lot of fun in their off-time, and many of those stories aren’t suitable for this publication or venue.
One story that is, is that in 2014, Darryl went to help with emergency repairs to Mississippi River lock #25, where he and a small group of US Army Rangers were tasked with free diving about 8 feet down into a flooded, muddy concrete shaft, to get to a valve that needed to be closed. When the young Army Rangers balked at the thought of going into the dark, muddy water (and the Mississippi River is no joke, playing for keeps), Darryl shucked his duds and went into the water-filled shaft and turned to the needed valve. (The writer of this suspects that Darryl’s prime motivation was to later rib the young Army Rangers, or rather “young bucks” as he referred to them.)
After 30 years of service in the US ACE, Darryl retired in order to become a 24/7 nurse for his sick wife, Carol, who passed away seven years later.
There was time for hunting and fishing, and there are many stories from those adventures, like the time he was belly crawling towards a large turkey gobbler and came face to face with a skunk. Darryl closed his eyes, prayed, and the skunk eventually ambled off. (He did end up getting that gobbler.) Darryl liked hunting, but fishing became his mission, as he’d catch and fillet thousands of bluegill, crappie, and bass each year (he did not appreciate catfish).
Darryl was a “traveling fish-fry” to the people he loved; taking his fryer and fish to his friend’s homes, or to church, and having the best of fish fries, where everyone usually would eat a pound of fish, plus French fries.
Darryl was a connoisseur of fish and would fuss at each catfish that would get on his line, returning them to the water after admonishing them not to return.
As much as Darryl loved fishing, his true passion was for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Darryl was a knowledgeable saint of the Lord and loved speaking about, discussing, and loving the Lord.
Darryl was easy to like and to love, as he was very patient, eternally optimistic, non-judgmental, and friendly to everyone he met. He will be missed very much by his family and friends. (not missed so much by all the fish, now rather safe in their ponds.)
A memorial service will be held Saturday, August 30th, at 11:00 a.m. at Emmanuel Evangelical Free Church, Hermann.
In lieu of flowers, Darryl would probably ask for one of the following: A donation be made to the American Cancer Society, Emmanuel Evangelical Free Church, or give a kid a fishing pole.