Dennis L. Schaff, 81, of Scranton, ND, passed away on August 31, 2024 at the St. Alexius Medical Center in Bismarck, ND.

Memorial Services for Dennis will be held on Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Scranton.  Fr. Greg Hilzendeger will celebrate the Mass.

Services will be live-streamed:

https://www.facebook.com/trevor.kulseth?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Dennis Lee Schaff, age 81, passed away peacefully on Saturday, August 31, 2024, at St. Alexius Health, in Bismarck, ND.  He was born on May 28, 1943, in Nebraska to Anton (Tony) and Barbara Schaff.

He grew up in Bowman, ND as the eldest child to Tony and Barb,along with his six siblings. Throughout his early school years, he excelled in academics and many sports including football (co-captain), track and baseball.  He held the track high jump school record for some time. He was involved in several clubs and achieved many honors during his high school years including the Lynn Peterson award. His interests in the sciences began early in his life, exploring all aspects, especially in the areas of biology and earth-relatedsciences. So much so, upon his high school graduation, he went on to attend Dickinson State University where he continued to pursue his passion for the sciences and sports. He became a teacher, his ambition as so stated in his senior yearbook.

While in college, he met Donna, who became his wife of 62 years. He was smitten early on and even said he had met the girl he was going to marry, and he did. They went on to have four children all between the years of 1963 and 1969, Thomas, Todd, Tanya, and Thane.  He did his best to be a good husband, provider, father and always the teacher.

Dennis and Donna eventually settled in Scranton, ND where he taught Earth Science, Geology, Biology, and PE. He coached football andgirls/boys' basketball as well as becoming the Athletic Director at Scranton Public School. Once coaching came to an end, he went on to be a referee for basketball. Eventually he hung up his full-time teaching hat to become the principal of the high school, which he did until his retirement after 40 years in education. Once retired, he continued to substitute teach and drive the school bus when and where needed. He truly loved teaching and being with the students.  He was a favorite to many and tried to pass on his passion for curiosity, exploring and learning. He was an intense coach who worked at pushing his team to be the best they could be as a team and as individuals.  Dennis was good at keeping home/school as separate as he could while having taught all four of his children, but sometimes he couldn't pass up a big smile or high-five to one of them in passing between classes. During his teaching career, he had summer jobs that included working at the coal mine, doing electrical work with Dave Rodd of Rodd's Electric, and as an attendant at the Kum and Go in Bowman.

He was very sociable and always busy; had to be busy doing something. He worked from an early age right up until his passing.  Once fully retired from the school setting, he worked for Southwest Public Transit, which he truly enjoyed.

In addition to being a dedicated teacher and coach, Dennis pursued many interests throughout his life.  He was an avid photographer,often going on adventures with his friends. He has many of his favorite photographs framed in his home with an even bigger numberof stories to go along with them. He was an all-around handyman, ahunter, a hiker, and an always a curious explorer and adventurer.

He truly enjoyed camping, especially those times with some of his teacher friends while he was still teaching, not to mention all the times with family. Some of his most cherished memories are those trips with family and friends. His family started to meet in Custer, SD every July for no other reason than to be together. Most of the family came,including siblings, nieces, nephews and their children, and of course a few of his children and grandchildren.

He was always a leader, a detailed planner and decision maker whether it was his full to make or not. He was well respected, not only as teacher/coach, but as a person.  He was inspiring, always fair, lived an intense, very straight forward life and overcame so many of life's challenges. He achieved many goals by being so dedicated and hardworking. Besides being a father, husband, son, brother and everything previously mentioned; he was a runner, one of his proudest achievements. As a card-carrying member of the Badlands Striders Running Club, he devoted over 40 years building on his running streaks. He ran whenever he could, no matter the weather conditions or the location. Many saw him running and would giggle at his running attire, often unclaimed items found in the school's lost and found. Some say he resembled a rodeo clown. He always found a way to run and rarely missed a day, no excuses. His longest streak was 5333 consecutive days, and his 2nd streak was 3308 days. He was derailed overnight instantly when he suffered an aortic dissection in 2017 which he miraculously survived.  He was told he had been training for this moment since he began running.  He had severalmedical battles, including different cancers, bouts of pneumonia, but this was the one that took away his ability to run; but not his determination to strive and not quit. Always the fighter, he continued to exercise and walk a few miles a day until he just couldn't as his body just wouldn't let him.

He fought for almost two years with the last medical battle before he took his last breath. Dennis was determined to fearlessly fight it out no matter what it took to care for and be there for Donna and his family.Dennis will be remembered in so many ways… more than being a father, brother, teacher or for his many accomplishments in his career and personal life, but also for his sense of humor and belly laughs, his silliness, his compassion and kindness, his willingness to be helpful and his boisterous personality.  One never to be forgotten, but he willbe deeply missed.

He is survived by his wife Donna, his daughter Tanya (Jon) Ural and son Thane Schaff (Tiffany Evenson) as well as his five grandchildren and his two great grandchildren. He is also survived by his siblings, Terry (Penny) Schaff, John (Pat) Schaff, Connie (Sherman) Riedlinger, Bruce Schaff (Gelene Lorentzen), Patty Schaff and many nieces/nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents, his sons Thomas and Todd, his brother Robert (Bob), Bob's wife Deanna, and his brother, Jerry who passed away as an infant, shortly after birth.