Cover photo for Herman Schafer's Obituary
Herman Schafer Profile Photo
1938 Herman 2015

Herman Schafer

November 19, 1938 — October 2, 2015

Herman A. Schafer, 76, Mandan, died October 2, 2015 at St. Alexus Medical Center, in Bismarck.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 am on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 at Church of the Ascension, Bismarck, ND with Msgr. Jim Braaten as celebrant. Burial will be at Mandan Union Cemetery.

Visitation will be held Monday, October 5, 2015 from 3:00-9:00 pm at Weigel Funeral Home, with a Rosary/Parish Vigil at 7:00 pm. Visitation will continue at the church one hour prior to the service on Tuesday.

Herman A. Schafer was born on November 19, 1938 and was raised near the small town of Flasher, ND. He attended country school as well as Flasher Public School. He graduated from Flasher High School in the spring of 1956. In 1958 Herman married Shirley Mae Sardeson, his high school sweetheart, and together they had ten children, twenty seven grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. Nine of their children have college and advanced degrees. They are spread across the country and all are successful in their chosen profession. Herman and Shirley would have celebrated their fifty-seventh wedding anniversary on December 29, 2015.

Herman received his undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Dickinson State University, his Masters Degree in Elementary Administration from Northern State University of Aberdeen, SD, and sixty-seven additional semester hours of training from Minot State University, the University of ND, and North Dakota State University. He has spent forty (40) years in the field of education. During thirty two of these years he was an elementary principal in Parshall, ND and Mandan, ND. His teaching experience began in a rural school near Raleigh, ND and ended with retirement from the Mandan Public Schools in the spring of 1998 as principal of Lewis and Clark Elementary School.

Herman has spent much time working with professional organizations and in community service. He has been a part of the ND Association of Elementary School Principals, the ND Council of Educational Leaders, and the National Association of Elementary School Principals. His community service includes being president of the Bismarck/Mandan Missouri Slope Area-wide United Way in 1986 which was the second year of this combined organization and has served as a member of the United Way Board of Trustees. He is a member of the Eagles Club, the Moose Club and has served as a member of the board of directors for the Mandan Golden Age Grantee Board. He has also been a member of the Elks Club and the Knights of Columbus.

In 1998, after retiring as an elementary principal, he became a member of the Mandan Lions Club and a member of the ND Retired Teachers Association. Since joining the Lions, he has serves as president of the Mandan Lions Club and has been Zone Chairperson for District 5NW. Herman served as Vice District Governor in 2005-2006 and as District Governor for District 5NW 2006-2007. He later joined the Mandan Dakota Lions Club and served in all positions of the club. He and Shirley were instrumental in starting the annual Mandan Dacotah Lions“Burgers in the Park” in Mandan. Herman emulated “service” in the community in every way including the Special Olympics and Buddy Walk for Down’s Syndrome.

As an educator and today, the future was found in children, the adults of tomorrow. As a Lion, the future is found in service to others, especially children. With the help of his wife, Shirley, life has been a pleasurable experience. His personal motto was, “I expect to pass through this life but once…If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to my fellow human beings, let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again.”

Herman is survived by his wife, Shirley; daughters, Sherry (Arlen) Fetch, Mandan, Mary (Allan) Hauck, Minot, Claire (Lee) Henke, New Salem, Tamera Marie Avery, Des Moines, IA; sons, Perrie (Rhonda), Mandan, Jerry (Raette), Greenville, NC, Larry (Karen), Accokeek, MD, Gary (Joanne), Aurora, IL, Andrew (Connie), Colorado Springs, CO, Robert (Melea), Bismarck; 27 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren; sister, Phyllis Smith, Bismarck, Delores (Jim) Cain, Colorado Springs, CO, Shirley (Ken) Reed, Mandan; brothers, Lawrence (Sharen) Savannah, IL, Leonard, Bismarck, Ben (Linda), Wilton, Arnie (Marilyn), Jamestown, Duane (Gladeen), West Fargo, Gordon, Bismarck.

Herman was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Matt, Leo, and Dan.

In lieu of flowers or other Memorials, the family requests sending any donations in the name of The Herman Schafer Memorial Scholarship Fund for a Mandan High-school Student going into Elementary Education % Dakota Community Bank and Trust, 4321 Memorial Highway, Mandan, ND 58554.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Herman Schafer, please visit our flower store.

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