Paul E. Schadegg, 80, of Bismarck, passed away July 15, 2023, at his home, surrounded by his loving family.
A Celebration of Life Service for Paul and Dedrae (Meyer) Schadegg will be held at 6:00 PM on Monday, July 17, 2023, at Bismarck Funeral Home. Family will be receiving friends one hour prior to the service.
Paul was born on May 11, 1943, in St. Paul, MN, to Edward and Marie (Leyde) Schadegg. He was joined by his sisters, Judy and Anne.
In 1964, Paul married Dedrae Meyer on November 28 th and they lived in the Twin Cities area for a short time before moving north to Roseau, MN. This was the start of an avalanche of adventures, many of which he never could have imagined. DeDe convinced him it would only be a small herd of beef cattle, which soon turned into 100 Holstein cows requiring 24/7 care. During this time they raised three children, Charmaine, Mark, and Michelle. Paul worked many additional jobs, including driving for Polaris, Land ‘O Lakes, and farming.
In the late 80’s, they relocated back to the Twin Cities area where Paul worked at Wayne Transport and Dede worked at the Minnesota Zoo as a zookeeper—but you can never have just two jobs, so they also raised a herd of reindeer and owned and operated a pony ride at the Minnesota Zoo.
In the late 90’s they moved to Bismarck, ND to be near their daughter. Of course, this entailed moving the whole herd of animals. Paul worked at Hubbard Feeds, hauled mail, and drove for North Central Trucking. DeDe worked at the Bismarck Civic Center, boarded horses, worked at the ND Lottery, and helped manage D.J.’s in Lincoln, ND.
He lived a darned good life, said he wouldn’t change a thing, and joked and laughed to the very end with family and friends. He left this earth with peace and grace.
Paul is survived by his children, Char (Jon) Byers, Bismarck, ND, Mark (Pam) Schadegg, Farmington, MN, and Mick (Eric) Vetter, Tioga, ND; his grandchildren, Zach Byers, Bismarck, ND, and Bonnie (Zach) Emil, Lincoln, ND; and his older sister Judy Zwinger, St. Paul, MN, and his younger sister Anne (Robert) Smith, Kalamazoo, MI; and his grandchildren Jaxson Bauer and Linden Bauer, Lincoln, ND; and his loyal companions, Tuffy and Panda.
Paul was preceded in death by his mother and father, Edward and Marie Schadegg.