Caroline Schaff

Attention: All services for Caroline Schaff have been postponed until further notice.

Caroline Katherine (Barth) Schaff, 99, passed away comfortably at Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center on Saturday, March 7, 2020.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM on Saturday March 14, 2020 at Ascension Catholic Church, Bismarck, ND with Msgr. Jim Braaten as celebrant. Burial will be at St. Lawrence Cemetery, Flasher, ND.

Visitation will be held Friday, March 13, 2020 from 5:00-8:00 PM at Weigel Funeral Home, Mandan, with a Rosary and Sharing of Memories at 7:00 PM. Visitation will continue at the church one hour prior to the service on Saturday.

Caroline was born January 18, 1921, at Timmer, ND, the daughter of Phillip F. Barth and Katherine (Leingang) Barth.  She attended schools in Copenhagen Township at Timmer and Sts. Peter and Paul’s Parochial School at Fallon.  She lived and worked on the Barth family farm and married William A. Schaff (Bill) on February 24, 1943, at the Catholic Church of Sts. Peter and Paul at Fallon.  The newly married couple moved to a farm four miles northeast of Flasher, residing there until 1947 when they purchased the Three Butte Ranch, located south of Flasher in the Raleigh/St. Gertrude/Shields area.  Caroline and Bill ranched and farmed until their retirement in 1984.  Bill died in 2000 and Caroline remained on the ranch until moving to Mandan in 2001.  She and Bill had eight children.

Caroline was a “do-er”—busy every second and worked very hard her entire life until her retirement.  She could do anything she set her mind to.  Caroline loved to dance, especially polkas.  She enjoyed golfing, bowling, and playing the piano, organ, and accordion—she was a self-taught musician and could play by ear. She was an organist at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Flasher and enjoyed playing for the religious services at Edgewood Vista, Mandan.  Other interests included crocheting, sewing, and altering clothing for her friends.  Her children and grandchildren were particularly fond of her various German noodle dishes, kuchens, Christmas-season pfeffernusse cookies, and home-made candies.

She worked at the polls on election days.  Caroline enjoyed attending political events while her brother, Francis, served in the State Assembly and as a ND state senator.  She enjoyed drinking her many 1/2 cups of coffee with tiny cookies throughout the day.

A member of the Christian Mothers of St. Lawrence Parish, Caroline also served as a volunteer at the St. Alexis Hospital Gift Shop.  She became a member of the Ascension Catholic Church in Bismarck in 2003 and carried her commitment to her Catholic faith close to her heart and soul until her death.

Caroline is survived by her six children, Victor (Susan), Carpinteria, CA; Vernon (Nettie), Zapata, TX; Harold (Cheryl), Goleta, CA; Sherry Schaff (Jason) Sommer, Solvang, CA; Annette(James) Bartlett, Los Angeles, CA; and Betty Nell (Floyd) Schafer, Rapid City, SD; 15 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Irene Ferderer and Esther Hilfer-Erhardt;.

Caroline was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Bill; sons, Willard and Cletus; grandson, Floyd Schafer, Jr.; son-in-law, James Bartlett; Barth brothers, Tony, Benno, and Francis; and sisters, Betty Steckler, Christine Koch, and Margaret Schmidt.

Her family is grateful to the staff for providing sensitive and collaborative care for her over the past 17 months during her decline.  And, thanks to you—her friends and extended family, the community at Edgewood Vista, Mandan, and all of her caretakers—for your thoughtful care in our absence.

In lieu of flowers or memorials, please sponsor a mass honoring Caroline at your local Catholic Church or plant a tree in her honor.

Please go to her Tribute Wall to sign the guestbook and share memories with her family.