Gertrude "Gert" Schaff

Gertrude “Gert” Schaff, 91, passed away peacefully on December 31, 2024, at Sanford Health, Bismarck.

A funeral service will be held at 3 PM on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at Weigel Funeral Home, Mandan, with Pastor Phil Suma officiating. Cremation has taken place and burial will be at Mandan Union Cemetery in the spring.

Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. 

Gert was born in Fort Rice, ND on July 13, 1933. She graduated from Mandan High School in 1952, and went on to work as a Nurse Aide at the Mandan Hospital for many years. Gertrude married the love of her life, Joseph Schaff on October 15, 1953, and together they made their home in Mandan where they raised their four girls.

Gert loved knitting, crocheting, and puzzles. She was unapologetically herself. With a mouth that could curse like a sailor and a spirit that could never be broken, she was the person who’d tell you exactly what was on her mind—whether you asked for it or not.

A lover of good food and hearty meals, Gert wasn’t about to tolerate anything lukewarm—whether it was soup or an opinion. She liked everything the way she liked it, and that included people. Her honesty might have ruffled a few feathers, but those who truly knew her understood that underneath her crass exterior was a heart that beat fiercely for her family. 

One of her signature phrases, “Oh my stars,” will forever echo in the hearts of those who knew her—often accompanied by a soft chuckle or a loving shake of the head when something surprised or delighted her.

In addition, Gert often shared she wasn’t fond of obituaries and didn’t want hers in the Bismarck Tribune. When asked why, she would simply reply, “If you knew me, you knew me. If you didn’t, it doesn’t matter.”

Blessed to have shared in her life are her daughters, Kathleen Olzweski, Pamm (Troy) Keller-Teske, and Bonnie Repnow; siblings, Ellen (Clarence) Small and Dennis Hilfer; seven grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph Schaff; parents, Adam and Mary (Gangl) Hilfer; daughter, Colleen Schaff; grandson, Trent Repnow; son-in-law, Raymond Olzweski; as well as many siblings, her husband’s siblings, and other relatives.