Donald Schott | 1935 - 2023
Obituaries-Mobridge / Posted Apr 21, 2023 | 9:15 AM / 460 views
Funeral services for Donald Schott, 88 of Timber Lake will be held 11 AM (CT), Monday, April 24, 2023 at Family Worship Center in Mobridge. Burial will be in the Timber Lake Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge. A prayer service will be at 7 PM (CT) Sunday, April 23, 2023 at Kesling Funeral Home. Donald passed away Friday, April 14, 2023, at his home in Timber Lake.
Donald R. Schott was born on February 3rd, 1935 to Lidia (Moser) and Jacob Schott. He attended grade school in McLaughlin S.D. through the eighth grade, after which he dedicated his time as one of ten children building his mother and father’s ranch southwest of McLaughlin. In 1953, at the age of 18, he left McLaughlin to work as a ranch hand for Glen and Ginny Cudmore south of Timber Lake before joining the army in 1954. This journey took him to Germany until 1956 serving as a company and battalion interpreter driving jeep for his lieutenant. Donald was honorably discharged from the United States Army in April of 1962. After Germany he wound up in the Rocky Mountains of the Missoula and Kalispell M.T. area working telephone line construction and logging. Here he met his love Rita Eklund. They moved back to the Schott family ranch southwest of McLaughlin for a short time, then to Fargo N.D. for Donald to complete welding school. A call for ranching and farming resulted in Donald and Rita raising their three children Debbie, Dallas and Joyce north of McLaughlin S.D. on the Broken Arrow S Ranch. He stepped away from farming and ranching in his mid-fifties to work various jobs around the McLaughlin area. He also spent time welding in Oregon, Montana, and bought a restaurant in Hereford Texas. Donald dedicated many hours to his son Dallas’ sale barn then “slowed down” selling his ranch house in 1998 and moved to Timber Lake where he lived until his passing on April 14th, 2023. “Don” was well known for his work ethic. Folks knew they could call on Don for anything and he would drop what he was doing to help get the job done. Even though he was a work horse, he did have a passion for the finer things in life including a spiffy vehicle, photography, John Wayne and the cinema, playing the harmonica and the accordion, and growing a large garden. Donald truly was one of a kind and will be missed by all.
He is preceded in death by his parents Jacob and Lydia Schott, siblings Reinhold, Eileen, Ruben, and Russell.
Donald is survived in life by his siblings Arnold (Bonnie) and Jim (Priscilla) of McLaughlin S.D., Wallace (Sue) of Rapid City S.D., and Dianne of Sturgis S.D., his daughter Debra McAdams (Jeff) of Kalispell M.T., Dallas Schott of McLaughlin S.D., Joyce Mulloy (Jim) of Timber Lake S.D., 10 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and countless friends.