Daniel Schoenfelder

Dates

Obituary

Daniel Schoenfelder, 58, of rural Scotland, SD, passed away Wednesday, September 30, 2026. Visitation will be Wednesday, October 7, from 5-7:00 PM at Bittner Funeral Chapel, with a 6:30 PM prayer service.

Daniel (Dan) Schoenfelder was born to Leonard and Estella (Bohr) Schoenfelder on December 29, 1967, in Mitchell, SD. He held a special place in a large family. Dan grew up in White Lake, SD, and later attended MTC. He spent decades working as an electrical inspector for the state of South Dakota. He was knowledgeable, practical, independent, reliable, and took pride in knowing his work well.

Quiet by nature, Dan was also strong-minded, opinionated, and more than a little stubborn. He knew what he believed and was rarely shy about standing by it. He had a deep interest in natural medicine and spent many years reading about and practicing different natural and alternative health therapies.

At home, he enjoyed a quieter life. He raised chickens, planted and tended goji berries, and found pleasure in the things that interested him rather than following what everyone else was doing. He had a dry understated sense of humor, and could deliver a line so straight-faced that you weren’t certain if he was joking until a moment later. He enjoyed old television shows and movies and especially loved the music of the 1960s and 1970s.

He also had a special fondness for holidays, particularly the Fourth of July and Christmas. Those celebrations brought out a side of him that his family will remember fondly, and they will undoubtedly feel different without him.

Dan never married or had his own children, but he loved & cherished his nieces and nephews.

Those who knew him will remember him in countless small ways… an old song, a familiar movie, something growing in a garden, chickens in the yard, Christmas gatherings with games, or fireworks on a summer evening.

As the youngest of ten, his absence leaves a particular emptiness in our family. He lived his life on his own terms. He could be quiet, stubborn, and set in his ways, but he was ours. No matter how old he became, he was still our little brother, and he will be deeply missed.

Dan is survived by brothers, Denny (Shirley) of Mitchell, Dave (Karen Kranz) of Platte; sisters, Rita (Steve) Rieffenberger of Watertown, Marcia (Bob) Cline of Central City, NE, and Teresa (Roger) Gebel of Mitchell; as well as many nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents; siblings, Rosalie Hohn, Ivan, Roger, Patricia McKaughan Gedney, and infant siblings Ben, Dawn, and Julia; as well as his grandparents and many aunts and uncles.

Visitation(s)