Daniel A. Schroepfer
October 7th, 1958 – January 19th, 2021
Age, 62, passed away on January 19th of heart and lung failure at his home in Oceanside, CA. Dan was born to Al and Ramona (Underdahl) Schroepfer at Trinity Hospital in Minot, North Dakota on October 7th, 1958. Dan is preceded in death by grandparents, parents, and baby brother, Richard. Dan is survived by a son, Evan Schroepfer of Maple Grove, MN, a brother, Jeff Schroepfer (Melinda) of River Fall, WI, his loyal little dog, Lola, and many cousins and friends.
For years, Dan dealt with the effects of radiation damage to his heart and lungs caused by treatment he received for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1987. While the treatment he received 34 years ago cured the cancer and allowed him to go on to have a family, engage in a productive career, travel the world, and make and maintain close friendships, it ultimately took his life. Dan displayed incredible resilience and strength while managing his condition and striving to live life to the fullest, particularly during the past four years.
Dan spent the first four years of this life in Minot, ND before the family moved to Crystal, MN. He attended Neil Elementary School, Sandburg Junior High School, and graduated from Armstrong High School in 1976.
Many hours of Dan’s youth were spent with his dad, Al, and brother, Jeff, in pursuit of building the ultimate go-cart. Test runs were frequently conducted on Idaho Avenue North in Crystal! Throughout his childhood, Dan made many family trips to the Minot, ND area to spend time with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He thoroughly enjoyed the hours spent on his Honda 50 with his brother and cousins on his aunt and uncle’s farm in Ryder, ND. At the age of 12, he developed a love for playing and coaching soccer which continued from junior high school to college and beyond. He was particularly proud of introducing his brother to the game and later coaching his son, Evan’s, youth soccer teams. Dan developed many close relationships through his involvement with soccer and was comforted by these long-lived friendships when his health began to slip.
Dan graduated from the University of Minnesota – Institute of Technology with a BS in Electrical Engineering in 1981. He began his professional life at Honeywell in the Military Avionics Division where his team engineered an electronically steerable antenna that was used on the NASA space shuttle fleet and is currently used on the SpaceX Dragon Capsule. Dan and the Honeywell team ultimately obtained a patent for this device. Dan later worked at Polaris, Inc. as a Business and Marketing Manager for the Personal Watercraft Division, at Weber Automotive as a Product Marketing Manager, and at Textron Motors as a Business Development and Marketing Manager. Dan’s career path allowed him to travel extensively around the country and in Europe.
Dan was married to Kathy Veum from October of 1988 to 2007. They made their home in New Hope, MN and later, after the birth of their son Evan, in Mound, MN on Lake Minnetonka. Dan enjoyed living on the lake and pursuing his passion for personal watercraft with friends and family for 20 years.
In 2014, Dan realized a life-long dream of living in southern California by moving with Evan to Orange County and then Oceanside. While there, he and Evan were able to participate in their shared passion for personal watercraft races. They spent many hours working together as a solid racing team: Dan served as the chief mechanic and logistics manager allowing Evan to focus on being a racer.
Dan was a dedicated son, brother, father, and friend who sought excellence for himself and worked tirelessly to foster excellence in others. He will be missed by family and friends in MN, ND, CA, and around the world.
A memorial service will take place at Elim Lutheran Church in Robbinsdale, MN yet this spring: Date and time to be announced. Dan’s friends and family are also planning a celebration of life for later in the year: Date and location to be announced. Memorials can be sent to the Salvation Army of MN or ND.
