David Schlecht was born March 31, 1971 to Jane and Derald Schlecht (Burlington). Dave grew up in Burlington, North Dakota where he and his friends and his sister Jenny Benton (Grand Forks) rode bikes and played football and baseball. Everyone knew everyone and life was easy.
He went to Burlington Elementary through the 6th grade. After elementary school he went to Des Lacs-Burlington High School. Here, he took up playing the trumpet and hanging out at the arcade with his friends. They hung out and got their first cars. In 1989 he graduated from high school and moved to the “big city” of Minot.
He attended Minot State University until he decided that school was not for him. If you were looking for him in his twenties he was either at work at Harry’s Tire Service or at his favorite place, Fridays. Fridays is where he met his life-long rock and partner, Sarah Anderson. Sarah and Dave married on July 4, 1997 so “There will always be fireworks on our anniversary.” They have been inseparable for 27 years.
They have two beautiful daughters, Mikayla Ricketts (Minot) and Jacqueline Schlecht (Williston). He raised his daughters to be strong and told them all the time that they could accomplish anything they set their minds to. Mikayla has two daughters, Everlee (2) and Edyn (2 months), who always put a smile on Dave’s face when they came into a room. He leaves a son-in-law, Beau Ricketts, behind to help even out the estrogen levels. Dave could always be counted on to make his family laugh with a “dad joke” or two.
Dave had a few jobs as an adult, but he said he only worked where he was happy. After Harry’s Tire, he went to Northwest Tire, followed by heading into the oil field, where he worked for Pioneer Drilling. From there, he moved to Dakota Fluid Power until his passing.
Life was not all work. Dave had many enjoyable fun things. He spent many hours and days out in the field hunting grouse as soon as the season opened and went to partridge and pheasants as soon as he could. He hunted deer and fished in summer and winter. His family was right there with him and his friends all helped to keep him grounded.
If you were in Minot around Halloween or Christmas you could always count on a show put on by Dave in his yard. His love for the holidays inspired many to find joy in life. Dave has said many times that he “does it for the kids. It’s all about the kids.”
If you wanted to find him during the hockey season, he was probably at a rink somewhere. Sarah was a hockey mom for Minot State Men’s and Women’s Hockey teams. With that came the family of college kids that can never be replaced. Every Tuesday night they called it “Family Dinner Night.” All the men and women knew that dinner was at 6:30 and at his passing most nights there were 13 people at the table and he would not have had it any other way.
Dave passed peacefully in his sleep on June 14, 2024 after a long battle with cancer. He was surrounded by friends and family right up until his passing. He leaves behind a legacy of love, laughter, and strength. Everyone who met him knew that he loved with his entire heart, putting family above all else. Dave would do anything for the people he loved, stopping at nothing to help them and make sure they knew they were loved and appreciated.
There will be no memorial service as Dave already hosted a celebration of his life.
Memorials given in David’s name are preferred to an endowment fund to benefit the hockey programs at Minot State University. Contributions can be directed to the Dave Schlecht Memorial Fund in c/o First International Bank, 1600 South Broadway, Minot, ND 58701.
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