Dennis W. Scharpe

Obituary

Dennis Willard Scharpe was born on July 12, 1947, in Glencoe, Minnesota. He was the son of Willard and Lillian (Krumm) Scharpe. He was baptized as an infant on July 27, 1947, by Pastor Mueller and was later confirmed in his faith as a youth on March 26, 1961, by Rev. William Tinge at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Auburn, Minnesota. He received his education in Arlington, Minnesota.

Dennis joined the United States Army in October 1966. He was in Vietnam. He continued in the Army National Guard, where he was honorably discharged on February 1, 1978.

On June 10, 1969, Dennis was united in marriage to Barbara Mielke and divorced at a later date. They were blessed with two children, Corey and Jody.

On April 15, 1977, Dennis was united in marriage to Denise Schmidt by Rev. James Slocum at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Plato, Minnesota. This marriage was blessed with three daughters, Melissa, Laura, and Kelli. They shared 48 years of marriage.

Dennis worked at Green Giant, Glencoe Oil Co., and was a mechanic at Harpel Bros. Inc. for 45 years when he retired in July 2010. He also helped his Dad farm for many years. After retiring, he enjoyed helping Earl Lange with his farm work. He truly loved the outdoors. Another retirement enjoyment for Dennis was to take daily drives around and check out the town.

Dennis was a member of St. Paul’s UCC of Plato. He was a trustee on the church council for many years. He was a lifetime member of the Glencoe VFW Post 5102, where he served on the house committee for many years, a member of the American Legion Post #95 of Glencoe, and a lifetime member of the Shady Lane Sportsmen’s Club.

Dennis enjoyed life. He liked the outdoors, gardening, canning tomato juice, and making his own sauerkraut. His grandchildren helped him and have learned how. He enjoyed fishing, deer hunting, playing cards, especially UNO with his grandson. He helped at the VFW on burger night, frying the onions. Spending time with family and friends was something he truly cherished.

When Dennis needed more care than his family could give him at home, he became a resident of GlenFields Living with Care in Glencoe in October 2023. In February 2025, Dennis was transferred to Harmony River Living Center in Hutchinson, Minnesota, where he passed away peacefully on Friday, March 27, 2026, with his family by his side.

Dennis is survived by his
Wife, Denise Scharpe;
Children, Corey Scharpe (wife, Aliah), Jody Macha (husband, Dave), Melissa Love, Laura Schaefer, and Kelli Scharpe  (significant other, Christopher Axt);
Grandchildren, Cody and Joey Macha, Kayla Steinborn, Maleka, Jamal, and Destiny Love, Chase and Jayden Schaefer, Devin and Garrett Axt;
Great-grandchildren, Ka Miya and Na Lani;
Sisters, Barb Bargmann, Linda Scharpe (husband, Wayne Fillbrandt), Charlene Williams (husband, Kim);
Mother-in-law, Donna Schmidt;
Sisters-in-law, Diane Anderson (Dale), Dana Engelmann (Lyle), Dawn Prehn (Dave), Dori Elliott (Strack);
Nieces, Nephews, Other Relatives, and Friends.

Dennis was preceded in death by his Father and Mother, Willard and Lillian Scharpe; Father-in-law, Donald Schmidt; and son-in-law, Brandon Schaefer.