Gary Allen Mischke

Gary was born in Tracy, Minnesota on January 19, 1940, to Alvin A Mischke and Ellen M (Larsen) Mischke. Gary graduated from Westbrook High School in Westbrook, Minnesota. After graduating, he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering at South Dakota State College, then spent a year at the University of Colorado to earn a graduate certificate in Electrical Engineering. He later obtained his MBA from the University of Iowa and a Doctorate in Business from the University of Wisconsin. He loved learning and spent his life as a perpetual student.

At a party thrown by fellow South Dakota State College engineers, he met Shirley A McGuire. After dating for a year and a half, they were married on May 8, 1965, at Little Flower Church in Sioux Falls and they welcomed three children, Angela Marie, Joel Gary, and MaryBeth Ann. Gary spent his first career working for telephone companies beginning with positions at Northwestern Bell, AT&T and ending in strategic planning at US West. The family moved from South Dakota, New Jersey, Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado to support his career. Upon his retirement from US West, Gary returned to his love of learning by earning his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin. From there he found his second career and true passion in teaching as a professor at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. While in Winnipeg he indulged his love for choir as a member of the Bison Men’s Chorus. When grandchildren called Gary and Shirley back to family in Colorado, Gary retired again and they lived briefly in Parker while building their dream home in Larkspur, Colorado. They lived happily in Larkspur for 17 years until health issues eventually led them to move to assisted living and following Shirley’s passing, Gary shared a home with eldest daughter Angela and granddaughter Maddy. He spent his time on various hobbies, frequently picking up new ones throughout his life to pique his interest in learning, but he always came back to his favorites of reading, stamp collecting, and genealogy.

Gary is survived by his children Angela Taulman, Joel and Erica Mischke, and MaryBeth and Jef McKenzie and his grandchildren Madelynn Taulman, Colton Mischke and Riley Mischke. He is survived by his sister Algene and Don Larson and brother Ron and Connie Mischke and sisters-in-law Janice Calkins, Mavis McGuire and Ken Chatzinoff, Yvonne McGuire and brother-in-law Wayne and Sharon McGuire.

He was preceded in death by his wife Shirley; his parents Alvin and Ellen Mischke; his brothers-in-law Glen McGuire and Carrol Calkins; nephew Steven Larson and infant niece Kathleen Calkins.

No service is immediately planned, the family will notify loved ones when a Celebration of Life will be scheduled. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Gary’s favorite charities: the Douglas County Library Foundation

(https://www.coloradogives.org/organization/DouglasCountyLibrariesFoundation) and the Red Cloud Indian School (https://www.redcloudschool.org).