Daniel "Dan" Francis Schuh

Daniel Francis Schuh, age 82, passed away peacefully at his home in Mankato on June 25, 2025, surrounded by his loving family. He faced a brief illness with courage and strength.

Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at Mankato Mortuary, and continue one hour prior to mass on Wednesday at the church. Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m., on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Mankato. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Mankato.

He was born on September 4, 1942, in Anthon, Iowa, to Frank and Frances (Gothier) Schuh. Dan graduated from Anthon-Oto High School in 1960. In 1964, he earned degrees in math and German from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. He later received a master’s degree in secondary education from the University of South Dakota. Dan also attended the University of Arkansas, the Illinois Institute of Technology, and Mankato State University.

While teaching math in Iowa’s West Monona School System, he met speech therapist Mona Brenner on a school stairway. They married on December 28, 1968, in Mapleton, Iowa. In 1970, they moved to Fairmont, where they were blessed with three children. Dan taught high school math in Fairmont until his retirement in 2001. He also taught adult basic education in Fairmont and Mankato.

Dan’s passion for education earned him the Fairmont Teacher of the Year award in 2000 and the Minnesota Adult Basic Education Teacher of the Year award in 2005. He deeply valued the friendships he formed with his fellow teachers and enjoyed reconnecting with former students. Even after his teaching career, Dan remained a lifelong learner, reading biographies and history books with great interest.

Dan enjoyed a long and fulfilling retirement. He and Mona spent winters in Arizona, and in 2009 they moved from Fairmont to Mankato. Living close to their four grandchildren, they attended many sporting events and school activities, which brought Dan great joy.

A lifelong baseball fan, Dan followed the Minnesota Twins and enjoyed baseball books and memorabilia. In 1991 and 2001, he and his family attended the National Baseball Hall of Fame inductions in Cooperstown, New York. In Arizona, Dan collected baseballs at spring training practices. Over 19 years, he acquired 1,805 baseballs, which he donated to various teams in Minnesota.

Dan was a member of St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Fairmont and St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Mankato. He taught senior religious education classes at St. John Vianney and was a eucharistic minister at both churches.

Dan was blessed with an incredible memory, quiet strength, and a gentle, soft-spoken demeanor.

Those left to cherish his memory include his wife of 56 years, Mona Schuh of Mankato; son, Ryan Schuh (Wendy) of Mankato; daughter, Mari Quam (Joseph) of Bondurant, Iowa; daughter-in-law, Stacy Schuh of Tracy, Minnesota; grandchildren, Alex Schuh and David Schuh of Tracy, Minnesota; grandchildren, Avery Schuh and Cami Schuh of Mankato; sisters, Jeannine Gaul of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, and Suzanne Friedrichs (Terry) of South Sioux City, Nebraska, and many other relatives and friends.

He was reunited in heaven with his parents, Frank and Frances Schuh; son, John Schuh; brothers-in-law, Jim Gaul, and Herman Koithan, and sister-in-law, Mary Koithan.

The family thanks his primary doctor, the gifted, caring doctors and nurses at Mayo Health System Mankato, and Moments Hospice for their compassionate care.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Mankato East High School Girls Swim and Dive, or Tracy-Milroy-Balaton High School Baseball.