Obituary of Philip Craig Schansberg

Philip Craig Schansberg

Philip Schansberg of Delano, Minnesota passed away on July 21 following an eight-year battle with lung cancer. Phil was born on January 26, 1938 to Odell and Margaret (Goplin) Schansberg in Whitehall, Wisconsin where he grew up on the family farm. He was baptized and confirmed at Our Savior’s Lutheran in Whitehall and graduated from Whitehall High School. He then attended Luther College for one year after which he studied electronics at DeVry Technical Institute in Chicago for 96 weeks, receiving a Degree in Applied Sciences in September of 1959. He had only been back home for a brief while after leaving DeVry when an aunt notified him of an opening at Honeywell for an Electronic Technician. He interviewed, was hired, and remained with Honeywell until his retirement.

Phil and another technician had rented an apartment together in Minneapolis and it was while living at that apartment that he met the ‘love of his life’, Carlys Wilts, who was renting a room at the same address. Phil and Carlys were married in June of 1964 at her home church in Herman, Minnesota. They were living in Crystal, MN when one day they decided to ‘head west’ to look at properties in the country. Their trip took them west on Highway 12 where they stopped at the first real estate agency they saw in Wright County which turned out to be in Delano. The agent took them to look at 6-1/2 acres of open land west of Delano which they purchased. Together they built their home on the acreage and in December of 1973 they moved in where they raised their two sons and one daughter. Sadly, Carlys passed away in July of 1998 from an aneurysm.

Phil’s family was quite musical and he and his sister played in a small band while in high school. In fact, he still has the saxophone that he played. Phil particularly liked listening to big band and jazz music. From 1960 to 1966, he was a member of the Navy Reserve and proudly took care of his uniform throughout the years. Phil loved his automobiles and while attending DeVry Institute he parked cars at the Ivanhoe Restaurant in Chicago. Phil was an avid “Packer Backer” but Nascar was truly his favorite sport and in recent years he had the thrill of driving three tracks, Richmond, Disneyworld, and Daytona. When asked how fast he went at Daytona, he just smiled (178 mph!). When not working at Honeywell, Phil was busy mini-farming on his acreage. He was a ‘red’ tractor man and if anyone needed something repaired or built, Phil was the ‘go to man’ because there was a very good chance he would have what was needed stored in the little red barn or the pole barn. Phil was a loyal friend and very much enjoyed visiting with the neighbors, having coffee with the guys, and telling an occasional joke.

He was a devout, conservative, Christian man who was extremely proud of his family and the life and home they shared together. Especially dear to his heart were his grandchildren and he loved the times they spent together. He served in various positions at his church and it was at his church that he met, became friends with, and later married Barb Reed of Watertown in 2001. They remained on the acreage until 2015 when Phil sold it and they purchased a townhome in Delano.

Phil is survived by his wife, Barbara, his children Kristine Schansberg, Derek Schansberg, and Craig (Jeanne) Schansberg; grandchildren Kaden, Carly, Kellyn, and Carter Paulson, Madison and Devin Schansberg, Julia and Cole Schansberg, step-children Michael (Lucinda)

Reed, Matthew (Bonnie) Reed, Anna Reed, James Reed, step-grandchildren Megan Reed, Geoffrey (Lisa) Reed, Jordan Reed, T.J and Tierney Paulson, and step-great grandchildren Elliott Reed, Evan Reed, and Noah Reed; sisters Ruth (Jerry) Keck and Linda (Tom) Barrett and brother James (Susan) Schansberg; step-brothers Ted (Sherryl) Strand and Bob Strand, foster brother Donnie (Vickie) Densmore, and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents Odell and Margaret, a brother Gerald, and his wife Carlys.

Visitation will be from 4 – 6 p.m. on Friday, July 31, and from 10 – 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 1, at Peace Lutheran Church in Watertown, Minnesota. A Celebration of Life and Resurrection will be held on Saturday, August 1 at 11 a.m. at the same location. The service will be live-streamed on Peace Lutheran’s Facebook page.