Carl Scharf

Carl Donald (Don) Scharf, 97, of Mesa, Arizona, passed away on February 18, 2018, at Sant of Mesa. Memorial services will be 11:00 a.m. Friday, July 6, 2018 at St. Paul Lutheran Church. Laufersweiler-Sievers Funeral Home is serving the family. Don is survived by daughter, Linda Scharf of Mesa, Arizona, sister, June Saxton and sisters-in-law, Louise Schmoker and Joan Horn of Fort Dodge, Iowa, and Barbara (Leonard) Dueker of Mesa, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Ruth, his parents, Carl and Minnie Scharf, and his sister, Ruth M. Scharf. Don was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa. He attended country school in Webster County and graduated from Fort Dodge High School in 1938. Don joined the Army Air Corps in December 1942. As a B-24 pilot stationed with the 8th Air Force in Wendling, England, he flew 33 successful missions over Germany, Holland and France in 1944 and 1945. After returning from WWII, he joined the Air Force Reserve and retired a Lt. Colonel in 1981. Don married Ruth Sophie Horn in 1949, and the couple made their home in Fort Dodge until moving to Sunland Village in Mesa, Arizona in 2002. His working life was spent in farm equipment manufacturing and as a Voc-Tech instructor at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge. Don was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge and St. Luke Lutheran Church in Mesa. Don collected and restored antique cars as a hobby and he and Ruth were active members of the Antique Automobile Club of America and the NIAPRA and Model T car clubs in the Fort Dodge area for many years. Don restored a 1916 Cadillac seven-passenger touring car that won numerous first place awards at AACA and Grand National meets. His many talents, wonderful sense of humor, and fascinating stories of the past will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge or a charity of the donor's choice.