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Roger Williams Schauer, a family physician, rural-health advocate, educator, lifelong learner, and adored family member, died peacefully in Hettinger, ND on 8/29/26 at the age 82.

Born in Eureka, South Dakota, on February 29, 1944, Roger grew up in and around Wishek, North Dakota in a rural German-speaking family. His childhood included farm life, dairy cows, one-room country schools, harsh winters and the arrival of electricity and indoor plumbing. Those experiences helped shape the curiosity, independence and resourcefulness that marked his life.

Roger's interest in medicine was fostered by his experience as a CNA while attending Wishek High School, where he graduated in 1962. At the Wishek hospital he learned hands-on patient care, laboratory work and X-ray technology. His path to medicine included undergraduate studies at University of North Dakota, course work while working nights at IBM in San Jose, California, and medical school at University of North Dakota and Wayne State University. He completed his family medicine residency at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

Roger met Janet Cynthia Brush at a prayer meeting while attending UND.  Married on August 24, 1968, Roger & Janet raised their three children in the communities of Hettinger & Grand Forks, ND. Roger was deeply proud of their 57-years of marriage and the lives his children built and the families they created.  Roger & Janet shared their passion for expanding and improving access to quality rural healthcare for all ages, both while practicing in Hettinger and as faculty for the UND School of Medicine & UND School of Nursing.

Roger practiced obstetrics and family medicine for 18 years in Hettinger. He embraced the broad scope of rural medicine, caring for patients from childhood through old age, often caring for multiple generations of the same family, including approximately 800 deliveries. He valued the philosophy that people in rural communities deserved the same quality of health care available in larger cities, shared by his colleagues at West River Regional Medical Center.

In 1992, Roger & Janet moved the family to Grand Forks, ND.  Perhaps a signature accomplishment in Roger's career was his work at UND as the director for Family Medicine Clerkship and his leadership role in developing the Rural Opportunities in Medical Education (ROME) program, connecting medical students with rural communities and physicians. He especially enjoyed seeing former students graduate and, in some cases, knowing that he had helped bring those students into the world decades earlier.

Roger found joy in humor, comics, and practical jokes & pranks with his friends & colleagues. Many may remember the 4th of July parties overlooking Mirror Lake, family reunions in Wishek, lake-time at Shadehill and Long Lake, and hosting students & faculty events at their Grand Forks home.  And if you knew Roger, you likely knew he was a Leap Year baby; he was especially proud to celebrate his "20th birthday" in 2024.

Roger lived a life filled with purpose.  His legacy continues through the lives of the patients he cared for, the physicians and students he taught, and his family.  Through these experiences, he has taught us all to learn with humility, care with compassionate, and teach with passion - all rooted in love.

Roger is preceded in death by his beloved wife, Janet Schauer; his parents, Gideon and Ruth Schauer; and sister-in-laws, Jackie Schauer and Judy Krupich.  Roger is survived by his three children, Christopher (Ronda) Schauer, Kimberly (Dustin) Rossow, and Jonathan (Jennifer) Schauer; ten grandchildren; and four siblings and extended family.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at the Hettinger Lutheran Church, Sunday, September 6, 2026 at 4:00 pm (MT).  A Scholarship at the UND Medical School is being established in his memory.