Dwane W. Getzlaff, 75, Bottineau, ND, passed away on November 16, 2023 after a brief, but courageous battle with cancer. His funeral will be held on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 at 10:00 am at the Lake Metigoshe Christian Center with Pastor Cole Bentley officiating. Visitation will be held Monday, November 20, 2023 starting at 2:00 pm at the Nero Funeral Home in Bottineau, with a prayer service to follow at 7:30 pm.

Dwane was born on March 6, 1948, in Rugby, North Dakota to Herman and Olga (Gjerde) Getzlaff. He was raised and educated in Willow City, where he was known as "Daney" and graduated from high school in 1966. He attended college in Bottineau before graduating from Mayville State University in 1970 with a degree in education. He joined and proudly served the North Dakota National Guard from 1971 to 1977 as an E6 Staff Sargent. During this time, he was also a sixth-grade teacher at Kyle Elementary in Rolla.

On January 1, 1973, Dwane married Candice Courtney in Rolla and soon welcomed their first son, Ryan. They later moved to Bottineau, where he managed Wayne Farm Equipment for 10 years and welcomed two more sons, Riley and Tyler. In 1985, Dwane accepted a position as the County Superintendent of Schools for Bottineau and Rolette counties, which he held for 30 years, until his retirement. During this time, he and Candice purchased and operated the Metigoshe Drive Inn, where Dwane was affectionately known as "Big D" and as "head janitor" by the Drive Inn girls for 30 years.

Dwane loved sports. In high school, he enjoyed playing basketball and baseball for the Willow City Red Wings. During his college days, he played basketball for Bottineau and baseball for Mayville State University. His 1970 Mayville State Baseball team was voted into the Mayville State Hall of Fame. He was also a player/coach for the Rolla NoDak's amateur team, helping them win three state championships. Later, he and some of his closest friends had many great adventures and road trips while refereeing high school basketball games.

For the last 18 years, you could find (and definitely hear) Dwane in the stands cheering on his grandkids while they played hockey, basketball, baseball, football and volleyball. Or, playing school and house with his "Pipey." He spent hours building a giant dirt racetrack for his grandsons to race remote controlled cars on and supplied them with endless amounts of fishing bait.

Dwane also loved hunting and fishing with his friends, three sons and grandchildren. He made many trips to Manitoba and Saskatchewan to fish and hunt geese and ducks. From those trips, he made numerous Canadian friends. He also enjoyed many trips to the trailer in Ambrose with his best friends, sons and grandsons where they shared a lot of laughs, a few drinks and their passion for pheasant hunting. The Ambrose adventures, as retold by his grandsons, will create belly laughs for many years to come.

Dwane and Candice made their home at Lake Metigoshe. Sometimes referred to as the "Mayor of Metigoshe," if Dwane wasn't on the lake fishing or pontooning, you could find him by a bonfire, working in his garden or investing his time into making Metigoshe a great place for families. He was instrumental in many Metigoshe projects, including the Lake Metigoshe Hiking & Biking Trail and the refinished basketball court. He was President of the Lake Metigoshe Improvement Association for 15 years and a board member for many more. He also volunteered and served on boards for the Oak Creek Water Board, Rolland Township Board, Community Action in Minot, St. Andrew's Hospital in Bottineau and the Metigoshe Lion's Club.

Dwane lived to help his friends and family – that's simply who he was. He was attached to his cell phone, which often frustrated his family and friends, unless you were the one calling. Dwane could "find a guy" just about anything, fix just about anything and sold almost everything (seed to farmers, fireworks, trailers, golf carts, guns, etc.). Most importantly, he would drop everything to lend a helping hand. His helping hands and huge heart will be greatly missed.

Dwane is survived by his wife, Candice, of 50 years; his three sons and daughters-in-law, Ryan & Allison (their boys, Lucas, Tyson & Austin), Riley & Desiree (their boys, Colton & Peyton), all of Bottineau; Tyler & Sarah, (their children, Caiden, Carter & Piper), Bismarck; brother Harley, Bottineau; sister Nyla (Tom) Kleingartner, Jamestown; sisters-in-law, Cathy and LouAnn, Minot; brother-in-law, Craig (Mary) Courtney, Carver, MN; and father-in-law, John Bonn, Rolla; He will also be greatly missed by many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

Dwane was preceded in death by his parents, Herman and Olga; his in-laws Janice Bonn and Richard Courtney; his brothers, Gary and Rodney; and his beloved yellow labs – Mel, Whitley & Cedar.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be given to an organization of the donors choosing.

His service will be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkfLwBHeXYPuQ3vsAgTxang