Dallas Dean Scharff

Dallas Scharff, 94, of West Des Moines, Iowa, passed away on September 21, 2026.

Dallas was born August 23, 1932, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Zatha (Murphy) and Leonard Scharff. He was their oldest child.

He grew up in Manson, Iowa, where he became an Eagle Scout in 1948 and graduated from Manson High School in 1951. An accomplished athlete, Dallas was an Iowa High School All-State football selection and set state records that stood for several decades. He continued playing football while attending Iowa State University and the former Fort Dodge Junior College.

In May 1952, Dallas joined the U.S. Air Force and was selected for the Air Force Cadet Officer (Pilot) Program. He was honorably discharged in May 1956.

Dallas married Charlotte Bergstrom in November 1955 at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. They were the first couple married in the church's second century and celebrated 70 years of marriage in 2025.

Dallas spent 41 years with the Iowa Department of Transportation office in Ames, retiring in 1997 as a Senior Design Technician. Throughout his career, he supervised design teams and trained many Iowa State civil engineering interns. He also played on the DOT softball team. Dallas was active on the State AAU Board during the years his daughter, Kym, participated on the Ames AAU Swim Team.

Dallas enjoyed fishing trips to Canada with family and friends and was a devoted University of Iowa Hawkeye fan. He was a member of the University of Iowa Presidents Club and attended football games for 15 years. Dallas and Charlotte moved from Nevada to West Des Moines in 2005, where he volunteered as a manager at Bridgewood Clubhouse for six years.

In 2006, Dallas and Charlotte helped organize a Bergstrom-Holmgren-Hedstrom family reunion in Sollefteå, Sweden. During the two-and-a-half-week trip, they traveled throughout the areas where Charlotte's parents had lived before coming to America. More than 100 Swedish relatives and 22 family members from America attended the reunion.

Dallas was a devoted father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He is survived by his children, Kirk Scharff (Arlene) of Tehachapi, California; Kym Scharff (Cris) Skinner of Gilbert, Arizona; and Rick Scharff of West Des Moines, Iowa. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Jeremy Skinner, Chelsea Skinner Barney, Katie Skinner Free, Mykayla Skinner Harmer, Zach Scharff, and Bailey Scharff; step-grandchildren Brian Ele, Lester Ele, and Gem Ele-Hodge; 15 great-grandchildren; and two step-great-grandchildren.

Dallas was preceded in death by his parents, Leonard and Zatha Scharff; his brother, Roger Scharff; his sisters, Barbara Scharff Freese and Patricia Scharff McMahon; and his granddaughter, Misty Untrauer.

A memorial service honoring Dallas's life will be held at 12:30 p.m. Friday, October 23, 2026, at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Van Meter, Iowa.