Dennis Lee Euler, 69

Dennis Lee Euler entered Heaven on March 2, 2015, after a short but hard-fought battle with cancer.

Dennis was born in Merrill, Wis., on April 4, 1945, to Lawrence and Hope Euler. He was raised on the family dairy farm where he learned the value of hard work and the importance of family ties.

Dennis served in the United States Marine Corps from 1963 to 1967, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls after his discharge from the military. He came to Idaho in 1972 to fight forest fires out of the Boise Interagency Fire Center in Boise, where he met the love of his life, Donna Schultsmeier. They were married Nov. 20, 1976, and have been residents of northern Idaho since that time.

Dennis had a strong work ethic and a "can do" attitude. He worked for General Electric Medical Systems for 18 years, and after being downsized, retrained in computer technology. After four years in this line of work, the company he worked for outsourced all of their jobs to India and he changed careers again.

At the age of 63 Dennis graduated from nursing school and before his retirement he worked as a nurse for Rockwood Clinic and the Spokane VA Hospital. He loved ministering to people as a nurse.

Dennis loved being a father and husband, spending many hours with his wife and daughter at horse shows and track meets, and hosting backyard barbecues. He and his daughter, Mikhaela, also loved rock climbing, hiking, and mountain biking together. Dennis had a life-long love of learning and was passionate about a variety of activities which included athletic training, chukar hunting, cross country skiing, sailing, traveling and reading. He was also a collector of John Deere memorabilia and a shareholder in the Green Bay Packers. He was forced into being an animal lover and collector of strays by his daughter and wife.

In his 60s Dennis became an avid mountain biker, and between April and September of 2014, when he received his diagnosis, he logged nearly 1,000 miles and gained 103,000 vertical feet on his bike in the mountains of northern Idaho.

His motto was: Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ... "Wow! What a ride!"

Dennis will be remembered for his positive outlook on life, his sense of humor, his faith and his commitment to family. He had a positive impact on many, and was a role model and mentor to numerous young people, including Bret, Taiz, Jessi, Chris and Tim.

Dennis is survived by his wife Donna; daughter Mikhaela (Jason) Charter of Coeur d'Alene; brothers Wil (Candi) Euler of Reno, Nev., James (LeeAnn) Euler of Sun City, Ariz., and Mark (Marian) Euler of Centennial, Colo., and sisters Barbara Klade of Merrill, Wis., and Patty (Mark) Sturm of Wausau, Wis. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Larry of Antigo, Wis.

He will be deeply missed.

A celebration of his life will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, at Lake City Community Church, 6000 N. Ramsey Road, Coeur d'Alene.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Smile Train, P.O. Box 96231, Washington, D.C., 20090-6231.