David Leon Schwalbe, 78, died in his sleep on August 10, 2026. Born on June 11, 1948, in Dickinson, North Dakota, Dave was the second of six children of Alfred and Agnes (Fettig) Schwalbe. He grew up on the Schwalbe family ranch, 22 miles north of Killdeer.

Dave graduated from Killdeer High School, where he was a football player and Homecoming King (he’d have censored that). He earned a B.S. degree and credits toward a master’s degree in agriculture at North Dakota State University.

Dave’s true home was the Badlands. His life centered around ranching, riding, rodeo, hunting, hiking, helping, visiting, teaching, fixing, solving, and loving his wife. He rode in Theodore Roosevelt National Park for many years with a cherished group of older Fargo-area cowboys, and his mind went back there often. He in turn mentored others such as neighbor girls Kacey Tweeten King and her angel sister Haley Tweeten Arth, proudly becoming their bonus dad. Dave was active in the Dakota Resource Council, Friends of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the Badlands Conservation Alliance, and other environmental and conservation groups for many years. He’d have won first prize in a contest for great ideas to improve life for all.

Dave worked to oppose corruption in state and federal government. He and a dozen or so like-minded friends invested over two years of concentrated effort in proposing and winning the votes to adopt Article XIV, a state constitutional amendment to establish the state’s first Ethics Commission and tighter election laws. This gave rise to the BadAss Grandmas for Democracy, a non-partisan movement for government that works for all. Known for his research on corrupt people, organizations, and funding, Dave was the first BadAss Grandpa. He was planning an Anti-Corruption Foundation and writing three letters to the editor.

He was never happier than during North Dakota Camp, when grandchildren Frank, Lucy, and Jack McCabe came from the urban East during 10 successive summers to immerse themselves in another way of life. Riding and climbing buttes in the Park, dressing up at Fort Mandan, running go-karts in all directions, target practicing with watermelons, igniting homemade rockets, and playing football in the back yard created lifelong memories of Grandpa D for all. Frank described him with great appreciation as “a man out of a different time.”

Dave was a Good Man who lived by rock-solid basic values: honesty, integrity, respect, and kindness. He gave himself far too little credit, but he was not shy about pointing it out when his idea would have prevented a later misstep. He had hilarious stories and jokes to share, but he was serious about doing the right things right.

Dave is survived by his wife Ellen Chaffee, their daughter Kerry McCabe and her children, Frank McCabe V, Lucy McCabe, and Jack McCabe; his 101-year-old mother, Agnes Schwalbe, of Beulah, ND; his brothers Dennis Schwalbe (Mary), Donnie Schwalbe (Claire), Delry Schwalbe (Laura), and Dale Schwalbe (Melody); and numerous nieces, nephews, and their families. He was preceded in death by his sister, Danette Keadle, and his father, Alfred Schwalbe.

A Celebration of Life and sharing of memories will be held at 11 AM on Friday, September 4, at Eastgate Funeral Service, 3117 E Century Ave, Bismarck, ND. A lunch reception will follow. No flowers, please. Memorials to Dakota Resource Council (drcinfo.org), a food bank, or charity of your choice.