MADISON - Daniel M. Kalscheur, a big man with a gentle heart, passed unexpectedly but peacefully on Monday, October 12, 2026. Dan is now reunited with the love of his life, Carol Kalscheur, who had passed a few months before their 65th wedding anniversary in 2024.

The first son but fifth child of Mel and Susan Kalscheur, Dan was born on March 12, 1938, in a Pine Bluff farmhouse without running water. Before even starting his education in a one-room schoolhouse, he was already working the farm and would continue to work his family’s or a neighbor’s farm through high school. When Dan was 16, he started dating Carol Halverson and would marry her six years later on June 20, 1959.

Sports played a role for Dan, either as a participant or a fan. In high school, Dan lettered in four sports – baseball, track, football and basketball. Always in the top 10 batting averages for the Home Talent League, Dan won the 1969 batting championship (.459 batting average). A catcher for most of the years, Dan was a designated hitter when the team won the 1978 Home Talent League championships. His wife, Carol, and children, Michael and Kristine, were his biggest fans. Dan was a lifelong fan of the Packers, Brewers, and Badgers.

Dan joined the U.S. Army after graduating from Deerfield High School in 1956. He was in the 101st Airborne. Among other things, those years taught him to not get on a plane without a parachute; after that, his only commercial flight was to attend training at the FBI Academy in Virginia.

Dan excelled on the Madison Police Department (1960-1990). He served as a sharpshooter on the Emergency Response Team (ERT) from its inception in 1967 to his retirement in 1990. He also taught firearms training for new police recruits. Dan earned the Valor Award from MPD and Outstanding Police Officer award from the American Legion in 1975, Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award in 1976, and was inducted into the Wisconsin Policemen’s Hall of Fame in 2000.

Big and strong, Dan was known by nicknames such as Sniper, Bear Tracks, and Daniel Boone. Dan was an outdoorsman extraordinaire, most at home when hunting or fishing. He started hunting in northern Wisconsin in the 1950s, purchased the deer shack property with Red Speaker in 1975, and continued hunting there into the 2020s. After Dan’s son Michael moved to Georgia, Dan and his nephew, Joe Strandlie, developed a father/son type relationship, enjoying hunting and other activities together. Dan estimated that between the deer shack and other locations, he played a million games of cribbage, many with Ole “David” Olson. Dan started hunting out West in the 1960s - first Wyoming, then later Colorado, and Montana. Dan’s westward adventures peaked with his dear friend, Robert “Bob” Belknap. An entire book could be written about the adventures they shared and the bond they developed with each other, their horses, and the majestic mountains. Carol joined Dan on some non-hunting adventures in the mountains. After Carol retired, she and son Michael joined Dan on an elk hunting trip in the Rockies.

Dan and Carol took many long road trips to see sites and visit relatives in faraway places such as Alaska, California, Georgia, and New Mexico. As much as they liked the travels, their happy place and greatest joy was spending time with family at the cottage they built in Shell Lake, Wis. Five generations of family have enjoyed family fun there, often four generations at a time.

Dan is survived by his two children, Michael (Valerie) Kalscheur of Acworth, Ga., and Kristine (Vic) Rodell of Island Lake, Ill.; four grandchildren, Britney Orsborne and Kyle Kalscheur of Acworth, Ga., Nicholas (Alicia) of Union Grove, Wis., and Jacob Rodell of Island Lake, Ill.; and three great-grandchildren, Conner Woods, and Haley and Jace Rodell. He is further survived by his brother, Don (Tina) Kalscheur; sisters, Rita (Gene) Fredenberg, Marguerite (Pete Zeimet) Ware, Joan Strandlie, Mary Ann Simon and Irene Hart; and many dear nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Carol Kalscheur; parents, Mel and Susan Kalscheur; sisters, Judy Baldwin and Lorna Daugherty; and in-laws, Duane Daugherty, Judy Dorhorst, Carol Jean Halverson, Eugene Halverson, Harley Halverson, Gene Hart, Jack Simon and Curt Strandlie.

A funeral service will be held at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL AND CREMATION CARE, 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, at 12 noon on Saturday, November 7, 2026. Visitation will be at the funeral home from 10 a.m. until the time of the service on Saturday.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given in Dan’s name to Wisconsin C.O.P.S. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Dan was larger than life in so many ways— known for his brawn, bravery, athletic abilities, outdoorsmanship, hard work, and especially his love. Our hearts are broken, but Dan's is whole again. He is reunited with the love of his life, Carol Kalscheur.

Gunderson East
Funeral & Cremation Care
5203 Monona Drive
(608) 221-5420

Daniel Kalscheur

March 12, 1938 - October 12, 2026

Share photos of Daniel