Randy Sachau

Randy Sachau was born in Spearfish, South Dakota in 1952, to Wesley and Jessie Sachau. He grew up with 3 brothers and 1 sister. During his days in elementary school, Randy learned a lot. After telling his teacher a lie and getting in trouble at home, he learned to always be honest. In first grade, he fell in love with his teacher, and this taught him that sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Throughout his childhood, he tried his hand at a few different sports, such as football and baseball. These activities never stuck out to him as much as his passion for airplanes did.

When he reached high school, he began to deliver newspapers to save money to pay for flying lessons which he was able to start at age 15. At 16, he had learned enough to have his first solo flight. At the young age of 17, he got his pilot’s license. While he was in high school, Randy’s father passed away and he learned how to be strong from his mother who set a good example by getting a job and taking care of him and his siblings.

In 1970, Randy graduated from high school and started college at the University of Wyoming where he was learning to be a physician. While home on a break and visiting a friend in the hospital, he quickly realized the late nights of a physician weren’t for him. This realization made him recall a conversation with his childhood dentist, Dr. Ward, and how he once told Randy that he would make a good dentist. After changing his major, Randy was full-steam ahead to become a dentist. Randy finished his college education at Vermilion and returned to Spearfish. He started his dental practice in 1978. If you were to ask him why he likes being a dentist, he would tell you that he loves people and takes great satisfaction in helping people feel better and teaching them to have good basic habits for better teeth. Teeth are only one of his many passions in life. Another major one is flying! This skill helped him land his wife, Donna. In high school he took notice of her while hanging out with his friend, who happens to be her brother. Randy asked her on a date and took her flying. Donna stuck by Randy’s side while he was studying to be a dentist, by taking a job as a secretary and taking care of their 4 children, Aaron, David, Crystal, and Rebecca. She then decided to go to school and become a dental hygienist. Donna also works at Sachau Dentistry, a constant by Randy’s side for their 48 great years of marriage. Randy says Donna is the perfect wife and mother.

When Randy is not helping others at his dental practice, he can often be found at home or in the sky. He enjoys taking care of his chickens, keeping bees, and working on building his Glastar Sportsman airplane. He hopes to finish building his airplane and fly it to Alaska, just one more thing he’ll get to cross off his bucket list. He has already crossed off skydiving, which he has done 12 times even though he says he would rather be the one flying the airplane than jumping out of it. He has also traveled the world, to places like Germany, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Canada, and Mexico and about 20 states in the United States. He led a dental mission trip to a small town in the Soviet Union where they helped build a dental clinic in a church and helped a lot of people. Even though he has traveled all these places and helped so many people, Randy admits he is more of an introvert. He spends a lot of time at home – The Sachau Family resort. Here he can spend time with the things close to his heart, his wife and kids, and enjoy the things he loves, any dessert made by his daughter-in-law Lorinne.

Randy shared some great advice with us that we will always remember. First, make connections with other people and have good, lasting relationships. Make friends and don’t forget, your family can be friends, too. Second, don’t judge others too soon. Remember all
people deserve to be respected. Lastly, protect the value of your name. Make smart choices so others think good things about you.