Obit: Schmitz, Lila Dawn (1934 - 2014)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
 
Surnames: Schmitz, Handke, Sternitzky, Galloway, Kurth, Schoessow

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co, WI) 4/16/2014

Schmitz, Lila Dawn (11 April 1934 - 11 April 2014)

Lila Schmitz, age 80, of Granton died Friday, April 11, 2014, at the Memorial Medical Center in Neillsville following a courageous 25-year battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Lila Dawn Sternitzky was born April 11, 1934, in the Town of Lynn, the daughter of Clarence and Selma (Handke) Sternitzky. She grew up in Lynn and attended Maple Grove Grade School. She graduated from eighth grade at the Lutheran Church School and the attended and graduated from Granton High School. Lila went on to college and earned a bachelor degree in education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. In 1955 she began her teaching career at the Sunbeam Grade School in the Town of Lynn, a one-room country schoolhouse where she taught all eight grades. May 25, 1956, she was united in marriage to Jerry Schmitz in Granton. They farmed i9n the Town of Lynn while Lila continued teaching. From Sunbeam, she then taught at the Mayflower Grade School and eventually went to the Granton Public schools, where she began teaching at the high school, retiring in 1992 teaching at the fourth-grade level. They farmed until 1996, then enjoying travel to homes of friends and family. In 2012, they moved to Sunset Gardens in Neillsville.

She was a member of the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Granton where she was also a member of choir, taught Sunday school, attended Ladies Bible Study and taught Wednesday night confirmation class. Lila loved to travel, go dancing and listen to polka music. She was an excellent cook, and she loved to bake cookies for her grandchildren.

She is survived by her husband, Jerry; four sons, Tim (Jane) Schmitz and Terry (Sandy) Schmitz, both of Granton, David (Karen) Schmitz of Germantown, and Kevin (Shelly) Schmitz of Neillsville; 13 grandchildren, Molly, Ali, Matt, Tara, Kortney, Logan, Nick, Kelsey, Carter, Kenzie, Jason, Kolin and Karcyn. She is also survived by a sister, Velda Galloway of Taylor, S. C.; brothers, Stanley (Karlene) Sternitzky of Rice Lake and Marvin (Roberta) Sternitzky of Blair; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Funeral services for Lila were held at 11 a.m. Monday, April 14, at the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Granton. Pastor Daniel Schoessow officiated. Interment was in the Town of Lynn Cemetery. Visitation was held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a 7:45 p.m. prayer service, Sunday, April 1, at the Gesche Funeral Home in Neillsville and again from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday at the church.

Casketbearers were her grandsons: Matt Schmitz, Logan Schmitz, Nick Schmitz, Carter Schmitz, Jason Kurth and Kolin Schmitz.

Memorials may be designated to the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod in Lila’s name.

Online condolences may be made at www.geschefh.com.  The Gesche Funeral Home is assisting the family with funeral arrangements.