Obit: Schmidtke, Doreen P. (1940 - 2017)

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Schmidtke, Viggers, Breier, Luchterhand, Hudson, Nelson

Source: Tribune/Record/Gleaner (Abbotsford, WI) – 19 Jul 2017

Schmidtke, Doreen P. (19 JAN 1940 - 15 JUL 2017)

Doreen P. Schmidtke, 77, Odebolt, Iowa, formerly of Loyal, passed away on Saturday, July 15, 2017, at the Horn Memorial Hospital in Ida Grove, Iowa. A funeral service was held at 10:30 a.m., on Wednesday, July 19, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Odebolt, Iowa. Rev. David Viggers officiated. Committal services followed in the Odebolt Cemetery of Odebolt, Iowa.

Doreen P. Luchterhand, the daughter of Alvin and Laura (nee Breier) Luchterhand, was born on Jan. 19, 1940, in Marshfield. She grew up on a dairy farm southeast of Loyal, where she attended school. Doreen graduated from Loyal High School with the class of 1958.

On Sept. 20, 1958, Doreen married the love of her life, Donald Gene “Don” Schmidtke, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Loyal. Doreen and Don welcomed their son, Chuck, while Don was stationed in California with the United States Marines. After Don’s service to his country, the family relocated back to Loyal. Don went to work as a cheesemaker while Doreen enjoyed being a stay-at-home mother. A cheese factory in Odebolt, Iowa, brought the family to Odebolt. Doreen and Don welcomed their daughter, Dawn. When her youngest started school, Doreen began driving bus for Odebolt-Arthur School. She was past employed at the Odebolt Chronicle and as the manager of the Odebolt Liquor Store. Doreen wanted to further her education and started taking classes in Carroll, Iowa, thru DMACC, and earned an associate’s degree in business. After graduating, Doreen then worked as an Ida Country Farm Bureau agent selling insurance and investments. This was a stepping stone which led her to a position at United Bank of Iowa as a financial adviser. Doreen loved to garden, growing and canning fruits and vegetables. Her flower gardens were a labor of love. She and Don had the honor of Odebolt Yard of the Month several times. She also enjoyed sewing, dancing, wintering in Texas, and spending time with her family and her beloved cat, “Squeak.”

Left to cherish Doreen’s memory are her children: Chuck (Donna) Schmidtke of Lake View, Iowa, and Dawn (Dean Hudson) Nelson of Laurens, Iowa; three grandchildren: Deena Hudson of Pocahontas, Iowa, Dallas Nelson of Laurens, Iowa, and Jaci Nelson of Laurens, Iowa; a great-grandson, Brayden Hudson of Pocahontas, Iowa; a brother, Mel Luchterhand of Loyal; and many nieces, nephews, close friends and extended family.

Doreen was preceded in death by her parents, Alvin and Laura Breier; her beloved husband Donald “Don” Schmidtke; and three brothers: Gerald, Orville, and Robert Luchterhand.

The Christensen-Van Houten Funeral Home of Odebolt, Iowa, was in charge of funeral arrangements. Condolences may be sent online at www.christensenvanhouten.com.