Karen Schmitz | September 26, 1939 - November 25, 2021
Obituaries-Pierre / Posted Dec 1, 2021 | 2:35 PM / 295 views
Karen Kathryn (Hoffman) Schmitz was born September 26, 1939 to Elmer and Anna Hoffman.
She grew up in the country on the family farm, attended Harrold Consolidated school and Northern State University, Aberdeen, SD, earning her teaching certificate. She started teaching in the Fall of 1958 at Sunshine School south of Harrold, SD.
In 1959, Karen married Donald Schmitz of Harrold, SD. They lived West of Ft. Pierre for the next three years where Karen taught country school and Don worked as a ranch hand before moving south of Harrold on the Schmitz home place. Karen continued teaching and substituting.
On September 28, 1962, Karen and Don welcomed their son, Rick. After Rick was born, Karen worked as a homemaker and farm hand doing whatever was needed. She was active in the church and enjoyed playing the organ at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Harrold. Through the years, Karen liked playing guitar for country school dances, playing cards, working on jigsaw puzzles, gardening and watching rodeos.
In the Fall of 1980, Karen and Don moved to Custer, SD. She became an active member of Our Redeemer Lutheran and continued her organ playing. Shortly after moving to Custer, she started working at the Custer County Highway Department as the Administrative Assistant until retiring in 2015.
Donald Schmitz died on May 27, 1997. Karen continued living in Custer until moving to Minnesota in the Fall of 2017 to be closer to her son Rick and wife Nancy and their boys Luke and Jake.
Karen was active with her Minnesota church family at Hosanna Lutheran. After church, she joined Rick and family for an afternoon of visiting and watching rodeos on TV.
Whenever possible she attended Luke and Jake’s sports games no matter how miserable the weather.
Karen was always teaching card games, tricks on cooking, how to can/pressure cook among other things. She was truly a wealth of information.
Karen is survived by her son, Rick (Nancy) of Buffalo, MN; grandsons Luke (fiancé Taylor) and Jacob (Bria) Schmitz; brother-in- laws Dick Schmitz and Jerald Bronemann of Harrold, SD; sister-in-law Dodie Garrity of Hayes, SD; also numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends
Karen was preceded in death by her parents, Elmer and Ann Hoffman; husband, Donald Schmitz; brother-in-laws and sister-in-laws: Harry and Edna, Mel and Mary, Darlene and Ralph, Lucille and Ernie, Lois and Francis, Bob and Eileen, Janice, Tom, Patricia and Merrill.
Funeral service for Karen will be held Saturday, December 4, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. with visitation one hour prior to the service all at Immanuel Lutheran Church of Harrold, SD. Officiating will be Pastor Rob Jarvis. Interment will be in the Medicine Hill Cemetery of Harrold, SD.
