In Loving Memory of

Dolores Mae Schmitt

Dolores Mae Schmitt was born at home on May 28, 1929, to Leo and Louise Ackerman Hofstadter on their farm near Currie, and she died peacefully on May 20, 2016. She attended rural school, Westbrook High School, and graduated from Lamberton Teacher College in 1948. She taught rural school for two years until she met Robert Schmitt at a baseball game in Dovray.  They were married on June 10, 1950, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Currie.  Their first adventure was farming east of Dovray.  They moved to Dovray and lived in a little house down town until buying their permanent home in Dovray. 

            Dolores loved Dovray, and was a community activist.  She helped start the Dovray Area Booster Club and she and Bob worked at the Café for many years cooking and involved in other events. .  She was a life-time member of the American Legion Auxiliary, and served in many offices. She also served as village clerk and treasurer, belonged to the Mother’s Club, served as Civil Defense Director, and was a 4-H leader for ten years. Bob was happy when the crown sign was in the yard from the Dovray Dumplings for losing the most weight, but to his chagrin, sometimes it was the pink pig sign for gaining the most weight.

            IHM church in Currie was also the center of her and Bob’s life.  She taught CCD religion for 17 years and served as CCD Coordinator. She was a Guild Leader, a member of Catholic Daughters, and served on the Parish Board.  She also taught RCIA (for new members) for 17 years. The rosary brought her much peace.

            Her community activism reached outside of Dovray.  She and Bob worked hard for the DFL especially loving Hubert H. Humphrey.  Other organizations included Westbrook Hospital Auxiliary, Dovray Service Leader for the Salvation Army, County Extension Board, and Director of the Dovray-Murray County Community Fund and other numerous organizations.  She was also on the Region 8 North Welfare Board and was on the MN State Welfare Conference Planning .She also worked with Western Human Development from 1996-2006. She was very proud of being involved in Project Turnabout treatment center as a board member since 1975, resigning in 2011.  She loved making the drive monthly to Granite Falls, and was caught and knocked out in a tornado at one of the meetings.  It also damaged their car, and Bob had to drive up and get Dolores and the groceries out of the car.  She and Bob were honored to be Murray County Citizens of the year, and they rode proudly in the Uff Da Day’s parade.

            She served as the Dovray Postmaster for 18 years from 1963-1981. She was very active in the National Association of Postmasters of US (NAPUS), serving in many capacities in the state notably as the state Secretary-Treasurer.  She worked at the Dovray Manor for 12 years as a cook. In retirement, she and Bob bought lots and kept adding to their property.  They were proud of their “Schmitt Park”, and had tours, gave away lots of bouquets, and hosted a wedding for their grandson, Luke and Amber. They also bought properties in Dovray three times, and fixed them up down to the soap and towels in the bathrooms, having so much fun going to auctions, sometimes bidding against each other. She and Bob were great dancers and loved to go to Valhalla and the Coliseum in Worthington and dance to the big bands, especially Tiny Little.  They would load up the car with friends, Seversons and Christensons, and off they would go.

Bob and Dolores were lucky to travel many different places with the Vigorena feed group, including Hawaii, Florida and Nashville. She took several of the grandchildren on road trips for many days, making them journal their trips. 

            She suffered with many health problems and dementia in her later years. She had nine lives, rolling a car, getting run over by a car, and suffering with epilepsy since she was 16 years old after falling off a horse on the family farm.  One of her regrets was that she did not get to stay in their family home in Dovray due to health and memory problems.

            Dolores was preceded in death by her parents, and her loving husband, Bob, who died Feb. 5, 2010. She is survived by eight children, Thomas (Dianne) of New Ulm, Pamela (Greg-deceased) Bastien of Naples, Florida, Kenneth (Kate) of Lake Sarah, Steven(Sue) of Long Lake, Neil(Sue) of Eagan, Frances (Mark) Sanders of Little Rock, Arkansas, Sheldon(Esther) of Sitka, Alaska, and Marilyn (Mike) Peschges of rural Dovray.  She is also survived by sisters, her best friend, Dorothy, Mary, Darlene, Evelyn, Leone, and brother, Leo. She was blessed with 15 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.  Her friends stuck with her to the end, especially Joyce Severson and Elaine Schlitke.

            Her door was always open to everyone.  She loved the Minnesota Twins, reading, tending her flower gardens, collecting coins, planting trees, bird watching with Bob, reading and looking at her seed catalogs all winter long.  She always said, “The people I most like to spend time with are my children.”  She loved the wind, the rain, and the snowy winters, and loved life. 

                 Pallbearers: David and Joseph Schmitt, Vernon Leibold, Amy Kubista, Renae Van Kaenel, Luke Sundahl.

                 Honorary pallbearers: Patrick Schmitt, Jennifer Bose, Mike Turner, Matthew Schmitt, Gina Leibold, Ryan Schmitt, Shelby, Sean and Steven Schmitt and Kelly Wynn.

Great-Grandchildren: Mason, Leevi and Leeah, Owen, Jasper, Josie, Sarah, Colin, Jackson, Benjamin, Kerrigan, Maggie, Molly, Jordawn, Joslynn, and Joelle.

Funeral services will be on Friday, May 27, 2016 at IHM Church in Currie, MN at 10:30 a.m.  Visitation will be on Thursday, May 26, 2016 at the IHM Church in Currie from 4- 7 p.m. with a CDA Rosary at 4:15 p.m. Visitation will also be one hour prior to the services at the church on Friday.