WILMA I. HEITSCHMIDT MEMORIAL - MOTHER OF ROGER & RODNEY HEITSCHMIDT AND ELAINE VANDERLAAN

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Wilma I. Heitschmidt

age 97,

of Watertown, SD,

passed away on Friday, November 15, 2013
 at Jenkins Living Center in Watertown.
Visitation will be from 2:00-5:00 p.m. Sunday,
November 17, 2013

with funeral services to follow at 5:00 p.m.
 at the Wight, Comes &; Sogn Funeral Chapel in Watertown

with Reverend Marlyn Kuper officiating.

Rhonda Mund will be the soloist
and Lynn Osthus will be the organist. 

 

Pallbearers will be her grandsons: Jerry Heitschmidt, Jason Heitschmidt, Monte Wedel, Gregg Motley, Jason Snell and John Petrich.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, November 21, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Osborne, KS with Pastor Gale Crippen officiating. Visitation will be prior to the services at the church. Burial will be in the Osborne Cemetery, Osborne, KS.

Wilma Iretha Heitschmidt was born on August 18, 1916 to Christoph and Lovie (Sperry) Sigle at their farm home near Covert, KS. Wilma graduated from Covert Rural High School where she was a star basketball player under the guidance of her coach, the infamous Johnnie Locke. After receiving her teaching certificate, she served four years as teacher at the 1-room Enterprise school located six miles northwest of Covert.

On April 26, 1939, she married Harold William Heitschmidt at her parent’s home. Their first home was near Paradise, KS where Harold served as a mechanic for Harrell Implement while Wilma became a dedicated wife and homemaker. Shortly thereafter they rented the Mitchell farm south of Covert after which they bought the Daggert farm located 3 miles west of Covert. This was their home until retirement in 1980 when they moved to Osborne. In 1999, they made their final move to Watertown to be closer to their daughter, Elaine.

 

Throughout their life, both Harold and Wilma were actively involved in their church, children’s schools, local community activities and state professional organizations. Wilma was well-known as an excellent cook sharing many meals with others and often topping them off with a “lucious” pie. She loved keeping a tidy home, traveling, doing beautiful handiwork and tending her flowers. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, aunt and friend to all. One of her proudest moments was when she and Harold received the Kansas Farmer and Homemaker Award in 1988. In addition, Wilma received the Osborne Woman of the Year Award.

Wilma is survived by her three children and their spouses, Roger (Joyce) Heitschmidt, Chapel Hill, TN, Rodney (Sue) Heitschmidt, Granbury, TX, and Elaine (Al) Vanderlaan, Watertown, SD, and their “adopted” daughter Tina (Nelson) Daniels, Los Angeles, CA, six grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren, 6 great, great grandchildren and a host of nieces and nephews and friends. Wilma was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her siblings and their spouses, i.e., Cleo (Carl) Langley, Helen (Orthy) Gossett, Harvey (Cecil) Sigle, and Richard (Eva Jane) Sigle, an infant brother, two grandsons (Dustin Heitschmidt and Christopher Vanderlaan), one great grandson (Tanner Snell), and one grandson-in-law (Harold Ralston).

Wilma was the last living member of the Heitschmidt/Sigle “greatest generation” as all of Harold’s siblings and spouses are also deceased, i.e., Herbert (Edna) Heitschmidt, Ruth (Wilbur) Obert, and Dorthy (Dale) Tanner. Long live the memories and lessons of the greatest generation!

This picture was taken of Wilma and Elaine at the 2008 Paradise Reunion.