Elizabeth Claire (Pelzer) Schmidt

Elizabeth Claire (Pelzer) Schmidt, 95, of Superior, WI, died on Monday, December 11, 2017, at Essentia Health St. Mary's Hospital in Superior from heart failure. She was born on November 30, 1922, in Council Bluffs, Iowa, daughter of Kathryn (Devitt) Pelzer and John F Pelzer. She was one of four siblings. She graduated in nursing from Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs Iowa, 1944. She served in the United States Army nurse corps from 1945, spending nearly a year in France and Germany towards the end of World War II. On January 19, 1945, she was married to Joseph Schmidt, a high school English teacher, and they celebrated forty-one years of marriage before his passing in February of 1986. From 1946, they lived in Superior, Wisconsin and had six children.

She was an active member of Cathedral of Christ the King Church and in 2005 received the diocesan Pax Christi Award for exceptional volunteer work. She worked as a Registered Nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital and taught nursing at Wisconsin Technical College. For over twenty years, she was an advocate for the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse (CASDA). She was also a long-term member of the Befrienders Group and in 1993 was awarded Citizen of the Year. She went to Nicaragua two times with Pax Christi, once in 1988. In 1992 she went to Israel with the Grandmothers for Peace. She flew to Washington D.C. with other veterans of World War II on the Honor Flight in 2011.

She is survived by six children, son, Joseph Schmidt of Superior, WI, daughter and son-in-law, Jan Schmidt and Arthur Rivers of New York, NY; daughter, Catherine Schmidt of Los Angeles, CA; son, Paul Schmidt with Melissa McLeod of Atlanta, GA, and former daughter-in-law, Chris Brandt of Minneapolis, MN; son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Linda Schmidt of Eau Claire, WI; daughter and son-in-law, Miriam (Schmidt) and David Austin of Superior, WI; four grandchildren David Hall, of Oconto, WI; grandson and granddaughter-in-law, Harrison Schmidt and Tracey McCall of Minneapolis MN; granddaughter and grandson-in-law, Hannah Gunnufson-Schmidt and Mike Gunnufson; granddaughter and grandson-in-law, Elizabeth (Schmidt) and Andrew Atter, of Eau Claire, WI; and great-grandchildren, Kaleb Hall of Oconto, WI, Emily (Hall) Maeleon of Green Bay WI, Lorence and Aiden Ruxton and Ezra Gunnufson, Amaya and Corey Atter of Eau Claire, WI, all of Eau Claire, WI; sister, Mary Ann Wager of Council Bluffs, IA.

She is preceded in death by her husband Joseph, brother Patrick Pelzer and sister Francis (Pelzer) Emarine.

Visitation will begin at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, December 19, 2017 at Cathedral of Christ the King Catholic Church and continue until the 11:00 AM Mass of Christian Burial with Rev. Fr. Andrew Ricci as celebrant.  Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery in Superior.  Pallbearers for the service will be Joseph Schmidt, Paul Schmidt, Mark Schmidt, David Hall, Arthur Rivers and David Austin. Should friends desire, memorials may be made in Elizabeth’s name to Cathedral School.

The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to family members Joseph Schmidt and Miriam Austin for the kind and loving care they gave to Elizabeth and to the professional staff at Essentia Health St. Mary’s Hospital for the wonderful care.

The Lenroot-Maetzold Funeral Home, 1209 E. 5 ^th Street, Superior is assisting the family with arrangements.  To leave an online condolence or to sign the guestbook, please visit www.lenroot-maetzold.com .