Lisa Anne Schmitz

Lisa Anne Schmitz, 63, from Mankato, Minnesota passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, March 8, 2020.

She is survived by her daughter, Kali Gardner (Jesse Mollner); son, Tyler (Laura) Schutte; mother, Rose (Marv) Kinghorn; aunt, Judy Lentz; sisters, Lori (Russ) Dick and Jennifer (Scott) Koenig; niece, Stephanie (Travis) Ferrian; and special friend, Joe Fredrick.

Our mom was preceded in death by her father, Kenneth Schmitz; her nephew, Jared Dick; her grandparents, Leila and Wesley Lentz; and her uncle, Charles Lentz.

Our mom was born on September 16, 1956 in Mankato, Minnesota and attended high school in both Osseo and Rosemount, Minnesota, graduating in 1975. She spent her life focused on us kids and her family. She was always the most outgoing and energetic one in a room. She was always willing to help others and spent much of her free time volunteering for various organizations and causes.

Visitation and a memorial service will be on Saturday, March 14, 2020 at Northview ~ North Mankato Mortuary. Visitation will be from 1:00-3:00 p.m. and a memorial service to follow.

In high school, our mom played volleyball, was on the dance team, played the coronet in band and even traveled to Mexico for a band field trip. In 1985, she gave birth to her first child, Kali, and in 1989, and she gave birth to her second, Tyler.

She obtained her cosmetology license and made the women of Mapleton beautiful. She accomplished many of her life’s goals, including owning her own fashion boutique, “Attitudes.” She spent many years going between track and field matches, baseball, football, volleyball and basketball games; theatrical plays, mock trial matches, dance line performances, and southern Minnesota’s oldest curling club. Family vacations included road trips across the country and seeing places like New York, Florida, and Texas.

Our mom was an adventure seeker and loved riding motorcycles for short distances or long. Her favorite family tradition was ice skating on Christmas Day.

Our mom never stopped helping others. She volunteered for organizations including the Jacob Wetterling Foundation, Sarah’s Bears, Stamp Out Hunger, Stuff a Truck, Relay for Life, Race for Cure, Wrap for a Cure, Mapleton Town and County Days, Salvation Army, Mapleton Flowers, Boy Scouts Pack #48, Good Will Easter Seals, the United Way, March of Dimes, Santa Letters, and Pioneer Indian Days just to name a few.

In 1998, on her way to pick up Kali in the Twin Cities, she and Tyler were directly in front of the St. Peter, Comfrey and Nicollet tornado tragedy. After driving back home through the destruction, she had already made a plan to get a truck and collect any and all donations needed for the community.

Three words she once used to describe herself were enthusiastic, honest, and energetic.

Our mom was a queen in every sense of the word. She was also Mrs. Global America, Mrs. Mapleton, Mrs. Blue Earth County, Mrs. Global America, National Ideal Mrs. America, Mrs. Minnesota All American, Mrs. Minnesota North American Achievement, including other titles that gave her lifelong friendships.

Our mom spent 20 years working for the United States Postal Service in various roles and most importantly providing all the route dogs with treats. She retired in 2018 to continue traveling the world. In her lifetime, she saw places like Turkey, Costa Rica, Morocco, Scotland, Israel, Alaska, and Puerto Rico, and several places in the Caribbean, just to name a few.

Our mom loved colorful flowers and gardens splashed with sunshine. Her smile and love lives with us in every beautiful bouquet.