The Funeral Service for Lydia Schatz, age 85 of Elgin, will be held at 10:30am Thursday, March 22, 2012 at Bethesda United Methodist Church in Elgin. Pastor Hazel Behrens will officiate with burial in the Johannestahl Cemetery north of New Leipzig.


A family service will be held at 7:00pm on Wednesday evening at the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Elgin.


Special music will be provided by Joyce Becker and Marcy Haase.


Serving as casketbearers are Brock Schatz, Tyler Roth, Lenny Roth, Doug Haas, Ron Haas, and Tom Schatz. All of Lydia's grand and great grandchildren are considered honorary bearers.


Lydia Lorraine Schatz was born to Henry and Frieda (Kurtz) Grosz on July 23, 1926 in New Leipzig, N.D. She graduated from New Leipzig High School in 1946. She married Ervin Schatz on July 7, 1946. Lydia taught country school for a short time and she loved playing organ/piano for church. They lived and farmed in Hebron from 1946 to 1950. In 1951, they moved to a farm north of Elgin until the fall of 1966 when they moved to New Leipzig.


In 1978 they moved to Carson where Lydia continued as a housewife. She loved to cook for her family especially when she received "requests" for strudels; kuchen, cheese buttons, cinnamon twists, and donuts (just to name a few of her specialties). Lydia loved having a houseful of activity and she made sure everyone had enough to eat even if that piece of pie was "just a sliver."


In her earlier years she loved camping, boating, and fishing with Ervin and her family. She had many hobbies including but not limited to crocheting, embroidering, canning, gardening, playing cards, reading, doing puzzles, and keeping her daily diary.


Lydia's health began to fail and she entered the Jacobson Memorial Care Center in the fall of 2007 and resided there to the time of her passing. She passed from this life to her eternal life on March 17, 2012 at the age of 85 years, 7 months, and 23 days old.


She leaves behind her daughters Betty Roth of Elgin, Joleen and her husband Blaine Roth of New Leipzig, son Bruce Schatz and wife Barb of Elgin; 9 grandchildren: Lacy (Dan), Brock, Landa (Jesse), Brandi (Scott), Lenny (Michelle), Bobbi (Casey), Courtney (Dusty), Brianne (Jarrett), and Tyler;  13 great grandchildren: Zachary, Madison, Landon, Alexis, Kylie, Mikayla, Ryan, Aidan, Ella, Kellen, Lauren, Adison, and Abrielle;  sister, Esther Haas of Elgin, brother, Herman Grosz and his wife Katherine of Bismarck, sisters- in- law, Sally Grosz of Moorhead, MN, Irene Grosz and Bernice Grosz of Bismarck; and on Ervin's side of the family sisters-in-law, Winnefred Schatz of New Leipzig, Arlene Schatz of Glen Ullin, Eunice Schulz of New Leipzig, LaDonna Schatz of Elgin;  Sally and her husband, Rev. James Schatz of Tripp, SD, Beverly and her husband, Henry Schatz Jr. of Bismarck, and several nieces and nephews.


Preceding Lydia in death was her spouse of 58 years Ervin, her infant son Donald, her parents, brothers, Alvin, Ed, Roland, and Richard, one grandson, Chad Schatz, and one son-in-law Russell Roth. Lydia was a kind woman and a hard worker.


She had her special friends and staff at the Care-Center and will be missed by many.


Visitation will be held Wednesday from 1:00 to 7:00pm at the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Elgin and on Thursday one hour prior to services at the church.

A memorial has been established.