Madonna Schmitt

Thursday, November 16, 2023 3:55 pm

Madonna Schmitt, age 90, of Fort Atkinson, died on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, at Wellington Place nursing home in Decorah.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m., Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, at the St. Luke’s Catholic Church- 215 East Main St. in St. Lucas, with Father David Beckman presiding. Burial will be in the St. Luke’s Cemetery. Visitation will be from 2 to 5 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 19, at St. Luke’s Catholic Church and also after 9:30 a.m. at the church Monday morning. Memorials may be directed to the family for the benefit of St. Luke’s Catholic Church

Madonna Ann (Beckman) Schmitt was born in Ossian, Iowa, on Oct. 25, 1933, the daughter of Henry “Heine” and Hildegard Beckman. She was a graduate of St. Francis de Sales High School in Ossian. Following graduation, she was employed by Bucheit Produce in Calmar.

She married Alfred H. Schmitt of Fort Atkinson at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church on Sept. 17, 1957, to become his partner in life and helpmate in farming. She continued to live on the farm for 66 years, helping with the dairy operation, tending to her chickens, gardening, and running the household. Into her early 80s, she assisted her sons with the daily feeding of the Holstein calves.

Madonna was a member of St. Luke’s Catholic Church where she was a member of St. Lucia Court #233 of the National Catholic Society of Foresters.

Madonna is survived by: her five children Anita (Wilson) Young of Channahon, Ill., Carol (Farhad) Zonoozi of Gardner, Kans,, Phyllis (James) Katcher of Cedar Falls, Alan Schmitt of Fort Atkinson, and Randy Schmitt of Fort Atkinson; one brother: Evroul Beckman of Ossian; two sisters: Ione (Norbert) Neuzil of Decorah, and Margaret (David) Schmitt of Fort Atkinson; two sisters-in-law Therese Schmitt of Fort Atkinson, and Rose Rilling of Solon, Iowa; four grandchildren: Benjamin (Brianna) Young of Bloomingdale, Ill.; Ariel (Thomas) Roberts of Greenwood, Ind,; Jackie (Collin) Howe of Rochester, Minn.; and Farrah (Sage) Elassais of Lenexa, Kans.; six great-grandchildren: Declan and Jace Young of Bloomingdale, Ill.; Celeste and Selena Roberts of Greenwood, Ind.; and Ethan and Evan Howe of Rochester. Madonna was preceded in death by her husband, Alfred H. Schmitt; her parents, Henry and Hildegard Beckman; father- and mother-in-law Peter T. and Mary Blong Schmitt; brothers-in-law Jacob Busta, John Schmitt, Roman Schmitt, James Schaefer, D. Joseph Doucet, Wilfred Dietzenbach, Merle Rilling, and Robert Schmitt in infancy; sisters-in-law Germaine Beckman, Colletta Busta, Theola Schaefer, Leona Dietzenbach, Cordula Doucet, and Rita Schmitt.