Mary Ellen Speltz, 71
Mary Ellen Speltz, age 71 of Lawler, died Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019, at her home.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, Sept. 13, 2019, at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Lawler, with Father Dan Knipper celebrating the Mass. Interment will follow at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Lawler, with William Paul and James Paul serving as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be all of Mary’s many friends and family members.
Friends may greet the family from 3 - 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019, at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Lawler, where there will be a 7 p.m. parish scripture service. Visitation continues an hour prior to the Mass on Friday at the church. Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home in Lawler is entrusted with arrangements. Online condolences for Mary’s family may be left at hugebackfuneralhome.com.
Mary Ellen Speltz was born on Nov. 24, 1947, in New Hampton to James and Marcella (Mihm) Schmitt, and she grew up on a farm near Lawler. She attended Mt. Carmel Catholic School through the eighth grade and then attended Turkey Valley High School, where she participated in basketball and track. She was a member of the Trojans’ Class of 1966. After graduation, she attended Young’s Beauty School in Waterloo and later worked as a beautician in New Hampton.
She had two sons, William was born in 1969 and James arrived two years later, from a previous marriage. Her sons remember growing up in a home with a mom who loved them unconditionally. Mary could be stern when she needed to be, but she also was a strong advocate for her family and friends.
She taught her sons how to play Euchre, the card game she loved playing — and winning, too — throughout her life, and she did the same with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren when they came to grandma’s house.
One sport that Turkey Valley didn’t offer when Mary was a student was softball, but as an adult, she played on a number of women’s teams in the area — playing third base, “the hot corner” — and she loved every minute of her time on the diamond.
In 1980, she accepted a job as a custodian at her alma mater, and for years, she was in the cafeteria every day during lunchtime.
She loved her Turkey Valley kids, and they, in turn, loved her. She was a “second mom” to hundreds of Trojans throughout the years, and to this day, many Turkey Valley students will tell you that she was their “go-to person.”
Mary had known Joe Speltz for years, for she was best friends with Joe’s older sister when they were in high school. They began dating in the 1980s, and they were married on June 2, 1989.
While Joe owned and operated Lawler Plumbing and Heating, Mary continued to impact the lives of hundreds of Turkey Valley students. The couple loved to golf, hunt, and fish; in fact, they “re-met” if you will when they were paired together in a golf tournament at the Fredericksburg County Club. That “first date” was a good omen for Mary and Joe as they blew away the field.
In 2001, Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer, but in typical Mary Speltz fashion, she accepted the “challenge” and beat the disease.
An era ended at Turkey Valley in 2012 when Mary retired, but she continued to be active with her husband, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She had her rules that she expected them all to follow, but she loved them all and fiercely supported them in every facet of their lives.
Unfortunately, Mary was diagnosed with cancer again earlier this year, and again, she fought with all her might right up to the end. She showed her family the true meaning of courage and perseverance throughout her life.
Mary is survived by her husband of thirty years, Joe Speltz of Lawler; two sons, William (Susan Jensen) Paul of DeSoto, Wisconsin, James (Jo) Paul of Fairfax; two brothers, Gene Schmitt of Waucoma, David Schmitt of Dubuque; one sister, Pat (Vern) Halbur of Lawler; seven grandchildren, Kelcey Paul, Marcel Paul, Bailey Paul, Keagan Paul, Kylee Paul, Elizabeth Piersen, Holly Zirtzman; two great-grandchildren Krizstian and Edward.
She was preceded in death by her parents; one sister in infancy Kathleen Schmitt; one brother Kenneth Schmitt; one sister-in-law Susan Schmitt.
