Leah Kay Schwickerath, 54
Leah Kay Schwickerath, age 54 of New Hampton, died Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, surrounded by her family at MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021, at Holy Family Parish, New Hampton, with the Rev. Brian Dellaert celebrating the Mass.
Interment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, New Hampton.
Friends may greet the family from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, at the Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in New Hampton where there will be a 7 p.m. Parish Scripture Service. Visitation continues an hour prior to the Mass at the church on Wednesday.
Online condolences for Leah’s family may be left at hugebackfuneralhome.com.
Leah was born Nov. 18, 1966, in New Hampton, the daughter of James and Joann (Brincks) Laures, and grew up on a farm near New Hampton, where she helped her parents with chores and was an active 4-H member, who took part in numerous static shows throughout her years in her club. She received her education from New Hampton Community Schools and was a member of New Hampton High School’s Class of 1985.
During an outing at Airport Lake, Leah met Neal Schwickerath and the two quickly realized they had found the perfect person. They were married on April 12, 1986, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in New Hampton.
The young couple farmed, and Leah worked side by side with Neal for many years. It didn’t matter if it was working with the cattle, helping with the crops, or taking care of the chickens, Leah contributed mightily to the Schwickerath farm. Their family grew to include three daughters — Sara, Susan, and Barbara — who will tell you they had the best stay-at-home mother. Leah loved spending time with her girls, be it working with them on their homework, the farm, or their 4-H projects. She had high expectations for her girls, but they also knew they had a mother who loved them with all of her heart.
For years, Leah was the club leader for the Devon Dreamers 4-H Club, and maybe only God knows how many projects she helped her club members take to county and state fairs. Her commitment to the program was honored when Leah was inducted into the Iowa 4-H Foundation Hall of Fame in 2021.
In the mid-2000s, when all of her girls were in school, Leah took a job as a school cook — first working in the New Hampton Elementary School cafeteria and later moving out to the high school. She loved her school kids, and they returned that love. Leah enjoyed talking with kids of all ages about everything from how school was going to the importance of eating fruits and vegetables.
Leah was also an active member of the New Hampton Women of Today, helping with the organization’s events. Her favorite was the annual Easter Egg Hunt, and she — along with her girls — would spend hours placing the eggs at Mikkelson Park and then enjoy the few minutes of madness that ensued when the “horn” went off, signaling the start of the hunt.
Although Leah and Neal weren’t big travelers, they enjoyed taking vacations with the girls, including a trip to Las Vegas in 2021, and what the girls called “mom-and-dad” trips later in life. Sunday afternoons at the Schwickerath house always included watching the TV show “Mad Dog and Merle” and one of Leah’s favorite trips came this past summer when she and her husband traveled to Wisconsin to watch a taping of the grilling show.
Leah was also a lifelong member of Catholic parishes — first St. Mary’s and then Holy Family — and had a strong faith. She was so looking forward to the birth of her first grandchild, a girl, who is due later this month.
On Aug. 14, 2019, Leah was diagnosed with colon cancer, and she put up a tenacious fight against the disease for more than two years. The cancer never took away her zest for life, her love for a good conversation (be it at home, school, or the aisle of the grocery store), and her drive to help others.
Maybe the best way to describe this remarkable woman is she was the “real deal.” She was as honest as a day is long, she was unpretentious and just wanted to be loved by others. The world just won’t be the same without Leah.
Survivors include her husband, Neal; three daughters, Sara (JJ) Jerdee of New Hampton, Susan (Brandon) Shatek of Ankeny, and Barbara Schwickerath of New Hampton; a granddaughter that will arrive soon; her parents, James and Joann Laures of New Hampton; one brother; one sister; and sisters-in-law, Pam (Virgil) Pickar of New Hampton, Sandra Armbruster of Iowa City and Ann Schwickerath (Carl Callaway) of Davenport.
She was preceded in death by her father and mother-in-law, Reynold and Corinne Schwickerath; and brothers-in-law, Andrew Armbruster and Daniel Schwickerath.
