Catherine Lorraine Schillo Profile Photo
1957 Catherine 2023

Catherine Lorraine Schillo

April 10, 1957 — May 23, 2023

Waukee

“But someone may ask, “How are the dead raised?  With what kind of body will they come?”  How foolish!  What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.  When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else.  But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.  So will it be with the resurrection of the dead.  The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.”  1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-44. 

 

We are seeds, God is the gardener.  When we die, He plants us to grow into the person we will be in the resurrection. 

 

Catherine Lorraine Woltmann was born to Frederick and Bonnie Woltmann on April 10, 1957; the third of six siblings and four step siblings.  They lived in Minnesota and Missouri where her father was a Lutheran pastor. 

 

In 1982, Catherine and Rev. Eric. L. Schillo were married and had four children:  Nathanael (Phoenix, AZ), Erin (Polk City, IA), Jacob (Madison, CT) and Bethany (Carlisle, IA).  The Schillo family lived 5 years in Missouri and 36 years in Iowa.  Twenty-five of those years they lived in Fort Dodge, IA in the Lutheran Children Friends Society Orphanage where Eric worked for Lutheran Family Service. 

 

The Schillo’s home in Fort Dodge was always beautifully decorated by Catherine.   She took great joy in celebrating holidays and birthdays.  Catherine had a tree displayed year-round which she decorated for every holiday and season.  If it could be celebrated, it was on the tree. 

 

Catherine’s joy in celebrating was also reflected in her love of cooking and baking.  At Christmas she would bake hundreds of cookies and treats, so many that cookies could be found on the family’s deck or in the garage “on ice” in the Iowa winters.  Visitors to the Schillo home never left hungry and often drove home with a box of treats or a back seat full of leftovers. 

 

Nursing was Catherine’s second act to motherhood.  She completed an Associate of Arts in Nursing at Iowa Central Community College in 1997 while raising her last child.  This second career would include 14 years as an RN at the Wolfe Eye Clinic and concluded when she retired from Telligen in West Des Moines. 

 

Catherine’s love for celebrations continued in retirement as she cherished gatherings with her seven grandchildren.  She looked forward to their visits and kept a room filled with toys to make them feel welcome.  Retirement also allowed Catherine to enjoy her lifelong gardening hobby.  She always kept a sunny porch full of plants, maintained an overflowing and lush landscape, and was known to share plants she propagated. 

 

Catherine died at the age of 66 on Tuesday morning May 23rd at Iowa Methodist Hospital.  Her husband and two daughters were at her side as God planted her perishable body to raise her in glory.

 

Jesus loves Catherine, and she loves Him!

 

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at Living Faith Lutheran Church, 2180 NE 142nd St., Clive.  Memorial donations may be made in Catherine's memory to: Lutheran Family Services, 409 Kenyon Rd., Suite C, Ft. Dodge, IA 50501.

 

Ernst Funeral & Cremation Services has been entrusted with Catherine's final arrangements.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Catherine Lorraine Schillo, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Memorial Service

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Starts at 11:00 am (Central time)

Living Faith Lutheran Church

2180 NW 142nd St, Clive, IA 50325

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