A funeral service for Jan Ortmeier, 87, of Milford, was held Monday, December 27, 2021, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Milford. Burial was at Calvary Cemetery
Jeanette Eileen Ortmeier, the oldest of four children of Lucille (Yates) and Edwin George Schwedler, was born May 25, 1934, on the family farm near Climbing Hill, Iowa. She thoroughly enjoyed her life growing up on the farm. In school, Jan played girls basketball and was district and sectional champion in free throws. After graduating from Climbing Hill High School in 1952. She moved to Sioux City, Iowa, to work in the transfer department at Security National Bank.
On June 16, 1956, a warm 102 degree day, Jan was married to Cletus Ortmeier in Moville, Iowa. The couple lived in Sioux City, Iowa; Anoka, Nebraska; and Storm Lake, Iowa, before making their home in Milford, Iowa in 1974.
After getting married, she welcomed the new job of Family Manager. Having raised her children, she put her green thumb and knowledge of plants to use at Ferguson’s Floral and Garden Center in Spirit Lake. A job she thoroughly enjoyed, especially her fellow co-workers. Her strong work ethic and values came through in whatever tasks she accomplished. She was an avid golfer with a hole in one to her name. She could hunt with the best of them and spent many hours with a fishing pole in her hand. Jan took part in the annual bird count in our area, enjoyed taking photos of the many birds that would visit her feeders and watching the eagles at the cabin in Park Rapids, Minnesota. She collected owls and cardinals, was creative with projects infusing her sense of humor and was a master gardener of vegetables and flowers. She also enjoyed painting, crafting, wood working, sewing, ceramics, needlework, word search and color books. She enjoyed learning anything new, especially new technology and gadgets and was known for the best pickles, deviled eggs, snicker salad and pototo salad. Jan was the luckiest person when it came to lottery tickets, was always up for an adventure and loved traveling. Jan’s most memorable trip with Clete was the cruise to Alaska. Most of all, Jan loved keeping up with her family’s daily lives and cherished the time spent with her family.
Jan passed away December 20, 2021, at Accura Healthcare in Spirit Lake at eighty-seven years of age.
Left to cherish her memory is her daughter, Kimberly (Mike) Miller of Milford, Iowa and their children, Nicholas Miller, Arin (Emmett) Miller-Kohn and Jenna Miller; daughter, Kari (Paul) Herndon of Charlotte, NC and their children, William Herndon, and Nathanial Herndon; son, Curtis (Holly) Ortmeier of Goodlettsville, TN and their children, Ashlyn Motiff, Whitney (Adam) Multerer, (their son, Maverick) and Devon Montella; several nieces and nephews.
Jan was preceded in death by her husband of fifty-seven years, Cletus; her parents; sister, Shirley McCormick; two brothers, Gene and Jerry Schwedler; grandparents, Herbert John and Mary Edna DeLaughter. Yates, August and Emma (Zellmer)Schwedler.
Turner Jenness Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.